VIDEO: Vinegar for Diabetes (and Weight Loss)

This kitchen staple may prevent carbohydrate absorption, helping to keep blood sugar in check

Transcript

This is Julian Whitaker, M.D., with a Whitaker Wellness Tip.

Are you looking to lower your blood sugar? Vinegar just might do the trick.

Dr. Carol Johnston from Arizona State University gave people with diabetes or insulin resistance two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before a high carbohydrate meal and found it worked as well as diabetic drugs at lowering post-meal blood sugar by 25 to 50 percent.

Vinegar may also help with weight loss. In a follow-up study, volunteers taking two tablespoons of vinegar before meals twice daily for four weeks lost an average of two pounds. Dr. Johnston speculates that vinegar interferes with enzymes that break down carbohydrate, allowing them to pass through the body without being absorbed.

If you find vinegar hard to swallow, try using it as a salad dressing. It's safe; it's inexpensive and has other health benefits as well.

I'm Julian Whitaker, M.D., assisting you in your personal quest for optimal health.

More Dr. Whitaker Advice on Diabetes

• How to plan a diabetic diet: do's and don'ts
• How to treat type 2 diabetes naturally
• The diabetic diet: vinegar