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A drizzle of vinegar

GO FOR VINEGAR It promotes health

The vinegar used to garnish salad dressings, pickles and other foods, may live up to its folk reputation as a fat buster and health promoter.

Japanese researchers Tomoo Kondo and colleagues noted that vinegar has also been used as a folk medicine since ancient times, for a range of illnesses. Modern research suggests that acetic acid, the main component of vinegar, may help control blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and fat accumulation.

Their new study showed that lab mice fed on a high-fat diet and given acetic acid developed significantly less body fat (up to 10 per cent less) than other mice, said an American Chemical Society (ACS) release.

Importantly, the new research bolsters evidence that acetic acid fights fat by turning on genes for fatty acid oxidation enzymes.

The genes churn out proteins involved in breaking down fats, thus suppressing body fat accumulation in the body.

These findings were published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

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