A magazine that promotes healthy lifestyles reports that tequila shots can be part of that regimen.
Without exceeding two or three shots a night, health benefits have actually been connected to tequila, as opposed to other choices.
1. With around 60 calories per shot, tequila compares well with a typical glass of white wine, which could contain over 160 calories. Made with agavins, a natural form of fructose, tequila doesn’t require sugary mixers. Agavins also appear in mezcal, which is more closely associated with Yucatán.
2. Agavins aren’t just a low-calorie option, they also offer benefits to people with type 2 diabetes, reports the magazine, Men’s Health. In a 2008 study, mice that drank water spiked with agavins had lower blood glucose levels and higher insulin levels. “Obviously, if you have diabetes, talk to your doctor before prescribing yourself shots of tequila,” the magazine adds.
3. A shot after a full meal is also good for the gut. Those high levels of inulin, mentioned above, also help the digestive system by growing good bacteria, making tequila an ideal digestif.
4. Mornings after are less foggy. Hangovers are caused by the presence of fermentation products known as congeners. According to Brown University, clear tequila made from 100 percent blue agave has fewer of them.
5. In a 2016 study, Mexican researchers tested the effects of agave fructans (a naturally occurring form of fructose, and one of the major components of sugar) on bone growth in mice. Mice fed fructans absorbed more calcium from food and pooped out less calcium. They also showed a 20 percent increase in osteocalcin, which has been linked to the build-up of new bone tissue.
Not everyone agrees with these conclusions.
Nutrition expert Sharon Salomon, not only is the agavin in tequila and mezcal fairly minuscule, the study with mice has not been proven relevant to human diets, according to the Phoenix New Times.
“Agavin may someday be made into a sweetener or added to other products but this is not the type of research that should be reported because there’s really nothing there yet,” she says. “Unless you’re a fat mouse being fed straight agavin!”
