Benefits of drinking vinegar with water

What are the benefits of drinking vinegar with water ?

Vinegar is a valuable nutrient and is usually used as a preservative, and for cooking purposes as well, including; baking, and as a kind of spice to add flavor to salad dishes, but to obtain its health benefits, it is recommended to dilute it with water, as it is generally diluted about 15-30 milliliters, equivalent to 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in 240 milliliters of water, and despite its versatility, and is calorie-free. It has many health benefits for the body, but it is necessary to consult a specialist doctor before starting to consume it, due to its risks and side effects, and you must ensure its safety for the person before using it.

Nutritional value of vinegar

The following table shows the most essential nutrients that can be obtained from a tablespoon, equivalent to 15 grams of vinegar :

Nutritional element	Nutritional value
Water	14.1 milliliters
Calories	3.15 Calories
Carbohydrates	0.14 g
Sugars	0.06 g
Calcium	1.05 milligrams
Iron	0.03 milligrams
Magnesium	0.75 milligrams
Phosphorus	1.2 milligrams
Potassium	11 milligrams
Sodium	0.75 milligrams
Zinc	0.006 milligrams
Copper	0.001 milligrams
Selenium	0.015 mcg

Scientific studies on the benefits of vinegar

The following is a mention of the results of some scientific studies on the benefits of vinegar :

• A laboratory study published in the journal Scientific Reports in 2018 indicated that apple cider vinegar has antimicrobial properties that help fight bacteria.
• A study published in the journal Diabetes Care in 2004, which included people with diabetes, people at risk of developing it, and others healthy, indicated that vinegar can help improve insulin sensitivity, as it was noted that acetic acid may have lowering effects on sugar levels, by inhibiting the activity of disaccharides and raising the concentration of glucose-6-phosphate in skeletal muscles.

It should be noted here that insulin sensitivity describes the degree of the body’s sensitivity to the effects of the hormone insulin, which is healthy; when the body is sensitive to insulin, it means that it needs less of this hormone compared to the less sensitive body, and the case of low body sensitivity to insulin may be described as insulin resistance, which means that the body has difficulty metabolizing glucose, and this may cause many problems in the body.

• A small study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2005, involving 12 healthy people, indicated that vinegar helps reduce appetite, and this may be due to its content of acetic acid, which promotes a feeling of satiety, which may contribute to reducing the amounts of food consumed.
• A study conducted on animals, published in the Journal of Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry in 2001, indicated that vinegar helps reduce blood pressure, by reducing the activity of an enzyme called renin, which reduces the amounts of the hormone angiotensin 2 (English : Angiotensin II), which raises blood pressure, and this effect may be due to the content of vinegar of acetic acid, and it is worth noting that more studies are still needed to know this effect in humans.
• A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2007, which was conducted on mice, indicated that vinegar helps reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and this may be due to its role in reducing the manufacture of fat in the liver, and it was also noted through the study that it has a role in increasing the secretion of bile acid when following a diet that contains cholesterol, but there is still a need to confirm these results on humans. 
• A study in mice, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2016, suggested that consuming vinegar supplements may help relieve ulcerative colitis, but these results are uncertain, and more studies are still needed to find out the effect of vinegar on the colon in humans. 

General benefits of water

Water is important for the human body, as it enhances the percentage of moisture in the body, promotes cardiovascular health, contributes to maintaining muscle and joint functions, and helps the body get rid of toxins, and maintain normal body temperature through the process of sweating, in addition to drinking water maintains physical performance, as the muscles consist of about 80% of water, so it is necessary to make sure that the body is hydrated when performing exercises, or when Practicing some physical activities. 

The harm of drinking vinegar with water

The degree of safety of drinking vinegar with water

There is no information about the degree of safety of vinegar in general, but we will mention the degree of safety of using apple cider vinegar :

• When taken orally : consuming apple cider vinegar in the normal amounts that are usually added to food is often safe, and it is likely safe to use it in larger quantities for most adults for short periods, but it is possible that it is not safe to consume apple cider vinegar in large quantities in the long term, as this may increase the risk of some health problems, such as low potassium levels.
• When applied to the skin : it is likely unsafe to use apple cider vinegar on the skin, as it has been observed that it may cause chemical burns even after using it once.
• During pregnancy and lactation : it is recommended to avoid the use of apple cider vinegar for pregnant or breastfeeding women, as there is not enough reliable information to determine the degree of safety of apple cider vinegar during pregnancy or lactation.

Precautions for using vinegar drinking with water

When you start taking apple cider vinegar, you should consume low doses of it, and avoid eating large quantities, as eating too much of it can cause some harmful side effects, the following are some cases in which caution should be taken when consuming apple cider vinegar :

• Tooth damage : the high acidity of apple cider vinegar can cause some damage to the teeth, throat, and stomach as well. 
• Low potassium levels in the blood : consuming vinegar may lead to low potassium levels, especially in those taking medications that can lower potassium, such as common diuretics taken to relieve high blood pressure. 
• Impact on insulin levels : Vinegar can affect blood insulin levels, so people with diabetes should be especially careful about eating a diet rich in vinegar. 
• Causing kidney problems for kidney patients : people with chronic kidney disease are advised to avoid vinegar, as the kidneys may not be able to process the acid that comes with apple cider vinegar.

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