Ingesting vinegar with meals reduced fasting blood glucose levels in an immediate and sustained manner in health adults who were at risk for type 2 diabetes, according to a new study from Arizona State University.
These effects were noted even though no other changes were made to participants’ diets.
The 12-week pilot study, published in the Journal of Functional Foods, examined the effects of vinegar on markers of type 2 diabetes in at-risk adults.
Average change in fasting glucose was reduced in the participants ingesting vinegar with meals, and fasting breath hydrogen (a measure of digestive processes) was elevated by 19%. The average changes in fasting glucose were similar in the first six weeks of the study, and in weeks 7 to 12 of the study.
Researchers said the data indicated that vinegar has antiglycaemic effects in adults at-risk for type 2 diabetes.
Although the mechanisms of vinegar are unclear, it is thought that acetic acid, the defining ingredient of all vinegars, may interfere with carbohydrate ingestion, promote glucose uptake by muscle and/or increase beta cell insulin secretion.
In adults with type 2 diabetes, previous research has shown that daily ingestion of vinegar lowered fasting glucose concentrations and glycated hemoglobin (A1c). But the Arizona State University researchers said to date there has not been a long-term trial examining the efficacy of daily vinegar ingestion for lowering markers of diabetes in at-risk adults.
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the US and worldwide approaches 10% and is predicted to rise in the coming decades. The risk of developing type 2 diabetes is estimated to be as high as 50% for US adults older than 65.
In Australia, diabetes is the fastest growing chronic disease, with an estimated 280 Australian developing diabetes every day. Nearly 1 million Australians are currently diagnosed with diabetes, and in August 2013 the results of the most recent Australian Health Survey found that around one in five adults were not aware they had diabetes.
According to Diabetes Australia, the total number of Australians with diabetes and pre-diabetes is estimated to be 3.2 million.
Up to 60% of cases of type 2 diabetes can be prevented, according to Diabetes Australia.
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