Agave Nectar - Is It Good For You

Agave nectar (also known as agave syrup), even though it has been used for a long time to make less-than-healthy drinks like tequila, is actually much sweeter than normal table sugar. As a result, due to the lower amounts required to sweeten a food item, among other factors, some companies have started marketing agave nectar/syrup as a natural sugar substitute for diabetics. But, is it actually better for diabetics than sugar is?

Well, the answer lies in a little bit of science. Just a tiny bit, I promise! You see, the standard table sugar is split 50/50 between glucose sugars and fructose sugars. Fructose sugars are absorbed into the body much slower than glucose sugars, which causes it to encourage obesity when too much of it is used, but it can also result in a better sugar for diabetics since it can help them avoid dangerous blood sugar level spikes.

Agave syrup, which is 90% fructose and 10% glucose in most cases, has a lower glycemic index than table sugar. However, there is one problem. Agave syrup has variations that have 45% glucose and 55% fructose, making it hardly any better for diabetics than standard sugar. As it turns out, the standard high fructose corn syrup has the same percentages of glucose and fructose. It really isn’t good enough.

Furthermore, agave syrup has the same number of calories per ounce that normal sugar does. See, the thing is that sugar isn’t nearly as sweet-tasting as agave nectar is, so it will take less agave syrup to create the same level of sweetness, which means that less sugar would be consumed.

So, is sugar worse for a diabetic than agave nectar? If you get the right kind, it is. However, it is still a sugar, so its benefits are limited. Furthermore, the variances within agave syrup emphasize the need for diabetics to research what exactly is in the food they are eating, as believing that you are eating a healthier item than you are could lead to over-consumption, which can be very dangerous for anybody dealing with diabetes.

While I have covered a fair amount of information, you should always do more research on anything like agave syrup before deciding if it is good or bad for diabetics. As always, whenever you try anything new, especially substitutes for sugar, you should monitor your blood sugar level especially closely in case your body does not react to it the way you thought it would. Good luck, and happy eating!

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