Vinegar a Weight－loss Aid

Vinegar a Weight－loss Aid

Not only is vinegar good for cleaning windows and pickling onions, it may also help to keep off weight.

Researchers in Japan have found some evidence that vinegar appears to have a fat-burning effect.

The scientists carried out their study on laboratory mice rather than on human beings. Nevertheless, they found that mice fed a high-fat diet and vinegar developed up to 10 percent less body fat than mice fed a high-fat diet but no vinegar. The acetic acid in vinegar may switch on genes that make certain fat-burning enzymes, helping to suppress the accumulation of body fat.

Two other studies have also shown that vinegar-taking mice had lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure compared with those on water. Tomoo Kondo of the Central Research Institute in Handa, Japan, revealed that further research on people looks promising. Subjects who were given 15 milliliters of vinegar daily lost fat, particularly around their stomachs.

Vinegar may take the edge off appetite by slowing the speed at which stomachs empty. This phenomenon may allow individuals to eat less during a meal and feel full for longer after it, which would also reduce snacking.