Re: Agave Syrup, Nectar, Whatever, Not Legal

[Guest guest]

This is very interesting lin. It might explain my little sugar addiction I'm

trying to fight for so long now (although I never ate Agave syrup, I can easily

eat half of a honey jar by spoon, which I believe is also high in fructose)

Do you have a reference for those infos ?

Annie

>

>

> agave syrup

> illegal

> Agave syrup is not legal, per Elaine, on the LI

> list. Agave syrup (or nectar) is about 90%

> fructose. It is a potent natural sweetener and a

> source of inulin, which is illegal, per BTVC p

> 59. In addition, much agave syrup is produced by

> corporations which also produce malt syrup,

> molasses, and other illegal sweeteners, so there

> is also a possibility that it is contaminated by those other sweeteners.

>

> Also:

>

> Agave Syrup is not a " whole " food. It is a

> fractionated and processed food. Manufacturers

> take the liquid portion of the agave plant and

> " boil " it down, thus concentrating the sugar to

> make it sweet. Agave Syrup is missing many of

> the nutrients that the original plant had to begin with.

>

> Agave Syrup was originally used to make tequila.

> When Agave Syrup ferments, it literally turns

> into tequila. The enzymatic activity therefore

> MUST be stopped so that the syrup will not turn into tequila in your cupboard.

>

> For the most part, agave syrup is produced in the

> Guadalajara region in Mexico. There are those

> within the industry who say that some of the

> agave syrup is " watered down " with corn syrup in

> Mexico before it is exported to the USA. Why is

> this done? Most likely because Agave Syrup is

> expensive, and corn syrup is cheap.

>

> Agave Syrup is advertised as " low glycemic " and

> marketed towards diabetics. It is true, that

> agave itself is low glycemic. We have to consider

> why agave syrup is " low glycemic. " It is due to

> the unusually high concentration of fructose

> (90%) compared to the small amount of glucose

> (10%). Nowhere in nature does this ratio of

> fructose to glucose occur naturally. One of the

> next closest foods that contain almost this

> concentration of glucose to fructose is high

> fructose corn syrup used in making soda (HFCS

> 55), which only contains 55% fructose. Even

> though fructose is low on the glycemic index,

> there are numerous problems associated with the

> consumption of fructose in such high

> concentrations as found in concentrated sweeteners:

>

> A. Fructose appears to interfere with copper

> metabolism. This causes collagen and elastin

> being unable to form. Collagen and elastin are

> connective tissue which essentially hold the body

> together.1 A deficiency in copper can also lead

> to bone fragility, anemia, defects of the

> arteries and bone, infertility, high cholesterol

> levels, heart attacks and ironically enough an

> inability to control blood sugar levels.

>

> B. Research suggests that fructose actually

> promotes disease more readily than glucose. This

> is because glucose is metabolized by every cell

> in the body, and fructose must be metabolized by

> the liver. Tests on animals show that the livers

> of animals fed large amounts of fructose develop

> fatty deposits and cirrohosis of the liver. This

> is similar to the livers of alcoholics.

>

> C. " Pure " isolated fructose contains no enzymes,

> vitamins or minerals and may rob the body of these nutrients in order to

> assimilate itself for physiological use.

>

> D. Fructose may contribute to diabetic

> conditions. It reduces the sensitivity of insulin

> receptors. Insulin receptors are the way

> glucose enters a cell to be metabolized. As a

> result, the body needs to make more insulin to

> handle the same amount of glucose.

>

> E. Consumption of fructose has been shown to

> cause a significant increase in uric acid. An

> increase in uric acid can be an indicator of heart diease.

>

> F. Fructose consumption has been shown to

> increase blood lactic acid, especially for people

> with conditions such as diabetes.

> Extreme elevations may cause metabolic acidosis.

>

> G. Consumption of fructose leads to mineral

> losses, especially excretions of iron, magnesium,

> calcium and zinc compared to subjects fed sucrose.

>

> H. Fructose may cause accelerated aging through

> oxidative damage. Scientists found that rats

> given fructose had more cross-linking changes in

> the collagen of their skin than other groups fed

> glucose. These changes are thought to be markers for aging.

>

> I. Fructose can make you fat! It is metabolized

> by the liver and converts to fat more easily than

> any other sugar. Fructose also

> raises serum triglycerides (blood fats) significantly.

>

> Agave Syrup and other concentrated sweeteners are

> addictive. Eating concentrated sweeteners makes

> it harder to enjoy the sweet foods we should be

> eating – whole fresh fruit since they don't seem as sweet by comparison.

>

>

>

> — Marilyn

> New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

> Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

> Darn Good SCD Cook

> No Human Children

> Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund

> Babette the Foundling Beagle

>