Daily vinegar consumption improves depression scores by >50%

This study came out in 2021 in the journal of Nutrients. Vinegar has several beneficial effects metabolically. Metabolism and mood are deeply intertwined - so researchers sought to find out if vinegar had direct antidepressant qualities.

Participants were college students. They also excluded obese individuals, or anyone with other underlying illness. Thus, the population was already relatively young and healthy - meaning any effect of vinegar had to be strong in order to move the needle.

The vinegar group consumed: ➜ 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (Bragg's) ➜ Dissolved in a cup of water ➜ Twice daily ➜ With meals ➜ For 4 weeks Participants were randomized and the control group was given very low dose "vinegar pills" - so they wouldn't know they were in the placebo group.

Vinegar was strikingly effective for depression.CES-D (depression) scores improved by 31.4% in the vinegar group, while worsening by 23.7% in the control group, meaning a \~58% overall improvement.This was consistent with the other survey of depression (POMS depression) - so the effect was real.

Vinegar also seemed to (though not "statistically" significant): ◇ Improve overall mood ◇ Reduce tension ◇ Reduce anger ◇ Reduce fatigue ◇ Improve vigor Pretty incredible for something so ubiquitous and cheap.

To better assess why vinegar was able to have these mood improving effects, the researchers collected urine and analyzed over 900 metabolites. 17 of them were found to be changed by vinegar.

Knowing the amounts of all of these metabolites, they were also able to analyze what biochemical pathways & enzymes were important to vinegar's effect as well. Pathways of interest included: ◈ The hexosamine pathway ➞ a pathway that turns sugar into glycans, often upregulated in diabetes / insulin resistance. High glycans can influence neurotransmission / plasticity as well. ◈ Cystathionine metabolism ➞ important for glutathione synthesis (antioxidant status), which is often low in depression. These are just a few of the mechanisms potentially behind the mood enhancing abilities of vinegar.

Source (study link): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8622118/ Source (X): https://x.com/Outdoctrination/status/1949815807107555460