Drinking Tequila Could Be Good For Your Bones, Researchers Say

PHILADELPHIA (CBS)— A study has revealed that drinking tequila may just be good for your bones.

The study was conducted at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies in Mexico.

According to researchers, a substance in the tequila plant (Agave tequilana) is capable of improving the absorption of calcium and magnesium, essential minerals to maintain bone health.

Dr. Mercedes López, who led the research, believes that "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."

To test the theory, researchers removed the ovaries from female mice in order to induce osteoporosis. Next they administered agave fructans. Eight weeks later a femur sample was taken to measure the absorption of minerals and osteocalcin, protein that indicates the production of new bone.

"It was found that mice that consumed this fructans synthesized nearly 50 percent 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" said Dr. López.

The results could be an alternative in the treatment of osteoporosis, a disease which affects more than 200 million worldwide, according to the latest statistics from the International Osteoporosis Foundation.

To read more about the study CLICK HERE.