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MEXICO CITY – Sugars from the agave cactus – the source of tequila – counteracts several illnesses in rats such as diabetes, colon cancer, osteoporosis and obesity, Mexico’s Center for Research and Advanced Studies, or Cinvestav, said Monday.

“Though there are already powdered food supplements on the market that contain fructans (indigestible sugar molecules) under the name Inulin, their full benefits are as yet little known or studied,” the prestigious institution said in a statement.

Mercedes Guadalupe Lopez, of Cinvestav’s Biotechnology and Biochemistry Department, said that blood glucose levels can be controlled by ingesting fructans.

“They also favor production of the hormone known as GLP1, responsible for producing insulin, which means they can help regulate diabetes,” she said.

As yet Cinvestav research has only been done on laboratory rats, but has given “very positive” results, she said.

Lopez said that consuming agave fructans also has a beneficial effect on colon cancer, mainly because during fermentation they generate butyric acid in the large intestine, which keeps colon cells protected from the adhesion of pathogenic bacteria, thus diminishing or avoiding the development of this kind of cancer.


Besides finding fructans in food supplements, they are also present in some cereals, honey and powdered milk, and can be consumed by anyone since they have no contraindications, Lopez said. EFE