TITLE:
Prospective randomized clinical trial evaluating the impact of vinegar on lipids in non-diabetics
AUTHORS:
Carmelo J. Panetta, Yvonne C. Jonk, Alice C. Shapiro
KEYWORDS:
Vinegar; High-Density Lipoprotein; Low-Density Lipoprotein; High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein; Triglycerides
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Cardiovascular Diseases,
Vol.3 No.2,
April
25,
2013
ABSTRACT: Background: Heart disease is now considered an inflammatory process targeted primarily by
medical therapy on lipid levels. Complementary and alternative medicine searches
for novel non-pharmacologic therapy, including pursuing various diets. Animal studies
and consumer literature suggest benefits of vinegar on lipid levels and diabetes
mellitus. Our nonrandomized pilot study from our group suggested a benefit in raising
high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Based on this data, we conducted
a randomized placebo controlled clinical trial to determine the effects of apple
cider vinegar intake in those without diabetes mellitus on total cholesterol (TC),
low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides, HDL-C, Hemoglobin
A1C(Hgb-A1C) and measurement of inflammation with high
sensitivity CRP levels (HS-CRP). Methods:
A prospective randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial consisting
of 114 participants was conducted. Participants consumed 30 mL of either apple cider
vinegar or placebo for two months. Measurements were collected at baseline, eight
and sixteen weeks. The primary endpoint was the change in HDL-C from baseline to
eight weeks between the vinegar and placebo groups. Secondary endpoints were change
from baseline to eight weeks in TC, LDL-C, triglycerides, Hgb-A1cand HS-CRP. Results: Change in serum HDL-C concentration was not significantly different between the vinegar and control
groups after eight weeks of supplementation.
Secondary endpoints including TC, LDL-C, Hgb-A1cand HS-CRP were not statistically different
at the Bonferroni corrected significance level of 0.01. No significant difference was found regardless of baseline HDL-C levels. Conclusions: We found no significant difference in HDL-C, LDL-C,
triglycerides, total cholesterol, or HS-CRP levels with use of vinegar but a trend
down of Hgb-A1cin this group
of non-diabetic participants. Further investigation is required to define the impact
of vinegar in those with diabetes mellitus.