Date Vinegar Lowers Inflammation, Cholesterol, Blood Sugar

May 2, 2024

Dates are delicious fruits with a sweet taste and a fleshy consistency. Dates also have various bioactive components which have effects on different types of diseases. 

According to clinical research, date vinegar can significantly reduce bad cholesterol including triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol, and reduce inflammatory markers. It can also reduce blood sugar levels for diabetics according to the research. It makes a delicious combination with olive oil too.

What is Date vinegar?

Making vinegar from fruits or grain (white vinegar) is done through a fermentation process. The fruit is blended with water and a fermentation yeast culture (“starter”). Then the mixture is allowed to sit open to the air while the culture proceeds to ferment the fruit mix to vinegar. (A cheese-cloth over the open container helps protect the fermentation process.) Apple cider vinegar is one of the most popular types of vinegar and comes with a variety of health effects. Now we find that date vinegar also comes with significant health effects.

Health Benefits of Date Vinegar

Dates vinegar is not new and has been in use since Babylonia (5,000 years ago) as food and medicine. In another study carried out at the University of Otago, New Zealand, it was confirmed that date vinegar has antioxidant activity that is comparable to wine vinegar but higher than apple cider vinegar and white wine vinegar. That’s why it has medicinal value. Some of the health benefits of date vinegar are:

• Weight loss: Drinking it will help suppress your appetite and reduce hunger. If taken before a meal, it reduces blood sugar spikes that usually occur after eating your meal. This happens because the vinegar's acetic acid will block the enzyme responsible for breaking down starches for digestion from being absorbed into the bloodstream.
• Cancer prevention: Just like the healing powers of apricot seeds, regular intake of vinegar with its many antioxidant properties will help prevent abdominal cancer.
• Heart strength: The vinegar drink is an excellent remedy for a weak heart. The antioxidant chlorogenic acid helps prevent the oxidization of the LDL cholesterol particles, hence it protects your weak heart and prevents heart disease.
• Strengthens the immune system: The regular cleansing of the system will remove toxins from the body. This will help strengthen the immunity system. It will also help in gastric inflammation and relieve constipation.
• Type 2 Diabetes: Based on this study, after ten weeks of daily dosage of 20 mL date vinegar given to Type-2 diabetic patients, their blood sugar level (HbA1c) dropped from 6.8 to 6.14. The fasting blood sugar level also dropped from 171 to 147 mg/dL.
• High in iron & potassium: Nutritional deficiencies, especially iron and potassium deficiency can lead to anemia. When this happened, there are not enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen to your body's tissue. So, you feel tired and weak. Date vinegar is a good source of iron and potassium and therefore good to prevent anemia.
• Fatigue: The vinegar burns and consumes the pyroracemic and lactic acids that are responsible for fatigue. Hence, consuming date vinegar can eliminate fatigue.
• Relieves coughs: Helps to relieve a sore throat, persistent cough, and remove phlegm.
• Relieves headaches: The high level of potassium in the vinegar helps relieve headaches.
• Heals burns & skin inflammation: Used in traditional medicine by Middle Eastern people, date vinegar was applied to burns and skin inflammation. Scientific studies show that date vinegar contains acetic acid that helps relieve inflammation on a burn. Acetic acid also has antiseptic and astringent properties, hence keeping the burns from becoming infected.

Date vinegar reduces bad cholesterol

Various researchers have claimed that extracts of date (rutab and tamr stages) facilitate the prevention of hyperglycemia, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hepatotoxicity, and oxidation of lipoproteins by increasing the serum antioxidant capacity, thereby mollifying the catastrophic effects of inflammation and oxidative stress on the vascular system. The potential health benefits of dates have been attributed to vitamin C, trace elements, bioactive compounds, carotenoids, isoflavones, lignins, tannins, flavonoids and other polyphenols, specifically phenolic acids. These phytochemicals confer inhibitory effects against oxidative damage.

Researchers from the School of Food and Biological Engineering at Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang China tested 76 people who had moderately high levels of cholesterol and inflammation.

The researchers had each test subject consume either 30 milliliters of date vinegar per day or a placebo.

The researchers tested their cholesterol levels and their inflammatory markers from their blood.

