Tequila Plant Compound May Fight Osteoporosis

Fructans are non-digestible carbohydrates, chains of fructose, that increase calcium absorption and deposition in bones. Mercedes G. Lopez , from Mexico’s National Polytechnic Institute (Guanajuato, Mexico), and colleagues tested the effects of agave fructans by feeding the compound to laboratory mice, which were then able to absorb more calcium from food, excrete less calcium in their feces, demonstrated a 50% increase in levels of osteocalcin, a protein associated with the build-up of new bone tissue.  The team writes that: “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 bones.”