Vinegar is one of the oldest fermented foods. Humans have been making vinegar for thousands of years across many cultures, and writing about the health benefits of vinegar for nearly as long.

What is vinegar?

Vinegar is a solution containing around 4-7% acetic acid. Traditional vinegar is made through a two-step process:

What’s special about balsamic Vinegar?

My favourite vinegar, traditional balsamic vinegar, is made from "grape must"- freshly crushed grape juice with all the skins, seeds and stalks, that is boiled to a concentrate, fermented and acidified, and then aged for 12 to 25 years or longer in wood barrels. The grape skins and stems add especially high levels of phenolic compounds and additional bioactive ingredients to the vinegar, as well as a depth of flavour and sweetness.

Of course, if you prefer the taste of apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar, or a particular vinegar is part of your food culture, then stick with that. Food is about so much more than nutrition. Flavour preferences and traditions are also important. By rights my British heritage should point me towards malt vinegar, but Modern British cuisine, much like Australian cuisine, has embraced elements of the Mediterranean diet including balsamic vinegar – thank you Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver and Rick Stein!

External effects - Anti-infective Properties

The preserving and sanitizing effects of vinegar were the most obvious and first employed beneficial effects of vinegar.

Today, experts advise against using vinegar preparations for treating wounds, we have far more effective disinfectants available, but recent scientific studies have confirmed the antimicrobial properties of vinegar in the context of food preparation.

Pickling vegetables with vinegar likely originated in ancient Mesopotamia around 2,400 BC. Pickling vegetables in vinegar continued to develop in the Middle East region before spreading to North Africa, Sicily and Spain.

As well as limiting the growth of food-spoiling bacteria and fungi, pickling can also alter the fodmap content of some foods. A safe low FODMAP serving of drained pickled onions is 60g compared to just 22g of raw Vidalia (brown) onion. A low FODMAP serving of pickled garlic is one clove, whereas there is no low FODMAP serving of regular raw garlic.

What about effects inside the human body?

Vinegar affects a range of body systems. I’ll start with the effects for which have the strongest body of supporting evidence, and move through to claims that are a little more tentative.

4.       Reducing Hypertension

Rat studies have indicated that vinegar may help to reduce high blood pressure, but again these effects have not been confirmed by any studies in humans.

5.       Reducing obesity

There is some evidence that vinegar may help with weight loss – possibly increasing satiation levels. However, the studies have largely been in animals or are only short term in nature.

Any potential problems?

Are there any problems associated with vinegar? Not when consumed at normal levels. However, taken in high quantities the acid in vinegar can damage teeth and there are even records of vinegar damaging the oesophagus. Take special care if you have reflux.

Low FODMAP serving sizes

The low FODMAP serving sizes of vinegars are substantial.

You can consume 2 tablespoons (42g) per meal of red wine vinegar, Chinkiang vinegar, malt vinegar white vinegar, rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

There is a little more fructose in balsamic vinegar linked to its sweeter flavour. The low FODMAP serving size for balsamic vinegar is 1 tablespoon (21g) per meal.

The best way to enjoy balsamic vinegar

Whilst extra virgin olive oil is often seen as the star of the Mediterranean diet, some researchers believe that vinegar may play just as important a role in driving the longevity-boosting effects of the diet.

References:

Johnston, C. S., & Gaas, C. A. (2006). Vinegar: medicinal uses and antiglycemic effect. MedGenMed : Medscape general medicine, 8(2), 61.

Kondo, T., Kishi, M., Fushimi, T., Ugajin, S., & Kaga, T. (2009). Vinegar intake reduces body weight, body fat mass, and serum triglyceride levels in obese Japanese subjects. Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry, 73(8), 1837–1843. https://doi.org/10.1271/bbb.90231

Chen, H., Chen, T., Giudici, P. and Chen, F. (2016), Vinegar Functions on Health: Constituents, Sources, and Formation Mechanisms. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Safety 15: 1124-1138. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12228

Urbinati E, Di Nunzio M, Picone G, Chiarello E, Bordoni A, Capozzi F. (2021) The Effect of Balsamic Vinegar Dressing on Protein and Carbohydrate Digestibility is Dependent on the Food Matrix. Foods.10(2):411. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10020411

Ninfali P, Mea G, Giorgini S, Rocchi M, Bacchiocca M. (2005) Antioxidant capacity of vegetables, spices and dressings relevant to nutrition. British Journal of Nutrition. 93(2):257-266. https://doi:10.1079/BJN20041327

Blog written by: Noisy Guts co-founder Dr Mary Webberley. Mary has a background in biology, with two degrees from the University of Cambridge and post-doctoral research experience. She spent several years undertaking research into the diagnosis of IBS and IBD. She also loves a salad doused in an EVOO and balsamic vinegar dressing 😋