Agave PlantTequila plant comprises of an ingredient that could be perfect for use in a new variety of processed foods. Foods sprinkled with ‘fructans’ from the agave plant may aid in shielding against osteoporosis by augmenting the body’s absorption of calcium and could encompass other health gains.

Fructans are believed to be non-digestible carbohydrates. They include molecules of fructose connected jointly into chains. Rich natural sources comprise of artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes, garlic and onions, and chicory. Fructans do not arise in tequila, nevertheless, since they apparently transform into alcohol when agave is utilized to make tequila.

Mercedes López, Ph.D., who delivered the report, commented, “Fructans are considered functional food ingredients because they affect body processes in ways that result in better health and reduction in the risk of many diseases. Experimental studies suggest that fructans may be beneficial in diabetes, obesity, stimulating the immune system of the body, decreasing levels of disease-causing bacteria in the intestine, relieving constipation, and reducing the risk of colon cancer.”

Supposed ‘inulin-type’fructans from chicory seemingly have extensive use in the United States and other countries in ice cream, breakfast cereals, baked goods, sauces, beverages and other foods. Small fructans have a sweet taste while those developed from longer chains of fructose appear to encompass neutral taste and deliver foods with an easy and pleasing texture.

Scientific studies have apparently proposed that fructans could fuel the development of healthy bacteria in the large intestine in a way that apparently augments the body’s absorption of minerals, counting the calcium and magnesium vital for bone growth.

In the new study, López and colleagues wanted to find out what consequences agave fructans really encompass on bone development. They examined the consequences of agave fructans on laboratory mice. Mice fed with agave fructans seemed to soak in more calcium from food, discharged less calcium in their feces, and exhibited a 50 percent boost in levels of a protein linked to the upsurge of new bone tissue.

López quoted, “These results suggest that the supplementation of the standard diet with agave fructans prevented bone loss and improved bone formation, indicating the important role of agave fructans on the maintenance of healthy bone. They can be used in many products for children and infants to help prevent various diseases, and can even be used in ice cream as a sugar substitute.”

López mentioned that her discoveries propose that agave fructans could be utilized in all of the same foods as chicory fructans. Agave fructans appear to fuel generation of higher amounts of incretins as compared to the inulin-type fructans from chicory. Incretins are believed to be a class of gastrointestinal hormones that appears to augment in the quantity of insulin discharged by the pancreas. That could be advantageous for people with diabetes or high blood sugar levels who are at threat for diabetes.

The study was reported at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.