Agave (pronounced 'uh-GAH-vay') nectar is produced from several species of desert plants native to the Americas, known as "maguey" in Mexico. (The blue maguey is used to make both tequila and mescal.) Just before they send up their huge flower stalks, these plants store a lot of energy in their cores in the form of a sweet-tasting carbohydrate called inulin. Agave nectar is produced by expressing the juice from the agave core, which is then filtered, heated and treated with enzymes to convert the inulin to sugars.
Agave nectar is a natural sweetener that ranks relatively low on the glycemic load scale. It is sold in health food stores and online and has been growing in popularity in recent years. Although it provides as many calories as sucrose (table sugar), it is much sweeter, so you can use less of it - say one-quarter of a cup to substitute for one cup of sugar in most recipes. I like the pleasant, neutral taste of agave nectar and use it as my main sweetener, although I don't use sweeteners very often, and when I do, I use small amounts. I doubt that I use more than a tablespoon or two per week.
Agave has been getting a lot of bad press recently in connection with its fructose content. In fact, the fructose in it accounts for its low glycemic load. The body does not metabolize this natural sugar well, so it does not readily raise blood sugar (glucose) levels. In moderate amounts - as in fruit, honey, and agave - fructose in the diet is not a concern. Very large amounts, as one might get through high consumption of sugary drinks made with high fructose corn syrup, probably affect liver function and promote insulin resistance and obesity in many people. In the animal study you mention, the doses given were huge. So I wouldn't worry about the effect on your liver of modest quantities of agave or fructose.
I am troubled, however, about the health effects of large amounts of sugar and high fructose corn syrup in the diet. Americans over the age of two consume more than 300 calories daily from caloric sweeteners, one-sixth of their average daily calories. Measured against those amounts the fructose coming from agave products is insignificant.
My main concern about agave is not possible effects on liver function or health but rather its sustainability as a food source since demand may soon exceed supply.
Andrew Weil, M.D.
Take the poll: Which sweetener do you prefer?
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