Prospective randomized clinical trial evaluating the impact of vinegar on lipids in non-diabetics

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-A1c and 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-A1c and 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-A1c in this group of non-diabetic participants. Further investigation is required to define the impact of vinegar in those with diabetes mellitus.