Agave, Bad For You?

I was asked to research Agave nectar. This is what I found...

(Please feel free to add anything in comments because I was very torn with the safety of this product.)


Agave: A sweetener derived from agave plant sap. It is commercially produced by extracting the juice from the center of the plant then heated to hydrolyze polysaccharides into simple sugars. The juice is then concentrated into a syrup. The shade of color depends on how much it is processed.

The United States patented a method to process the agave juice without using heat. The process uses enzymes from mold to hydrolyze. This method is "generally recognized as safe" by the FDA. Generally recognized as safe (GRAS) can mean one of three things...

1. Self-Affirmed means the manufacturer has performed necessary research with "experts" (if you ask me, they probably pay off people to say their product is safe).

2. FDA-pending means the product tests were submitted but not approved yet.

3. No comment - FDA reviews the claim and answers with a "no comment", meaning they are not requiring any further action on the product.

Agave is made up, mostly, of fructose and glucose. It has a lower glycemic index than table sugar (sucrose) but when (fructose) is consumed in large amounts can cause several health problems (too much to go into, would have to be its own blog). In my research, I found that most of your body can't break down fructose, only the liver. So, I guess if you have liver problems you should stay away from this product. It is such a concentrated product so it's hard to (for me) say how much your consuming in a small amount. I wouldn't say this product is terrible but I wouldn't give it to children because their bodies are so much smaller and the fructose would be even more difficult for their bodies to digest.

It's hard for me to understand if this product is really healthy or not. The U.S. is the one who patented the process using mold so it's tough to say if they are sneaking in their commercial way. Usually, a product with an USDA certified organic label should be trusted.  It would be expected that the certified organic product would use the heat method to hydrolyze. Is there a certified organic product that's not made in the U.S.? If so, that probably your safest bet.

I personally do not use this product. If I must use a sweetener, I just use raw sugar or organic sugar. Even that, I pretty much only use in my coffee. For baking, I no longer plan to use sugar (yes I am guilty of over using sugar and junk ingredients, but I've changed my ways). A pureed fruit sweetens just as well.

Everything in moderation,I suppose. I hope this information was helpful.



Resources: Wikipedia.com