Tequila is good for your bones, according to science

Pass us the salt and lime, because drinking Tequila is officially good for you (kinda)...

A new study conducted by the Center for Research and Advanced Studies in Mexico, has found that the plant that's used to make tequila contains substances that improve the absorption of calcium and magnesium meaning that it's good for your bones.

According toScience Daily, scientists gave polymers of fructose molecules found in the blue variety of the Agave tequilana plant to female mice which they had induced osteoporosis in.

Mice who ingested fructans from the plant produced nearly 50 per cent more osteocalcin – a protein that indicates the production of new bone – than mice who did not.

Not only did it help with oestioporosis, but it improved the diameter of their bones eight weeks after ingestion.

Project leader Dr Mercedes Lopez says these effects are due to the interaction between the fructans and bacteria in the intestines which allow sugar molecules to capture nutrients and help transport them to bone cells.

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.

Mice that consumed this fructans synthesised 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

The results provide the possibility of developing an alternative treatment for osteoporosis, a disease that is said to affect 200 million people worldwide.

According the International Osteoporosis Foundation, the disease affects 200 million people world wide. The disease, which occurs when the body fails to replace old bone with new, mostly occurs in menopausal women.

One in three women and one in 12 men gets the disease at some time in their lives - but most don't realise until after they've broken a bone.

This isn't the first time the health benefits of tequila have been publicised. According toElite Dailyit lowers cholesterol, aids in weight loss and helps lowers blood sugar.

Margaritas tonight it is...

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