Tequila may help bones stay strong, according to study

(FOX 11) - Tequila may help bones stay strong according to a recent study that was carried out on mice.

The 2016 study found that substances in the blue Agave tequilano plant, which is used to make tequila, improve the body's absorption of calcium and magnesium.

As reported by Science Daily, both minerals are essential to maintaining good bone health.

The study, conducted by the Center for Research and Advanced Studies in Mexico, found mice that ingested agave fructans produced 50% more osteocalcin, which is a protein that signifies new bone production, than mice that did not.

The leader of the study, Dr. Mercedes López, said "The consumption of fructans contained in the agave, in collaboration with adequate intestinal micriobiota, promotes the formation of new bone, even with the presence of osteoporosis."

So shots of tequila aren't the same as eating fructans directly from the plant it comes from, in case you were getting excited.

A report from Harvard warns that the negative health impacts of the alcohol in tequila and the sugar in agave are two downsides and says more research is needed before tequila could be recommended for bone health.

Researchers say the results provide the possibility of finding an alternative treatment for osteoporosis, which affects about 200 million people around the world.

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