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Is Vinegar Good For You?

The role of vinegar in modulating our blood sugar levels and satiety.

May 28, 2011 |
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Is Vinegar Good For You?, 4.5 out of 5 based on 6 ratings

Sources Cited

Johnston CS, Steplewska I, Long CA, Harris LN, Ryals RH. Examination of the antiglycemic properties of vinegar in healthy adults. Ann Nutr Metab. 2010;56(1):74-9.

Liljeberg H, Björck I. Delayed gastric emptying rate may explain improved glycaemia in healthy subjects to a starchy meal with added vinegar. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1998 May;52(5):368-71.

Ostman E, Granfeldt Y, Persson L, Björck I. Vinegar supplementation lowers glucose and insulin responses and increases satiety after a bread meal in healthy subjects. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2005 Sep;59(9):983-8.

Acknowledgements

Transcript

Vinegar is helpful, according to an examination of the antiglycemic properties of vinegar this year. It blunts the spike in blood sugar that occurs after a meal. If you eat a piece of white bread, this is what happens over the next three hours to your blood sugar. But if we eat that same bread dipped in balsalmic vinegar, it looks like this.
Vinegar reduces postprandial glycemia by about 20% compared to placebo. How? We think it’s because vinegar slows down the speed at which food leaves the stomach, which is good because it can keep us feeling full, longer.
How much do we have to take, though? Just two teaspoons with a meal. There’s all sorts of wild vinegars out there—pomegranate vinegar, blood orange, black fig. They’re not just calorie-free, they’re good for us.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

To help out on the site please email volunteer@nutritionfacts.org

Dr. Michael Greger

Doctor's Note

For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Soymilk: shake it up! and  NutritionFacts.org: the first month.

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

    Just wanted to clarify about the “calorie-free” nature of vinegar. If you walk into your kitchen right now and pick up a bottle of vinegar you will see on the label: zero calories. Does it actually have zero? No. According to the USDA nutrient database, it has 3 calories per tablespoon, but that is considered such an insignific­ant amount (how much vinegar can you really use in a meal anyway?) that the FDA allows them to label it zero (per 1 CFR 101.9(c) of the FDA labeling guide: “less than 5 calories [per serving] may be expressed as 0 calories”)­. So I should have said “virtually­” zero, or “effective­ly” zero. Given the effects on gastric emptying I talk about in the video, though, one would expect a net decrease in caloric intake, which is what matters in the end (i.e. why we typically care about calories). So there are actually technicall­y a few calories, but for practical purposes (and that’s what the website is all about–hel­ping inform people to making real-world day-to-day decisions based on the best available science) it’s essentiall­y calorie-fr­ee.

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/ShantaJackson/ Shanta Jackson

    Can individuals just drink the 2 tablespoons of vinegar by month or just adding it to prepare food is equall

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/KarenLaVine/ Karen LaVine

    Just 2 TEASPOONS, not tablespoons was the effective amount that was used in the study. But be sure to dilute it with something – a serving of food or some water or into a serving of salad dressing, before you ingest it.

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/aeason/ aeason

    I have heard that apple cider vinegar which I know contains potassium, that is can also leach potassium, and can thus contribute to high blood pressure.
    Do you have any information about this?

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

    There are a baker’s dozen articles in the medical literature on apple cider vinegar (as indexed by the National Library of Medicine), and indeed there is a case report “Hypokalemia, Hyperreninemia and Osteoporosis in a Patient Ingesting Large Amounts of Cider Vinegar” that does suggest ingestion may lead to potassium wasting. Acetic acid in vinegar is rapidly metabolized in the liver into bicarbonate, which the kidneys use potassium to excrete from the body. So chronic use of high doses could lead to problems–the woman described in the report was drinking more than a cup of vinegar day! One would not expect any such problems as the doses described in the studies featured in the Is Vinegar Good For You? video (2 teaspoons with meals). I would, however, warn against apple cider vinegar pills. A study published in the Journal of the ADA of 8 such products found some “could be considered poisonous, as indicated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission….”

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/synergy/ Synergy

    What of ACV’s long reported ability to stop a cold/flu in its tracks? Are there any studies that confirm or deny this old folk remedy? On the same note, what of ginger, garlic and onions for the same (and vitamin D3 for that matter — I’ve heard one theory that we get the flu because the sun is at too low an angle to synthesize sufficient if any vitamin D)?

    Around this time of year everyone is always looking for safe natural remedy’s without resorting to ibuprofen etc. I also recall something about red seedless grapes, pineapple and a few other fruits and veggies being beneficial when it comes to cold/flu with grapes being most effective if you catch it early.

    Sorry, a whole lot of questions but all the same main idea. Nobody likes getting sick!

