Health Uses Of Vinegar & Honey

You might splash vinegar onto your salad for a bit of tang, or use a teaspoon of honey to sweeten your herbal tea. Or maybe you've heard that apple cider vinegar can treat nail fungus and honey can soothe a bad cough. Beyond the culinary and home-remedy uses of these two seemingly unrelated foods, however, are a variety of health-related properties including certain phytochemicals -- naturally occurring compounds that fight disease.

Vinegar and Diabetes

The American Diabetes Association reports that 26 million Americans are currently diabetic, with an additional 79 million living with pre-diabetes or insulin resistance, meaning their bodies do not use the hormone insulin efficiently. A study by a research team at Arizona State University tested the effects of apple cider vinegar consumption on subjects with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. The results showed that the vinegar helped regulate their blood sugar fluctuations after a high-carb meal. The researchers concluded that apple cider vinegar compares favorably with diabetes drugs metformin and acarbose, and that use of this food in diabetes treatment warrants further study. Their results appeared in the ADA's journal, "Diabetes Care," in 2004.

Vinegar as an Antioxidant

A study by a research team at the Memorial University of Newfoundland found that vinegars such as plum, grape, rice and apple cider contain significant phenolic and flavonoid compounds -- types of phytochemicals supportive of overall health. These phytochemicals, the researchers pointed out, have had positive effects on coronary heart disease, cancer and inflammation, acting as antioxidants that help fight cell damage by free radicals. Plum, balsamic, wine, grape, apple cider and rice vinegars had the highest concentrations of phenols and flavonoids -- white vinegar had none. Other phytochemicals present in the fruit vinegars were quercetin, catechins and resveratrol. The results of the testing appeared in the "Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition" in 2008.

Honey, Burns and Wounds

A 2007 review of medical research, published in the "International Journal of Clinical Practice," reported on honey's soothing and healing effects on burns and wounds, and encouraged surgeons to consider it as a dressing for post-operative wounds. In 2008, another review, written by researchers at the University of Auckland, looked at 19 clinical trials and concluded that honey treated mild and moderate burns more effectively than traditional dressings by cutting down on healing time. The researchers, however, could not confirm honey's effectiveness on surgical wounds. They published their results in the journal, "The Cochrane Library," which evaluates medical research.

Honey as a Nutraceutical

In an article published in the "Journal of Food Science" in 2008, the authors labeled honey a "functional food," sometimes called a "nutraceutical." These are foods that offer a wide assortment of benefits to health beyond those provided by macronutrients such as carbohydrates and micronutrients such as vitamins. The authors attributed the healing powers of honey to its high antioxidant content, including phenolic and flavonoid compounds, and they particularly noted its benefit as an anti-inflammatory. The only caveat is that some people are allergic to bees and bee products.