Vinegar and heart and metabolic health in people
What it found
In people, taking vinegar was linked to lower fasting and after-meal blood sugar, HbA1c, total cholesterol, body weight and systolic blood pressure.
It made no clear difference to fasting insulin, insulin resistance, LDL, HDL, triglycerides, BMI, waist circumference or diastolic blood pressure.
What they found
Studies in people
Blood sugar improvements
Vinegar consumption was linked to lower fasting blood glucose by 9.40 mg/dL, after-meal glucose by 14.59 mg/dL, after-meal insulin by 1.29 mu/L, and HbA1c by 0.70%. The certainty of this evidence was moderate for fasting glucose, after-meal glucose and HbA1c.
Cholesterol and weight
Vinegar intake was associated with a drop in total cholesterol of 9.39 mg/dL and a weight loss of 1.06 kg. The evidence certainty was very low for total cholesterol and high for body weight.
Blood pressure
Systolic blood pressure fell by 2.94 mmHg with vinegar consumption, with high certainty. Diastolic blood pressure showed no significant effect.
No clear effects
No significant effects were seen for fasting plasma insulin, insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), LDL, HDL, triglycerides, BMI, waist circumference or diastolic blood pressure.
What the authors conclude
- They report that vinegar consumption was associated with improvements in fasting blood glucose, postprandial glucose, postprandial insulin, HbA1c, total cholesterol, body weight and systolic blood pressure.
- They note that the certainty of evidence ranged from very low to high across outcomes.
How it was done
Vinegar is a natural dietary product that has been suggested to help with blood sugar control, blood fats, blood pressure and weight. The authors wanted to check how strong and reliable the evidence from meta-analyses really is.
They searched four databases for meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials on vinegar consumption up to January 2025. Ten meta-analyses covering 38 primary studies were included, and the effect sizes were re-calculated using a random-effects model.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This is an umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials, so it can show cause and effect for the outcomes measured.
- It cannot show how vinegar might affect other health outcomes not included in the original trials.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The paper
- Title
- Vinegar Consumption and Health: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Licence
- CC BY.
- Cite
- Shahmohammadi F, Khosroshahi RA, Derakhshanian H, Mohammadi H (2026). Vinegar Consumption and Health: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials. Food science & nutrition. doi:10.1002/fsn3.71849Free full textPubMed 42110393DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error