classified as mild constipation<\/a>.<\/p>\nLeft untreated, chronic constipation can lead to hemorrhoids and anal fissures and, in severe cases, complications such as fecal impaction that may require emergency care. zinkevych \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n
The vinegar drink was made by mixing brewed vinegar with water, providing 750 milligrams of acetic acid in each 200-milliliter serving. The placebo used a small amount of citric acid instead of vinegar to give it a similar tart taste, so participants couldn\u2019t tell which drink they had.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both drinks were sweetened with sucralose and flavored with apple.<\/p>\n
During the first week, the vinegar group showed trends toward\u00a0improvement in bowel-movement frequency,\u00a0number of defecation days, and stool volume compared with the placebo group.<\/p>\n
By week four, defecation frequency was \u201csignificantly higher\u201d in the vinegar group than in the placebo group \u2014 about 1.2 more bowel movements a week \u2014 the study concluded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese findings suggest that daily consumption of vinegar beverages may improve defecation status in healthy adults with mild constipation, supporting a potential dietary approach for maintaining bowel health,\u201d the researchers wrote.<\/p>\n
Both groups experienced gradual improvement over the course of the study \u2014 and the researchers suggested that some participants may have been habitually underhydrated, so the added daily drink may have played a part in relieving their constipation.<\/p>\n
They noted, however, that during the first week, participants in the vinegar group showed signs of greater improvement than those in the placebo group, implying that\u00a0vinegar or acetic acid\u00a0may have had an additional early benefit.<\/p>\n
Limitations of the study<\/p>\n
The study is intriguing and \u201ca promising clue rather than proof that vinegar treats constipation,\u201d Florida-based registered dietitian Jamie Lee McIntyre, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t leap from this study to recommending apple cider vinegar shots for constipation,\u201d she said. \u201cThe researchers used a standardized vinegar beverage containing a specific amount of acetic acid. They did not study typical apple cider vinegar supplements or concentrated vinegar shots.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, a new study has found that consuming vinegar in liquid form may also increase bowel movements. kasto \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n
Mizkan Holdings Co. Ltd., a Japanese food company that manufactures vinegar, funded the study; three of the researchers were employed by Mizkan.<\/p>\n
The scientists further noted that their findings \u201cshould be regarded as preliminary and require more confirmation in further studies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor now, I\u2019d stick with the constipation strategies we know have a stronger evidence base: adequate fiber and fluids, regular physical activity and a consistent bathroom routine,\u201d McIntyre said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The key to avoiding constipation is to stay adequately hydrated, take soluble fiber, and consider\u00a0pelvic floor physical therapy\u00a0when needed, according to research. Olena Rudo \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n
\u201cVinegar can certainly be part of a meal, or serve as a wonderful base to a dressing or sauce, but I wouldn\u2019t consider it a constipation treatment based on this one small study.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Eric Shah, a gastroenterologist and clinical associate professor at the University of Michigan, told Fox News Digital that there \u201cis this misnomer that\u00a0drinking more water\u00a0helps constipation, when it just makes most people have to urinate more.\u201d<\/p>\n
The key to avoiding constipation is to stay adequately hydrated, take soluble fiber, and consider\u00a0pelvic floor physical therapy\u00a0when needed, which is a growing field that is readily accessible from primary care, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Researchers noted, however, that during the first week of the study, participants in the vinegar group showed signs of greater improvement than those in the placebo group, implying that\u00a0vinegar or acetic acid\u00a0may have had an additional early benefit. billtster \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat generally comes out of those water trials is that mineral-rich water, particularly magnesium-rich, tends to help more with constipation in clinical trials. The mineral content is probably more important than the volume of intake for most people.\u201d<\/p>\n
McIntyre added that \u201cmore vinegar isn\u2019t necessarily better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause vinegar is highly acidic, drinking it regularly \u2014 particularly undiluted \u2014 can irritate the esophagus and contribute to dental enamel erosion,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"People who suffer from mild constipation may find some relief with a\u00a0simple daily vinegar drink,\u00a0new research suggests, even…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":851818,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[46189,97,28328,5599,1728],"class_list":["post-851817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-food-trends","tag-health","tag-poop","tag-public-health","tag-research"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/851817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=851817"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/851817\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/851818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=851817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=851817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=851817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}