MEXICO CITY, April 21 (AFP) - The agave plant, the key ingredient in Mexico's famous tequila, could help treat diabetes and osteoporosis, according to Mexican researchers.

Experiments on rats at the CINVESTAV research center suggested that a diet rich in fructans from the plant could both help improve the formation of bone tissue and stimulate the production of the GLP-1 hormone which promotes insulin release, doctor Mercedes Lopez, the head of the research team, told journalists here this week.

Drinking tequila would not give the same health benefits, however, since fructans lose their effect during the fermentation process, Lopez added.

Scientists at the research center of the National Polytechnic Institute in the western state of Guanajuato were to carry out a second stage of research on rodents before testing their results on humans.