Apple Cider Vinegar Redux

Posted By elissa on Jun 29, 2009 | 1 comment

When I was a kid, apple cider vinegar was one of those “good for what ails you” nostrums touted in the “alternative health” media – and it’s still kicking around.  Not surprisingly, it was also pushed as a weight loss aid: I still remember the “kelp, lecithin, B6 and cider vinegar” diet quite vividly… in fact, that one is still kicking around too.  Diets and diet supps are like zombies: they’re damned hard to kill, no matter how much time passes. 

That’s why I winced a bit when I read the following report:

Vinegar May Aid in Fat Loss

June 22, 2009 — The latest weapon in the battle of the bulge may be as close as your kitchen pantry.

Ordinary household vinegar — used to make oil-and-vinegar salad dressings or pickles — appears to turn on genes that help fight fat, researchers in Japan report.

…In recent years, research has suggested that the main chemical in vinegar, called acetic acid, can help control blood pressure and blood sugar.

The current findings suggest that vinegar might help a person lose weight or fight obesity. Tomoo Kondo and colleagues gave acetic acid or water to mice via a stomach tube. All were provided a high-fat diet to eat normally.

Researchers found that the mice developed a lot less body fat (up to 10% less) than mice who didn’t receive the vinegar compound. The amount of food eaten by the mice was not affected.

The study abstract is here. 

Is there something to it after all?  I suppose it’s possible, but I’m unrepentently skeptical.  For one thing, mice aren’t people.  Likewise, if vinegar were some sort of weight loss panacea for humans, I think we’d have figured it out by now – the original “apple cider vinegar diet” was created in the 1950’s.  Nonetheless, I’ve seen claims for various compounds made on the strength of evidence even LESS compelling than this… so let’s hope that a revival isn’t in the cards.  Although this one’s cheaper than most, fad diets and gimmicks simply aren’t needed to get into shape.