Vinegar has been used for healing since Hippocrates used it to
treat wounds. Recently, vinegar has been touted as a cure for
everything from an upset stomach to dandruff. Can vinegar really
be such a "cure-all?" Modern scientific studies are giving the
old folk remedies new life by showing that they can indeed be
used to treat modern medical scourges.
"One of the more surprising discoveries about vinegar is that it
can help control blood sugar," say Joe and Terry Graedon,
authors of the monthly newsletter Simple Health Remedies.
Vinegar forms when sugars ferment and turn into alcohol. If the
alcohol is allowed to continue fermenting, it turns into
vinegar. The main ingredient in vinegar is acetic acid, but
vinegar also contains vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Apple
cider vinegar, made from fermented apples, is believed to offer
the most health benefits.
Check out the following ways vinegar can help keep you healthy:
• Diabetes. Numerous studies show that vinegar
lowers blood sugar levels. A study published in the journal
Diabetes Care in 2004 found that drinking apple cider
vinegar after eating a high-carb breakfast lowered blood sugar
levels by 34 percent in patients with prediabetes, and by 19
percent in those who had Type 2 diabetes. "The addition of
vinegar blunted the rise of blood sugar and insulin," the
Graedons tell Newsmax Health. "It also made people feel fuller."
A 2007 study, also published in Diabetes Care, found
that taking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before bed
lowered morning glucose levels by up to 6 percent. And Italian
researchers discovered that apple cider vinegar taken with meals
slashed blood sugar levels by 30 percent.
"More recent research shows that giving volunteers vinegar
before a meal can help their muscle cells take in blood sugar
and reduce spikes in glucose, insulin, and triglycerides after
eating," say the Graedons. "The people recruited for this study
had prediabetes, and the researchers suggest that vinegar may
prove useful in reversing metabolic abnormalities."
• Weight loss. Vinegar has been used as a
weight-loss remedy for centuries, and appears to work by
increasing satiety, allowing dieters to feel fuller with less
food. In a 12-week, double-blind experiment, three groups of
obese Japanese drank a daily liter drink (about 16 ounces) that
contained either 30 ml (about 1 tablespoon) of vinegar, 15 ml,
or no vinegar. Those whose drinks contained vinegar had lower
body mass index (BMI), less visceral fat, and lost more weight
than those whose drinks didn't contain vinegar. Even though
volunteers in both vinegar groups lost weight, those who drank
the larger amount lost the most weight.
A different study, which was printed in the European Journal
of Clinical Nutrition, found that people who were given
small amounts of white vinegar along with a piece of bread felt
fuller than those who just ate bread.
A Japanese animal study found that mice whose high-fat diets
were supplemented with acetic acid (the main ingredient in
vinegar) developed up to 10 percent less body fat than control
mice.
• Heart. A 10-year study found that women who
used a vinegar-based salad oil five to six times each week
lowered their risk of ischemic heart disease. Research published
in June of 2011 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food
Chemistry found that apple cider vinegar significantly
lowered triglycerides and cholesterol. Other research supports
those findings: An animal study published in Bioscience,
Biotechnology, and Biochemistry found that apple cider
vinegar reduced blood pressure, and another study published in
the British Journal of Nutrition found that apple cider
vinegar lowered cholesterol.
• Cancer. Numerous studies have shown that
vinegar can kill cancer cells, but the jury is still out since
most studies have been done either in test tubes or on animals.
Still, a Chinese study involving humans found that vinegar
decreased the risk of esophageal cancer. A Siberian study,
however, indicated that vinegar might increase the risk of
bladder cancer. A study at Columbia University found that
modified citrus pectin (MCP), which is found in apple cider
vinegar, slowed the growth of cancerous cells in both human and
mouse prostate cancer cells.
• Stomach ailments. Apple cider vinegar has
strong antibacterial properties, and can treat diarrhea caused
by bacteria. Pectin contained in apple cider vinegar eases
intestinal spasms. Vinegar can also maintain the proper balance
between good and bad bacteria in the gut. Some experts recommend
drinking a tablespoon of organic vinegar mixed with 4 ounces of
water with each meal if you're having problems with digestion
and reflux.