Diabetics: Got Vinegar? Yaotta!

 Just read some very interesting news about keeping my blood sugar under control and making my wife happy: scientists have completed a study that showed that vinegar prevents sugar spikes after eating. Here, look:

Past studies have shown that consuming vinegar can improve insulin sensitivity in people with insulin resistance and possibly improve blood glucose control in people with Type 2 diabetes. Now, research has indicated that vinegar consumption is also effective at controlling after-meal blood glucose levels in those with Type 1 diabetes.

Diane Fennell reports in Diabetes Self Management that the subjects of the study drank two tablespoons of vinegar in one and a half tablespoon of water just before eating. Their blood sugar rose after the meal - as everyone's does naturally - but it did not spike high as is common with diabetics.

No one is completely sure why this works, but it does.

While the mechanisms by which vinegar helps control after-meal blood glucose levels aren’t entirely clear, it is known from previous studies that vinegar delays stomach emptying and that acetic acid, the main component of vinegar, enhances glucose storage in the liver and muscle tissue.

 So, if there's a good result, why not try? And unlike medicines that usually cause more dangerous side effects than their intended good, vinegar is a natural treatment. That means it is unlikely to have any negative side effects. Of course, some people do have allergies to some things, so you might want to ask your M.D. if you've never used vinegar in this way before.

The article closes with this note:

According to the researchers, “two tablespoons of vinegar could easily be used as a complementary food (e.g., in a salad dressing) to reduce hyperglycemia.” 

 Now, Jo Donna and I have been using apple cider vinegar (ACV) for years to stop colds and flu and to ease indigestion, but this is a nice bonus. It's important to note that, if you're going to try ACV, you get the right kind. If the vinegar is a clear amber color, that's not right. Good ACV is amber colored, but it looks smokey, like there's something foggy in it. That's called The Mother (no, really) and it's all the natural enzymes of protein molecules, which are what do most of the healthy stuff.

We've settled on Bragg brand (their web site is HERE) mostly because that's the brand carried in most of our local stores, but also because they wrote the book on ACV benefits - literally! Paul Bragg was one of the pioneers in discovering all the many health virtues of ACV. Also their's is organic, so that's good too.

I highly recommend unprocessed apple cider vinegar for all sorts of things - now including keeping your or your family member's blood sugar under control without drugs.

LINKS:
the original article : http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/Diane-Fennell/vinegar-reduces-after-meal-glucose/
Bragg vinegar info: http://bragg.com/products/bragg-organic-apple-cider-vinegar.html

go get 'em!
STEPcoach Bob Collins
P.S. you do know what "yaotta" means, don't you?