Could Vinegar Prevent Ulcerative Colitis?

Vinegar and its main ingredient acetic acid may reduce ulcerative colitis symptoms and prevent the disease by rebalancing intestinal microbiota, according to new research.

Previous research has suggested that intestinal microbiota play a significant role in the development of ulcerative colitis, a common inflammatory bowel disease, but its cause is still unclear.
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Because vinegar has been used in traditional medicine for centuries, researchers were curious about the effects of vinegar on microbiota and ulcerative colitis symptoms.

To investigate this connection, researchers administered small amounts of vinegar or acetic acid in the drinking water of a mouse model.  After 1 month, the mice were chemically induced with ulcerative colitis.

After analyzing stool samples, researchers found that the mouse model had reduced disease symptoms and activity, significant weight loss, and increased levels of healthy intestinal microbiota.

Vinegar inhibited disease flare-ups by blocking inflammatory proteins and molecular processes in the colon, according to the researchers.

“These results suggest that vinegar supplementation might provide a new dietary strategy for the prevention of ulcerative colitis,” researchers concluded.

Researchers agree that more studies are needed to make any definitive conclusions about these results in humans.

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Shen F, Feng J, Wang X, et al. Vinegar treatment prevents the development of murine experimental colitis via inhibition of inflammation and apoptosis. J Agric Food Chem. 2016;64(5),1111–1121. doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.5b05415.