agave syrup

[ionasix]

Hello everyone, my son is type 1 and i am trying to find things to make for puddings!! He is 8 and has two younger brothers and a sister so i am trying to make stuff they will all eat (challenge in itself!!) Came across agave syrup. Apparently its a natural sweetner, low GI. Has anyone used it.......will it send his bg wild?? He was diagnosed in Jan so we are still very much experimenting. Any food tips would be great. Thanks. Lynne

[Dennis]

Hi Lynne,

General advice for diabetics is to avoid agave syrup like the plague. It's composition varies from 92% fructose & 8% glucose to 60% fructose & 40% glucose. So it is pure sugar!!

The only reason that it has a log GI is because the glycemic index measures only glucose and ignores fructose, so can sometimes be misleading.

[jessie]

Hi Lynne,

I use Agave Nectar as a sugar replacement but only in small quantities - for example to sweeten a curry or some natural yoghurt - and it doesn't seem to effect my blood sugar. I also seem to be OK on small quantities of honey, but we're all different of course. Personally I'd rather use a little bit of natural sweetener than an artificial one.

The only way to find out what is best for your son is to experiment I guess, but I wouldn't suggest using too much!

Good luck

Jessie.

[phoenix]

I think that you should try it in small amounts and test your sons reaction to it. Perhaps keep it for special occasions. A quick google found threads on other diabetes forums extolling its virtues, particularly in catering for children with diabetes. One mother said that it was a Godsend' with minimal affect on glucose levels. It is appparently sweeter than sugar so you need less. A couple of brands have been GI tested in the US on Diabetics as well as non diabetecs. Their GI is reported in the glycemic index database.http://www.glycemicindex.com/
However, in my search I came across a couple of things that make me a little wary, which is why I think it might be better not to use it too often.
Firstly, not all brands are low GI, they haven't been tested and as Dennis points out the composition varies. Secondly and perhaps this is the reason for the variability, it appears that not all agave syrup is what it claims to be (at least in the US). Some manufacturers may be producing a highly refined product or be adulterating it with high fructose corn syrup. This rather biased article,outlines possible problems. http://www.naturalnews.com/024892.html

[ionasix]

Wow, thanks everyone for responding to my queries on agave syrup I have used a little on natural yoghurt and did it not seem to affect him, but we are finding out how the same founds can affect him differently depending on what time of day he has them. When they say it's a steep learning curve their not kidding!!
Thanks again for your response, will be posting again soon, i'm sure.

[barge]

i do use it most days on my porridge and it does not raise my readings anymore than if i use sweetners.

[SusabellaSaspirella]

Hello, does anyone have any experience with either of these products? I have a very sweet tooth and want to stop relying on Splenda. Also desperate to make low carb cakes etc., and can swap honey in recipes for one of these products but don't necessarily understand the science behind them and what effect they could have.

[hanadr]

Natural sugars are a bit of a minefield and I think everybody needs to try for themselves if they can use them safely. I can handle a LITTLE xylitol or fructose, but really only a LITTLE. I "stretch" the SPlenda and improve its taste if I substitute a little of the Xylitol or Fructose. In addition They improve the texture of foods, such as meringues. Remember that Fructose isn't good for triglycerides.

[conwaylex]

I have recently tried agave syrup thinking that it was more healthy than Sucralose. But seeing some new research on the body's reaction to fructose, I am not so sure. Please see attached link -thioughts on this anyone?

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/137027/Sweetner-is-silent-killer
Conwaylex

[cugila]

Here is a link to the Wikipedia entry regarding Agave Syrup which many think is healthy ???
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_syrup

An extract:
However, the extremely high percentage of fructose (higher than that of high-fructose corn syrup) can be deleterious and can trigger fructose malabsorption, metabolic syndrome[7], hypertriglyceridemia, decreased glucose tolerance, hyperinsulinemia, and accelerated uric acid formation.[8][9][10] Low-carb diet advocate Dr. Michael Eades M.D. advises to "avoid it [Agave syrup] like death".[11]

I think you are wise to be wary of this stuff.