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New Year's Diet Tip: Tequila

By John Dodge

CHICAGO (CBS) -- As January wanes into a memory, those New Year's resolutions to lose weight can be easily forgotten.

This seems like a good time to bring up some important research presented last spring about tequila.

Researchers have found that the natural sugars used to make tequila could help the obese shed pounds. It can also help people with type 2 diabetes by lowering blood glucose.

Agavins, a natural form of sugar found in the agave plant used to make tequila, are non-digestible and can act as a dietary fiber, researchers found.

Before lining up shots of Cuervo Reserve or another fine tequila, here's the bad news: The agavins are lost in the production process.

However, natural agavins used as a sweeter would have a beneficial effect, researchers said. The problem is that agavin is not as tasty as other sweeteners.

The researchers fed mice a standard diet and added agavins to their daily water. They weighed the mice daily and checked their glucose blood levels weekly. Most mice that drank agavins ate less and lost weight.

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