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/drdons/ DrDons

      Colds and flus are caused by viruses. Colds while annoying are less a concern than flu which can be a real problem. Avoiding influenza is complex area but the best overview I have read is in Dr. Greger’s book on Bird Flu available for free read on internet at http://birdflubook.com/g.php?id=5… go to the chapter on “Our Health in Our Hands” for information on social distancing, masks, handwashing. Reading the whole book will provide a sobering context of the situation we may find ourselves due to CAFO’s and provide insight in to where the real danger to the world’s population arises. You could also view Dr. Greger’s answers to questions about being prepared during the swine flu infestation. http://crazysexylife.com/2009/what-you-should-know-about-swine-flu-qa-with-dr-michael-greger/… key is to be prepared not scared! I would not put as much faith in home remedies as the efforts mentioned above plus boosting our immunity through sleep see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/sleep-immunity/.

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/jessica/ Jessica

    Dr. Greger, are you familiar with research linking high glycemic foods with incidence of macular degeneration? (NY Times reported on a 7/07 study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.)

    Is there any reason to believe that restricting high glycemic foods, adding in vinegar, or boosting antioxidants by eating lots of leafy greens would help prevent further development of severe macular degeneration?

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

      I’m so glad you brought this up. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading threat to eyesight among the elderly and responsible for millions of cases of blindness every year. The study you may be referring to is “Dietary glycemic index and the risk of age-related macular degeneration” available full-text here. As you’ll read, they conclude that “Low-glycemic-index foods such as oatmeal may protect against early AMD.” Eliminated refined carbs may also slow progression. A study published this year (and available full-text here) suggests that three simple lifestyle behaviors (a healthy diet “abundant in plant foods,” daily exercise, and no smoking) can eliminate most of our risk. See My video Egg Industry Blind Spot for a discussion of the best sources of eyesight-sparing nutrients.

      • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/jessica/ Jessica

        Thank you, Dr. Greger. This is precisely the information I needed, and I really appreciate your sharing the links to the full articles. I will be sure to pass this information along — the person I have in mind has been told, “There’s nothing you can do to fix this.” While that may be accurate, what she hasn’t been told is that there is something she can do to keep it from getting worse.

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/toxins/ Toxins

    Hello Jessica,

    Eating leafy greens is extremely effective in preventing macular degeneration. Check out Dr. Greger’s video on the topic.
    http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/egg-industry-blind-spot/

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/jessica/ Jessica

    Toxins,

    Thanks! I am interested in preventing macular degeneration (in myself) but also in arresting further development in a loved one who has severe, wet macular degeneration. My question for Dr. Greger had to do with that second concern – this far in, can anything be done?

    Jessica

  • Tim J.

    I have been listening to your articles and I find many good points that I agree with. In regards to taking vinegar with meals I believe that it shows lower levels of blood spiking due to the vinegar impeding digestion. A better choice for folks would be to not consume cooked and processed foods like bread (which converts to sugar anyway) that spike blood sugar and stick to a plant based diet that regulates blood sugar (especially living foods such as freshly harvested sprouts). If people ate more plants they would not need the vinegar and they would not feel like they were hungry all the time.

  • Mary

     Is it safe to intake vinegar if you have ulcers.

  • BigBoyyy

    Am wondering If vinegar Is healthy For your Body?

  • sierra

    well is it good for u or not it dosent realy tell if it is or not

  • http://www.facebook.com/dan.lundeen Dan Lundeen

    What about the acids in cultured veggies like sauerkraut or kimchee?

  • Ronald Chavin

    Does vinegar cause cancer? Russian researchers say, no, not by itself but vinegar (acetic acid) increases
    the deadliness of any cancer-causing nitrosamines in our diet. Salt
    and sea salt always contain nitrosamines. Beef, pork, and poultry
    always develop nitrosamines (and heterocyclic amines) when they are
    cooked in normal ways. Processed meats contain nitrosamines even before
    they are cooked. The only way to avoid creating nitrosamines in
    bloody, raw meat is to boil it in water without adding any salt. Balsamic vinegar is by far the
    most delicious of all vinegars but it contains a substantial amount of
    lead, which is toxic. The lead comes from the oak wood casks used in
    Italy to manufacture balsamic vinegar. Distilled white vinegar is made
    from corn and is very low in lead. French’s Yellow Mustard,
    Worcestershire Sauce, Heinz Ketchup, and many other commonly consumed
    foods contain substantial amounts of distilled vinegar in their
    ingredients.

    These 2 scientific studies from Russia say that vinegar does not
    cause cancer by itself but it increases the severity of the
    cancer-causing effect of nitrosamines:
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2635642
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3381501

    Balsamic vinegar is delicious, almost always made in Italy, and contains the most lead:
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21550100

    According to Environmental Health News, “The aged varieties produced by the traditional method, which involved concentration in wood
    barrels for at least 12 years, have the highest lead levels:”
    http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/lead-in-vinegar

    Balsamic vinegar must be aged for a minimum of 12 years to a maximum of 25 years during which time the atoms of lead transfer from the oak or
    other wood into the balsamic vinegar.

    However, vinegar is slightly beneficial in causing weight loss,
    preventing and treating diabetes, preventing heart disease, preventing
    stroke, and preventing and treating high blood pressure.

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