Root from Peru Holds Hope for Dieters, Diabetics
Though packed with sugar, its principal appeal to the health conscious lies in the fact that the sugar in question is mainly oligofructose, which cannot be absorbed by the body.
That means yacon is naturally low-calorie -- a jar of yacon syrup contains half the calories as a same-sized jar of honey -- and its sugar does not raise blood glucose levels.
In addition, oligofructose promotes beneficial bacteria in the colon. Certain modern health products, such as so-called bio-yogurts, have oligofructose added to achieve the same effect, but yacon already has that quality naturally.
"It's a diet food and a diabetic food," said yacon expert Michael Hermann, leader of the Andean roots and tubers project at the Lima-based International Potato Center.