Tequila is Good for the Bones

A study shows that tequila can be good for the body. The research conducted by the Center for Research and Advanced Studies in Mexico has discovered that the plant that is used in making tequila has substances that can improve the absorption of calcium and magnesium. In short, tequila could be good for the bones.

Scientists did experiments and gave polymers of fructose molecules found in the blue variety of the Agave tequilana plant to female mice which they had induced osteoporosis in. Osteoporosis is, of course, a bone disease that occurs when the body loses too much bone, or makes too little bone, or even both. It was later discovered that mice who ingested fructans from the plant produced nearly 50 per cent more osteocalcin- a protein that indicates the production of new bone - compared to mice who did not. The fructans from the plant did not only help with osteoporosis, but it also improved the diameter of their bones two months after ingestion.

Dr. Mercedes Lopez, the project leader, says these effects can be attributed to the interaction between the fructans and bacteria in the intestines which allow sugar molecules to capture nutrients and help move them to bone cells. Lopez said the consumption of fructans found in the agave, in collaboration with adequate intestinal microbiota, promotes new bone to form, even with the presence of osteoporosis.

Mice that consumed such fructans synthesized almost 50 percent more of protein. In addition, the diameter of their bones was higher compared with the subjects which were not supplied with derivatives of the agape. Osteoporosis as a disease affects 200 million people across the world. The results of the study give the possibility of developing an alternative treatment for the said bone disease. Osteoporosis occurs when the body fails to replace old bone with new.

Menopausal women are mostly affected by the bone disease. One in three women and one in 12 men gets the disease at one point in their lives but most don't realize until after they've broken a bone. Tequila has been known to also offer other health benefits such as its ability to lower cholesterol, aids in weight loss and helps to lower blood sugar.

Source:

https://www.indy100.com/article/tequila-good-bones-science-osteoporosis-salt-lime-7724461