Vinegar and Heart Disease

By Cynthia Taylor

There have been many claims about the benefits of vinegar and especially Apple Cider Vinegar as a cure for almost every disease under the sun. A Google search on apple cider vinegar and heart gave me over 78,000 hits. That’s enough to make any researcher’s head spin let alone the average person who just wants some information about this subject.

 

I found many sites extolling the claims for apple cider vinegar and its health benefits, and an interesting scientific paper which refutes many of these claims.

 

History:

 

Archeologist and researches on ancient folk remedies have found references to Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) a far back in the records of the Babylonians, Phoenicians, and the early samurai warriors, who believed it gave them strength. Many other ancient cultures used vinegar for a variety of remedies. Roman soldiers were given a daily ration of vinegar for health reasons. Even the father of medicine Hippocrates (circa: 400 B.C.) is known to have used it as a healing elixir. Reports a recently as The American Civil war state that it was used to treat pneumonia and during World War I it was used for the treatment of wounds. According to Ageless newsletter and Junk Food Science (see References below).

 

Function:

 

It is believed that the potassium in apple cider vinegar would be of benefit to the heart, because potassium is an electrolyte this mineral helps regulate blood pressure.

 

Apple cider vinegar is also reputed to thin the blood; this assists blood pressure and helps in prevention of strokes. Many heart patients are given ¼ to ½ a tablet of aspirin to keep the blood thin. If the blood flows freely, blood clots will not form which will assist in the prevention of strokes. If ACV can do this it can be of benefit to the heart.

 

High cholesterol is also a risk factor in heart disease. Lowering high cholesterol will be of benefit to heart patients. Eating a diet which includes plenty of fruit and vegetables will assist high cholesterol levels. Apple cider vinegar contains a water soluble fiber called pectin. Being water soluble it absorbs fats and cholesterol and excretes it instead of absorbing and storing fats into your body.

 

Another aspect that is claimed that apple cider vinegar is used to promote healthy veins and capillaries therefore useful is assisting the heart and blood pressure.

 

Benefit:

 

Apple cider vinegar is also reputed to assist in losing weight. It is well known that excess weight places extra stress on the heart. A person with a heart condition would do well to lose weight. Less stress on the heart promotes better heart function.

 

Identification:

 

The word vinegar is a French word meaning ‘sour wine’. It is explained that vinegars are made from fermented juices from fruits such as apples or grapes plus other sources of sugar and addition of barley, rice, honey or molasses, once mixed with yeast and left to stand will turn the natural sugars into alcohol. This then undergoes a second fermentation period the alcohol is converted into an acetic acid forming bacteria. This occurs due to prolonged exposure to air, the alcohol then turns sour creating vinegar.

 

Misconceptions:

 

Junk Food Science reports that there is no scientific evidence that

Apple Cider has any medicinal properties and they say that the FDA has issued warning letters to nutraceutical companies that sell Apple Cider Vinegar who make unsupportable claims, that it reduces cholesterol levels or prevents hardening of the arteries, lowers risks from heart diseases, strokes or heart attacks. Junk Food Science further reports that NCCAM (National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) have not found any studies to support these claims. (see research below)

 

 

Warnings:

 

• Read all claims for cures with an open mind, check with your health care practitioner before embarking on any cures.

 

• Do not replace your prescribed medication with any product that claims to affect a cure. Be guided and monitored by your health care practitioner

 

• When purchasing Apple Cider Vinegar, be aware that some commercial apple cider vinegars have been pasteurized, filtered, refined, or distilled; this extra processing can destroy many of the health benefits of the product. Look ACV made form cold pressed organically grown apples that have no chemicals or preservatives.

 

 

Research:

 

Ageless newsletter: ageless.co.za/200102_february.htm

 

Report from Junkfood science:

 

junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/04/houston-we-have-problem-apple-cider.html

 

Photo Credits:

 

Ayurvediccure.com magazine:

 

magazine.ayurvediccure.com/wp- content/uploads/2008/12/vinegar.jpg

 

 

Keywords:

 

Vinegar,

Heart disease

Vinegar and heart disease