Agavins do not taste as sweet as their artificial counterparts (Photo: AFP)

Washington: Wish to lose those extra pounds and at the same time do not want to cut down on alcohol? Drink tequila shots.

According to a research conducted on mice was presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society, everyone's favourite party spirit can help lower the blood sugar too. Sugar naturally occurs in the agave plant from which tequila is made from.

The findings revealed that the mice, who were given agavins ate less, lost weight and their blood glucose levels decreased in comparison with other sweeteners such as glucose, fructose, sucrose, agave syrup and aspartame.

Agavins, which is not the same as agave syrup, and are non-digestible, which means they act as a dietary fibre and will not raise the blood sugar, reports Independent.

Dr Mercedes G. Lopez said that agavins are not expensive and they have no known side effects, except for those few people who cannot tolerate them

She added that agavins, like other fructans, are the best sugars to help support growth of healthful microbes in the mouth and intestines. Agavins can help people feel fuller and thus eat less.

Dr Lopez explained that agavins are better than artificial sweeteners which are absorbed by the body and can cause side effects, like headaches.

However, agavins do not taste as sweet as their artificial counterparts. The researchers fed a group of mice a standard diet but added agavins to their water.