New Research Finds That Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar May Promote Mental Health

The Arizona State University team behind this new research had previously studied whether drinking red wine vinegar could promote blood sugar balance. After coming up with promising results, they wondered if vinegar could also play a role in mental health given the gut-brain connection.

To dive into this previously unexplored topic area, they gathered 25 healthy college student volunteers during the peak of the pandemic last winter. Over the course of a four-week, placebo-controlled trial, about half of the students drank a liquid apple cider vinegar beverage (2 tablespoons vinegar diluted in 1 cup of water) twice daily with meals. The other half consumed a low-dose vinegar pill once daily. This pill did not have enough acetic acid—the main active ingredient in vinegar—to be considered to elicit a health effect. However, it was described as a vinegar pill and had the stench to prove it, so the control group that received it thought they were getting the real deal, making this a placebo-controlled, blinded study.

As to why that is, the urine sampling data provides a clue. It suggests that the beverage affected certain metabolic pathways that affect the brain. Specifically, the vinegar group had a healthier hexosamine pathway (relates to cognitive functioning and brain health) and an improvement in glycine and threonine metabolism. These amino acids promote neurotransmitter balance in the brain and stimulate the production of feel-good hormones like serotonin.