Tequila shots may do more than lighten the mood at a party; the drink may be beneficial for your health as well. 
 
 According to researchers from Mexico, natural sugars derived from the agave plant, called agavins, greatly protected a group of mice against diet-induced obesity and type 2 diabetes, MedPage Today reported. 
 
 In a new study presented at the American Chemical Society (ACS) annual meeting in Dallas, mice were distributed into seven groups. One group received a diet of plain water, while the other groups received water supplemented with either aspartame, glucose, fructose, sucrose, agave syrup or agavins. 
 
 The mice that consumed agavins showed a reduction in food intake and weight and a decrease in blood glucose levels. These findings were similar to the control group that received standard water. 
 
 Because agavins act as dietary fibers and do not raise blood sugar, the researchers believe the ingredient could be used as an alternative sweetening agent. 
 
 "We believe agavins have a great potential as a light sweetener," Mercedes G. López, of the Centro de Incetagcioan y de Estudios Avanzados, Biotechnology and Biochemistry Irapuato, in Guanajuato, Mexico wrote in the ACS abstract. "They are sugars, highly soluble, with a low glycemic index and a neutral taste…This puts agavins in a tremendous position for their consumption by obese and diabetic people." 
 
 The alcoholic beverage tequila is made from the blue agave plant, primarily around the Mexican city of Tequila. However, Lopez noted that agavins are not widely available and not as sweet as regular sugars. 
 
 Click for more from MedPage Today. ||||| Action Points Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. 
 
 Agavins, natural sugars derived from the stem of the agave plant, reduced weight and blood sugar in mice prone to diet-induced obesity and type 2 diabetes, according to researchers from Mexico. 
 
 In the study, male C57BL/6J mice were randomly distributed into seven groups of four mice. One group received a standard diet plus plain water. The others received a standard diet plus water supplemented with either glucose, fructose, sucrose, agave syrup, agavins, or aspartame. 
 
 Mice that consumed agavins in their water reduced their food intake, lost weight, and showed a reduction in blood glucose levels, said Mercedes G. López, PhD, of the Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados, Biotechnology and Biochemistry Irapuato, in Guanajuato, Mexico, at the American Chemical Society (ACS) annual meeting in Dallas. 
 
 "They were, most of the time, not different from the control," she said in an email to MedPage Today. 
 
 The study is the first to attempt to evaluate agavins -- fructans that are made of long branched chains of fructose that act as a dietary fiber and do not raise blood sugar -- as an alternative sweetener. 
 
 "We believe agavins have a great potential as a light sweetener," wrote López in the ACS abstract. "They are sugars, highly soluble, with a low glycemic index and a neutral taste." 
 
 Most importantly, she noted, they are nondigestable and act as dietary fiber. "This puts agavins in a tremendous position for their consumption by obese and diabetic people." 
 
 López's past research has shown that agavins reduce glucose levels and increase glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a hormone that slows stomach emptying and stimulates production of insulin. 
 
 "In certain circumstances, artificial sweeteners are useful in helping people maintain glucose control," Nora Saul, MS, RD, CDE, manager of nutrition services at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, who was not involved in the study, told MedPage Today. "If this is all true, it sounds like it could be another additional tool for people with diabetes." 
 
 One potential challenge with agavins is that they are not widely available. Also, while agavins have half the calories of regular sugars, they are not as sweet, noted López in her email. The latter could be solved at least somewhat by partial hydrolysis, she said. 
 
 "People must somehow understand that we cannot have the best of both worlds," in terms of finding an alternative sweetener that is still very sweet, she commented. 
 
 There's a significant difference between agavins and the agave syrup and nectar that are marketed as an alternative to sugar, López explained. Those agave products are made of fructans that have been broken down into individual fructoses and are similar to high-fructose corn syrup, she said. 
 
 High sugar intake contributes to cardiovascular disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. The American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association have said they are not sure whether sugar alternatives are a solution. 
 
 In a joint statement in 2012, the organizations said the data is "still inconclusive about whether using non-nutritive sweeteners to displace caloric sweeteners, such as added sugars, can reduce carbohydrate intake (important for diabetes control), calorie intake or body weight, benefit appetite, or lower other risk factors associated with diabetes and heart disease in the long run. " 
 
 The study was supported by Mondelez International and Agavaceae Produce. López is on a patent for the methodology to extract agavins. 
 
 1969-12-31T19:00:00-0500
– The plant tequila is derived from could play a role in fighting obesity, and it doesn't involve getting people so drunk they forget to eat, researchers say. Natural sugars found in agave appear to protect mice against obesity and type 2 diabetes, Fox News reports. The sugars, known as agavins, acted as a dietary fiber and were not absorbed into the bloodstream, leading researchers to believe they could be an ideal artificial sweetener for obese or diabetic people. "In certain circumstances, artificial sweeteners are useful in helping people maintain glucose control," an expert tells MedPage Today. "If this is all true, it sounds like it could be another additional tool for people with diabetes." The researchers say "agavins have a great potential as a light sweetener," though two big obstacles exist: They aren't that widely available, and they aren't very sweet. And if you're an agave syrup fan, take note: That syrup is very different from agavins; the researchers liken it more to high-fructose corn syrup. (In more booze- and health-related news, click to read about the case of a man whose body produces its own alcohol.)