Clinical research finds that 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.
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| Date vinegar has a number of health benefits. |
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.
Date vinegar reduces bad cholesterol
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.
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.
Findings confirmed
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.
Date vinegar reduces blood sugar in diabetics
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.
Scientific References
Ali Z, Ma H, Wali A, Ayim I, Sharif MN. Daily date vinegar consumption improves hyperlipidemia, β-carotenoid and inflammatory biomarkers in mildly hypercholesterolemic adults. J Herb Med 2019 Sep-Dec; 17-18.
Al-Farsi M, Alasalvar C, Morris A, Baron M, Shahidi F. Comparison of antioxidant activity, anthocyanins, carotenoids, and phenolics of three native fresh and sun-dried date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) varieties grown in Oman. J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Sep 21;53(19):7592-9.
Ali Z, Ma H, Rashid MT, Wali A, Younas S. Preliminary study to evaluate the phytochemicals and physiochemical properties in red and black date’s vinegar. Food Sci Nutr. 2019 Apr 29;7(6):1976-1985. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.1009.
Ali Z., Ma H., Wali A., Ayim I., Rashid M. T., & Younas S. (2018). A double‐blinded, randomized, placebo‐controlled study evaluating the impact of dates vinegar consumption on blood biochemical and hematological parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes. Trop J of Pharm Res, 17(12), 2463–2469. 10.4314/tjpr.v17i12.23
Ali Z., Ma H., Ayim I., & Wali A. Efficacy of new beverage made of dates vinegar and garlic juice in improving serum lipid profile parameters and inflammatory biomarkers of mildly hyperlipidemic adults: A double‐blinded, randomized, placebo‐controlled study. Journal of Food Biochemistry. 2018;42(5), e12545 10.1111/jfbc.12545