Agave syrup is mostly obtained from the Agave Tequiliana Weber var. azur grown mainly in the western regions of Mexico and also used to produce Tequila. It is a species of bluish succulent plant with robust stems that end in spines and belongs to the Agavaceae family.

The composition of the agave syrup, mainly used for food use, as a sweetener, is of fructose and glucose, with a strong predominance of fructose whose percentage is around 90% (1). The problems that fructose creates in the human body can be found by typing "fructose" in Tiiips.

This syrup was created in Mexico from 1990 and was extracted from different plants: Agave salmiana, Agave americana and Agave mapisaga

Most of the industrial processing of agave syrup is done chemically, treating the bulb and the fat parts of the plant.

There are few producers who produce agave syrup naturally.

One concern is the cultivation of the plant when treated with pesticides that are not authorized in Europe.

For those wishing to learn more, this is a report by an agave syrup manufacturer to the Food and Drug Administration (2).

The increase in obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and fatty liver disease have been linked to increased consumption of foods or beverages containing fructose. This study concludes that even moderate consumption of fructose-containing fluids can lead to the appearance of unfavorable changes in the lipid profile of the liver plasma (3).

Further studies on agave syrup

References_________________________________________

(1) NSF May19, 2015 to Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition
Office of Food Additive Safety (HFS-255)
5100 Paint Branch Parkway
College Park, MD 20740-3835

(2)http://www.fda.gov/downloads/food/ingredientspackaginglabeling/gras/noticeinventory/ucm494655.pdf

(3) Effect of moderate intake of sweeteners on metabolic health in the rat.  Figlewicz DP, Ioannou G, Bennett Jay J, Kittleson S, Savard C, Roth CL.  Physiol Behav. 2009 Dec 7;98(5):618-24. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2009.09.016. Epub 2009 Oct 6. Erratum in: Physiol Behav. 2010 Apr 19;99(5):691.