Oh tequila, it makes me healthy: 7 reasons why the Mexican spirit is good for you

Even in sickness, Nigella Lawson is full of culinary revelation. This little gem shone out from the great Twitter mine earlier this week, sending a fleet of flu-sufferers reaching for the drinks cabinet:

In general, it is a good principle that Nigella Knows Best, though in this case tequila might not be much good: sure, alcohol will kill some bacteria – if, indeed, it's bacteria to blame rather than a virus – but a gargle won't be enough to wipe it all out, and what's left will regrow.

But another good principle is that justifications for boozing rarely go amiss (for full terms, conditions and caveats, please see here). It turns out there are some important reasons to drink tequila...

1. It might help you avoid a hangover

Most kinds of tequila will give you a hangover, admittedly. One, apparently, may not: blanco tequila, which is made entirely from the agave plant, found predominantly in Mexico.

This tip comes from the Los Angeles fitness community, so take it with a large pinch of salt. As you would any tequila shot.

2. Its base ingredient helps treat colon disease 

A compound derived from agave is "the ideal natural carrier of drugs for the colon." So says a group of scientists at the University of Guadalajara. (Not published: their list of all the conditions that agave doesn't help with.)

I should point out that it is unclear whether this effect occurs when the agave is consumed in tequila form. More salt please.

3. It reduces heart disease...

...up to a point, and no more than any other spirit. Still: "Alcohol consumption in moderation has reproducible and plausible effects on markers of coronary heart disease risk," says a paper in the British Medical Journal.

4. It'll make you thin (possibly)

It's agave again. The fructan compounds derived from it have been proven to keep mice's weight down. And possibly humans' too.

Then again, there are some pretty convincing debunkings out there. Are you detecting the theme yet?

5. It's good for your gut

Be under no illusion that a line of tequila slammers will not be at all good for your gut. However ... fructans (those little angels) are also good prebiotics, which means that they are beneficial for the gastrointestinal microflora that aid both digestion and more general health.

6. It's not as bad as beer and wine

Beginning to scrape the barrel here. Anyway: tequila's calories per unit is lower than beer and wine. And given that you'll drink less of it (by volume), it's less likely to overload your bladder. Cheers!

7. Drinking is good for social wellbeing

Up! To! A! Point! But yeah: the health benefits of social drinking are myriad. Good old tequila, eh?