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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, January 4, 2003

PRESCRIPTIONS
Vinegar can be useful, but not a dietary aid

By Amy Tousman

Q. Can I lose weight by taking apple-cider vinegar?

A. The ancient Egyptians are credited with inventing apple-cider vinegar around 3000 BC. Ads now claim it burns fat, removes toxins, controls blood pressure, speeds up your metabolism, cures arthritis, and helps you to lose weight. None of these claims are true.

There are hundreds of Web sites that sell apple-cider tablets (for those who don't want to drink the stuff). Most sites recommend using the tablets in conjunction with a meal plan called the "apple-cider vinegar diet." People lose weight on this diet, but it is not because of the vinegar. They lose weight because food intake is restricted. The seven-day meal plan is approximately 800 calories per day. Even without the vinegar, you would lose weight on this diet. I would not recommend it because the diet is not nutritionally sound.

The selling point is the vinegar. It is sold in tablet form, which is much more expensive than apple-cider vinegar, found in every grocery store. You are supposed to take seven pills daily. The pills cost about $15 for a month's supply. Someone is making money here.

This diet claims that the vinegar's acid will help melt away fat in your body. The truth is that no food is capable of melting away fat. This includes vinegar. Regardless of whether you take the tablets or use store-bought vinegar, the results are the same. The vinegar just gets mixed in with the acids already present in the stomach. The purpose of these acids is to help you digest your food. Your body cannot distinguish between stomach acids and the acids in vinegar.

Claims that apple-cider vinegar is a good source of potassium are also bogus. One teaspoon of vinegar contains only five milligrams of potassium. A banana has 300 milligrams.

I would recommend vinegar as a low-calorie flavoring agent for salads and marinades. It has no fat or sodium, a plus for those trying to lose weight and improve health.

Vinegar is useful as a household cleaner, especially when it comes to cutting grease, cleaning wood floors and removing stains. It can also sooth sore throats, dissolve warts and treat fungal infections. Just don't expect it to help you lose weight.

Amy Tousman is a registered dietitian at Straub Clinic & Hospital and a member of the Hawai'i Dietetic Association.

Send questions to: Prescriptions, Island Life, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; or to ohana@honoluluadvertiser.com; fax 535-8170. This column is for information only. Consult your health provider for medical advice.