Tequila and bone health
A RECENT study conducted at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico found that the tequila plant’s substances could improve the human body’s absorption of calcium, a mineral necessary to keeping the bones healthy.
The researchers, headed by Dr. Mercedes López, ran experiments in which female mice were subjected to a procedure that involved the removal of their ovaries, the goal of which was to induce osteoporosis, a condition in which the bones are brittle. The mice were given agave fructrans. After a span of eight weeks, femur samples were taken from them in order to gauge the absorption of minerals and osteocalcin, a kind of protein that indicates the production of new bone.
“It was found that mice that consumed [these] fructans synthesized nearly 50% more of such protein, in addition that the diameter of their bones was higher compared with the subjects which were not supplied with derivatives of the agave,” Dr. López said in a statement posted on the ScienceDaily Web site, which hosts science articles.
Dr. López said that the formation of new bone was promoted by the consumption of the fructans that the agave contained in collaboration with the adequate intestinal microbiota, even with the presence of osteoporosis.
“This way, we have a second chance to take advantage of the nutrients that were no longer available to the body. However, it is very important that people have a healthy intestinal microbiome, because only then it is possible that bacteria ferment fructans to transform them into fatty acids,” Dr. López said, adding that she hopes to perform clinical studies to prove that fructans can be used as an adjuvant.
“I think this new research is intriguing,” Robert Shmerling, faculty editor at Harvard Health Publications, said in an online post. But he cautioned that studies in animals are to be regarded as “highly preliminary.”
He said it was not known whether the results of the study of Dr. López could apply to humans. And, he added, the mice in the study did not imbibe tequila itself, but rather a chemical found in tequila. “So, the suggestion that we ( humans) might improve our bone health by drinking margaritas is, in my view, just a way to grab attention. Even if we could fast forward a few years and confirm that agave tequilana improves human bone health, it’s unlikely that the treatment would be in the form of tequila.”
Failing to read past the headlines could be dangerous. “The health impact of the alcohol in tequila — and the sugar content of agave — are just two of several ‘downsides’ that could come about if you were worried about your bone health and took the headlines too literally.”
Dr. Shmerling said more research is needed before tequila, or anything, can be suggested to improve bone health, or any health concern. “Until then, I hope medical writers — and readers — will be careful in how they interpret preliminary research. It’s one thing to hope that what you like is also good for you. It’s quite another for that to be any more than wishful thinking,” he said.
“So, the suggestion that we (humans) might improve our bone health by drinking margaritas is, in my view, just a way to grab attention. Even if we could fast forward a few years and confirm that agave tequilana improves human bone health, it’s unlikely that the treatment would be in the form of tequila.”