After only four weeks, the researchers tested the subjects’ cholesterol levels and inflammatory biomarkers. Those who had consumed the date vinegar saw their triglycerides go down from an average of 170 to 161 mg/dL. Their LDL-cholesterol went down from an average of 166 to 109 mg/dL. Meanwhile, their HDL-cholesterol (the good cholesterol) went up from an average of 41.7 to 44.1 mg/dL.

The significance of this drop in bad cholesterols is underscored by the fact that consumption of the vinegar had only occurred for four weeks. That is less than a month.

Findings confirmed by other research

A 2018 study tested 50 people with high cholesterol levels. For seven weeks they consumed either two cups a day of a date vinegar and garlic blend, or a placebo.

Again, the subjects’ levels of total cholesterol went from 260 to 198 mg/dL. And their C-reactive protein levels went from 8.04 to 4.45 mg/L.

Reduces inflammation

Inflammatory markers also went down significantly among those who consumed the date vinegar. Average levels of C-reactive protein went from 7.05 to 4.12 mg/L. Nitric oxide went from 31.05 to 27.01 umol/L. And fibrinogen levels went from 272 to 238 mg/dL.

Indeed, the immune systems of the subjects who consumed the date vinegar were strengthened. Their tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFa) levels went from 17.2 to 13.5 pg/mL.

A significant reduction of all of these inflammatory biomarkers indicates that date vinegar seriously boosts immune function.

Date vinegar reduces blood sugar in diabetics

Date Vinegar has long been recognized for its potential antidiabetic and anti-hyperglycemic properties.

In a 2018 study, researchers tested 55 people with type-2 diabetes and blood sugar levels greater than 126 mg/dL. They were given 20 mL of date vinegar per day for 10 weeks.

After the ten weeks, HbA1c levels went from 6.8 to 6.14. fasting blood sugar levels went from 171 to 147 mg/dL.

Liver enzymes also were decreased. ALT levels went from 25 to 21.88 IU/L and ALP levels went from 264 to 257 IU/L.

Blood folate levels also increased, from 34.6 to 41.7 nmol/L.

What does date vinegar contain?

Certainly one of the main constituents in date vinegar is acetic acid. Acetic acid is a byproduct of the fermentation process. As such, it is present in all vinegars, including white and apple cider vinegars.

But date vinegars contain other compounds. A study from Pakistan’s School of Food and Nutrition at Minhaj University tested red and black date vinegars for constituents.

They found that the date vinegars had significantly higher levels of flavonoids and procyanidins with high levels of antioxidant activity.

Date vinegar also contains a number of phenolic acids, including caffeic, ferulic, gallic and sinapic acids. Dates also contain protocatechuic acid, vanillic acid, syringic acid, protocatechuic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, and coumaric acids.

Their tests also showed that date vinegar contains significant levels of carotenoids.

How to Use Date Vinegar

Date vinegar has a rich, fruity flavor and is dark brown in color. It is not as sweet as a good balsamic and tastes more like a mix of malt vinegar and balsamic. You can use date vinegar in your food, as part of your traditional medicine, and just like other common vinegar, as a preserving and cleaning agent. However, it is rich in many nutrients, so it is best to use in your food or as medicine.

To enjoy the many health benefits of date vinegar, you can use it as:

• A drink: Take 1-2 tablespoons of dates vinegar, preferably mixed with a glass of water, first thing in the morning and/or the last thing at night. You may add honey to sweeten the taste.
• As salad dressing: Use it as you would with balsamic vinegar.
• In your cooking: Replace other vinegar that you would normally use in your cooking with date vinegar.
• For pickling: Likewise, replace your normal vinegar for your pickled items with date vinegar.
• As a dip: Mix the vinegar with olive oil and use it as a dip.

Give Date Vinegar a Try

The health benefit of date vinegar and its rich fruity flavor are good reasons why you must give it a try.

Date Vinegar Recipes - Salad Dressing With Blue Cheese

Preparation:

Mix sour cream, yogurt, mayonnaise, date vinegar, and garlic, and whisk until smooth. Then add the crumbled blue cheese. Season it with ground black pepper.

Recipe for Date Vinegar Salad Dressing With Poppy Seed

Preparations:

Whisk together all the ingredients in a medium bowl.