Vinegar: when it comes to controlling blood sugar, how sweet it is!
Dear Reader,
It’s one of the oldest all-purpose remedies you can find.
No doubt you’ve heard some amazing stories about vinegar, and how it can do everything from cleaning a coffeepot to helping you lose weight.
But while vinegar seems to have more uses than a Swiss Army Knife, there’s one that you may not have heard about.
And it could very well be the most important one vinegar has to offer.
Vinegar has been around just about forever!
Traces have been found in urns from ancient Egypt, the Chinese made rice vinegar 3,000 years ago and it’s even mentioned in the Bible numerous times.
So obviously, it has a lot of history! But for all the things vinegar can supposedly do for us, there’s one claim that’s supported by years of research. And that’s how it can help control blood sugar.
Vinegar and blood-sugar studies go back several decades to an experiment done by Japanese researchers with a handful of volunteers. And scientists have been looking at how it can lower blood glucose ever since.
For example:
- Arizona State nutritionist Carol Johnston has been studying vinegar for over a decade, and believes that the “anti-glycemic effect” of apple cider vinegar is “very well documented.” It may even work as well as some diabetes drugs. Vinegar appears to prevent digestion of starch — not 100 percent, Johnston says, but enough to keep your blood sugar from soaring after eating carbs. Those undigested carbs then go to work feeding your good gut bacteria.
- A study from Greek researchers two years ago found vinegar to have a “glucose-lowering effect” in people with type 2 diabetes. These scientists discovered that vinegar causes your muscles to “increase glucose uptake,” which may explain how it works at keeping blood-sugar levels down.
- And just last month, researchers in Singapore found that taking vinegar before eating will lower post-meal blood-sugar readings.
As I said, research in how vinegar can keep blood sugar in check has been going on for quite a while, but it seems that lately, probably because the rate of type 2 diabetes is going off the charts, it’s sparking a lot more interest.
A British TV show, called “Trust me, I’m a Doctor,” recently ran an episode with Dr. James Brown from Aston University, where non-diabetic volunteers put vinegar to the test.
After an overnight fast, they ate two bagels. The bagel-eaters who first drank a small amount of apple cider vinegar diluted in water were able to reduce their blood-sugar readings by 36 percent. Interestingly, only the apple cider vinegar had that effect, not the malt version.
If you’re concerned about your blood-sugar readings and want to give vinegar a try, here are a few things to remember.
First, never drink a straight shot. Obviously, it’s very acidic and can burn your throat and even do a number on tooth enamel. Johnston advices not using more than one or two tablespoons, diluted in a large glass of water and sipping it along with food.
Another, easier way, is to incorporate a tablespoon or so of apple cider vinegar in a dressing for salads or even veggies.
And when in the supermarket, look for the unfiltered kind of apple cider vinegar. You’ll see it has a cloudy kind of blob or film in it, but that doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with it. That’s called “the mother,” and is actually believed to be the most nutritious part.
The mother contains a lot of probiotics as well as iron, B vitamins, disease-preventing phenolic acids and prebiotics, which are compounds that feed beneficial gut bacteria.
And that’s pretty impressive for a remedy that only costs pennies per serving.
Sources:
“How to control blood sugar by sipping vinegar” Terry Graedon, September 12, 2016, The People’s Pharmacy, peoplespharmacy.com
