Ahh, tequila. I think it’s safe to say that most of us have felt personally victimised by the Mexican liquor at some point — often to the point where they can’t even smell it without feeling queasy (or maybe that’s just me?). After all, there’s a good reason they say ‘one tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.’
But according to new research, the devil juice — err, I mean tequila, may actually be the best type of booze to drink if you’re trying to maintain or lose weight. A study from the American Chemical Society found that sugars called agavins that are found in the agave plant (used in making tequila) can help lower your blood sugar.
In the study, the researchers found that mice that drank water containing agavins ate less overall than the mice that didn’t have agavins. They also discovered that the mice who consumed agavins produced a hormone called GLP-1, which helps keep the stomach full for longer and produces insulin (which helps your body convert sugar into energy.)
So, does this mean we should all go out and drink all of the margaritas in an effort to get shredded? Well, no — for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it’s important to note that the study was done on mice, so we don’t know yet whether it would have the same effect on humans. Secondly, as it tends to be high in calories and our bodies can’t burn fat with alcohol in our system (more on that here), no type of alcohol is going to be an effective weight-loss aid.
That said, it will be interesting to see further research into how agavins (which despite coming from the same plant, are different from agave nectar) can be used as a weight loss tool. And in the meantime, it’s safe to assume that margaritas aren’t the worst you could do when it comes to waistline-friendly cocktails.
