Garlic & Vinegar Diet

Combining garlic and vinegar for dietary purposes certainly isn't a new idea. Both ingredients have been in use for centuries, and they have both been used as food additives and for medicines. Both items have been scientifically researched to validate some of the folksy claims surrounding their medicinal use. Support for the garlic and vinegar diet grown since the turn of the century as researchers validate their healthy properties. Please consult your physician before making changes to your diet.

History of Weight-Loss Dieting

Dieting for the purpose of losing weight has its origins dating back to the 1800s when a Presbyterian minister named Sylvester Graham introduced a whole-wheat flat bread as part of a vegetarian diet. The diet, meant to alleviate the sin of gluttony, soon earned the progenitor the name "Dr. Sawdust" even though he is still accredited with the invention of the graham cracker. Weight-loss diets have been springing up in the decades since Graham, garlic and vinegar diets included. However, diets after the turn of the twenty-first century have some scientific data to support their claims.

Garlic Benefits

Garlic has been used as a medicine, according to Sumerian clay tablets, dating back 4,600 years. Since the 1970s, there have been more than 46 human studies regarding the effects of garlic on cardiovascular health, according to a 2002 "Nutrition Journal" article by Sanjay K Banerjee and Subir K Maulik. Raw garlic, used in 4- to 6-week studies, shows a significant decrease in cholesterol, triglycerides and hypertension, three known heart disease risk factors. All of the clinical trials administered 600 to 900 mg of garlic daily during the trials.

Vinegar Benefits

Vinegar has been throughout the ages as a food flavoring, preservative and medicine. It wasn't until 1958, when the book "Folk Medicine" by Dr. DeForest Jarvis was published, that vinegar gained popularity as a weight-loss aid. According to a 2002 "Medscape General Medicine article" by Carol S. Johnston, PhD, RD and Cindy A. Gaas, BS, since the turn of the century, scientists have been evaluating vinegar's ability to burn fat, reduce cholesterol and increase vitality, Thus far, they have only stated that vinegar shows promise when it comes to weight loss, but they do conclude that more research is needed.

Combined Effects

According to traditional Chinese medicine expert Tom Fung, combining equal parts garlic and vinegar is good for health maintenance and medical use. Fung says to take 2 to 4 tbsp. of the mixture after each meal to fight against obesity, cold and cough, fatigue, stress, heart disease and arthritis. He also notes a host of other ailments and conditions that garlic and vinegar can help with, including hepatitis, tuberculosis and intestinal parasites. Fung recommends using garlic and vinegar for the preparation and cooking of foods and that the mixture can be part of a salad dressing, but he warns that cooking the mixture can remove some of the health benefits.

Considerations

Although there are studies supporting garlic's ability to reduce cholesterol levels, there are very few scientific correlations between garlic and vinegar's weight-loss capability. While the MayoClinic.com website supports garlic efficacy as a healthy supplement, they do not endorse vinegar's health benefits other than its possible appetite suppression ability. However, vinegar can be high in vitamins and known blood pressure reducing minerals such as potassium and magnesium.