A few tablespoons of vinegar a day may help keep depression away, research shows.
Consuming two tablespoons of red wine vinegar twice a day for four weeks significantly improved self-reported depression scores in a group of 28 overweight adults who were otherwise healthy, a new study found. Enhancements in niacin metabolism may contribute to the improvement in mood, the researchers concluded.
Depression, a mental health disorder characterized by loss of pleasure or interest in activities for a long period of time, spiked in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory about the impact of an epidemic of loneliness and isolation, including an increased risk for depression. A Gallup poll from May 2023 indicated that 29% of adult Americans have been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives, up 10% from 2015. Recent surveys show that as many as 1 in 5 adolescents have clinical depression, according to Mental Health America, a nonprofit focused on promoting mental health and prevention.
The first-line treatment for depression, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), can have many negative side effects, including weight changes, agitation, nausea, sexual dysfunction and headaches, among other issues. A home-remedy alternative treatment, such as vinegar, may be welcome news to the many people with depression.
Vinegar, a combination of acetic acid and water made through fermentation, previously has been linked to positive outcomes for heart disease and weight loss.
For the latest study, published in the journal Nutrients, researchers from the University of Arizona looked at how daily vinegar consumption affected mood and metabolism. They compared one group of people who took diluted vinegar daily to a second group that ingested a pill containing very little vinegar. By the fourth week, the group taking the diluted vinegar showed a 42% reduction in depression scores compared to an 18% reduction in the group taking pills.
The group that drank the vinegar daily also experienced an 86% increase in levels of nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B that has been linked to anti-inflammatory effects.
Limitations of the study included its small size and its short duration. But researchers said the results warrant further research examining the effects of vinegar on clinically depressed or "at-risk populations" and on people already taking antidepressants.
Researchers conducted the study between January and June 2023.