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What are Some Health Benefits of Vinegar?

By Darrell Laurant
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 26,510
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The term "vinegar" can be applied to solutions derived from the fermentation of a wide range of bases, including apple juice, other fruit juices, wine, beer, barley and rice. Besides its distilled form, which has acetic acid as its main ingredient, vinegar finds its way into our kitchens in salad dressings, pickles, ketchup, and mayonnaise. The health benefits of vinegar are ancient and wide-ranging.

What health conditions can common vinegar cure or alleviate? Based on what is passed down across generations, a more appropriate question might be: what can't it cure? Among other things, vinegar has been brought to bear on wounds, ulcers, arthritis, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, urinary tract and yeast infections, sunburn, jellyfish stings, insect bites, headaches, warts and hiccups. It is also said to aid in dieting by creating a feeling of fullness that results in less food intake.

Many of these uses date back to the beginning of recorded history. Vinegar was praised by the Babylonians, Hippocrates, and Muhammad. According to the New Testament, it was offered to Jesus while he hung on the cross — an action generally regarded as a continuation of his torture, but which may actually have been merciful. In today's kitchens, vinegar is used mainly as a condiment. Balsamic vinegar and vinaigrette are popular salad dressings, and fish and chips are traditionally flavored with vinegar, as well.

A Japanese study conducted in 2006 indicated lowered cholesterol in rats that were fed acetic acid, and two tablespoons of vinegar taken with meals has been shown to reduce the glycemic index of pre-diabetics. In fact, based on tests done at Arizona State University, the journal Diabetes Care compared vinegar to anti-diabetes drugs such as Metformin. Most dramatically, vinegar seemed to moderate the inevitable spike of insulin and glucose after meals.

With arthritis, it appears that a mixture of apple cider vinegar and honey has the capacity, in some cases, to dissolve the acid crystals that develop in joints and cause much of the discomfort for arthritis sufferers. There is, however, no evidence that the vinegar will “cure” the condition, and even pain reduction doesn’t seem to happen in every case.

Perhaps most curious is the effect that a teaspoon of white distilled vinegar “straight” has on hiccups. By most accounts, the relief is almost instantaneous, along with a pained and puckered expression.

The town of Roslyn, South Dakota in the United States celebrates the health benefits of vinegar as part of its annual Vinegar Festival.

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Discussion Comments
By closerfan12 — On Nov 04, 2010

I've heard all about the health benefits of apple cider vinegar, but what about other kinds of vinegar, like balsamic vinegar?

Are there any health benefits of balsamic vinegar as well, or do apple cider vinegar and white vinegar have the market cornered?

By pharmchick78 — On Nov 04, 2010

Although there really are a lot of health benefits of drinking vinegar, it's important to realize that there can be some side effects as well.

Vinegar generally has a very high acidic content, which may not be the best thing for people with stomach problems. It can also cause a burning sensation in the throat (though this is rarely serious).

Other more serious side effects of drinking vinegar include wear on the tooth enamel and potassium loss, both of which can cause very dangerous health conditions.

The best way to avoid the side effects of vinegar is to dilute it when you take it, and only take it in moderate quantities. Although it is a wonderful cure for many conditions, it only works properly when taken in the appropriate amount, so don't overdo it.

By googlefanz — On Nov 04, 2010

I am a huge fan of organic apple cider vinegar for this very reason -- there's just so many things that it's good for!

Although some sites do exaggerate the health benefits of apple cider vinegar, the truth is, there's a lot of research done on the subject, and many of the claims have actually been proven to be true.

I would definitely say that if you only ever take one supplement, it should be apple cider vinegar. It can cure your acne, help you with arthritis pain, and settle your stomach -- what more could you want?

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