Vinegar has long been used as a cure-all for a wide variety of problems. According to Carol Johnson Ph.D. and Cindy A. Gaas, in their study "Vinegar: Medicinal Uses and Antiglycemic Effect," vinegar has been used since 5000 BC in Babylonia. Hippocrates in 420 BC used it with wounds, and doctors in the U.S. have prescribed it for a large number of ailments from poison ivy to croup to the management of diabetes. The Vinegar Institute outlines a wide list of vinegar solutions from soothing sunburn, to treating toenail fungus to wart removal. Some of these cures are backed by scientific evidence, but in most cases treatments are anecdotal. The following topics show promising research, however in all cases, more studies are necessary.
Type II Diabetes
Perhaps the old time doctors who treated diabetes with vinegar tea may have been right. There are a variety of studies that show that vinegar may assist with type II diabetes. A study from Arizona State University shows that taking vinegar in water at bedtime reduced glucose levels by 6 percent. There are a variety of studies that demonstrate that taking vinegar with meals helps reduce the mealtime rise in glucose levels.
Calcium Absorption
There is some research that supports the contention that the consumption of vinegar improves calcium absorption in the intestines by making calcium more soluble. Allowing the body to consume more calcium would aid with many diseases including osteoporosis. The study was done on rats in Japan. This research needs to be duplicated and studies need to be done with humans to confirm this positive result.
Cholesterol
A study from Iran looked at normal and diabetic rats on several measures. They found that apple cider vinegar improved the lipid profile in both normal and diabetic rats by decreasing both triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. It increased HDL (the good) cholesterol. As a bonus, it decreased glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), a glucose level, in the diabetic group.
Tumors
A study from Kumamoto University in Japan looked at the affect vinegar had on tumors in mice. Mice that were given vinegar had smaller tumors and a prolonged life span than the mice that didn't. The results suggest that vinegar may suppress tumor growth. Again, more research needs to be done, but it looks promising.
References
- The Vinegar Institute
- Medscape General Medicine: Vinegar: Medicinal Uses and Antiglycemic Effect
- U.S. National Library of Medicine: Enhancing effect of dietary calciumntestinal absorption of calcium .
- U.S. National Library of Medicine; Antitumor activity of rice-shochu slurry and vinegar
- Arizona State University: Vinegar helps lower blood glucose in diabetics
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