Is agave syrup healthy??

leomom

Mon, Jun 04 2012, 11:14 am

nylon wrote:

Agave isn't standardized, which is one of the issues.

Sucrose is 50/50 fructose to glucose. Agave may be anywhere from 90/10 to 55/45. It's highly processed.

Ultimately, sugar is sugar and very few sweeteners contain enough minerals or anything else to make a substantial difference healthwise. It's not healthier to sweeten with honey or maple syrup or what have you. There's a big controversy about fructose. People latched onto it because it makes blood sugar levels (the test measures glucose) much more slowly. There's a researcher at UCSF, Dr. Lustig, who is virulently anti-fructose, but other researchers say his claims don't hold up.

In short, I believe agave is as healthy as any other caloric sweetener. Which is to say, use it in moderation only, and don't be fooled that recipes using agave/date syrup/maple syrup/Rapadura are any better for you than ordinary cane sugar. Or even HFCS--the real issue with HFCS is that it is so cheap we can add tons of it to everything. If we swapped it out for equivalent amounts of sugar, we'd be just as badly off.

Exactly.

seeker

Mon, Jun 04 2012, 11:18 am

I use it because I heard it had lower glycemic index, and you use less, and I had been having a problem with sugar spikes so less + slower digesting was what I needed. But now I'm not so sure at all... I didn't use tons, just enough to get my nosh fix without too much sugar. Made say one batch of cookies or muffins per week with agave syrup and WW flour so I could satisfy sweet munchy cravings in a better way.

leomom

Mon, Jun 04 2012, 10:22 pm

I don't have time for details now - but just very quickly - there is agave and there is agave... if you get raw organic, that's one thing... but some brands are indeed highly processed and very high in fructose content, etc.

As far as the miscarriage claim: some sources link this possible risk to the high (naturally occurring) saponin content in agave - which apparently increases blood flow to the uterus (but many foods contain saponins); other sources give other reasons. But I haven't seen anything really convincing or conclusive.