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Does Vinegar Reduce Body Fat and Help with Weight Loss?
Rice is indisputably the most important staple food for more than half of the world’s population. As a starchy food that is high in carbohydrates, rice is an excellent source of energy. This starchy grain is generally inexpensive, making it easily available to many people in Asian countries, forming a base of many diets.
Simple carbohydrates such as highly refined, white rice and white bread are easy for your body to break down and digest. In other words, they metabolise very quickly in your body. The body converts carbohydrates in rice to glucose. In response to the presence of glucose, the body triggers the release of insulin to facilitate the transfer of glucose into the cells – mainly the liver and muscles.
The liver and muscles change glucose into glycogen, a type of stored energy for the body to burn off when you perform strenuous activities, such as gym or exercises. However, if you eat too much carbohydrates and if your body does not need them for energy expenditure, your body will store the carbohydrates as fat.
The glycemic index
The Glycemic Index (GI) rates the effect of food on blood sugar compared with pure glucose. This means that a food with GI of 30 boosts blood sugar 30% as much as pure glucose. A food with GI of about 95 is almost like pure glucose.
High GI foods result in a quick spike in insulin and blood sugar level, whereas low GI foods have a slower, milder effect on the blood sugar level.
What happens if you eat too much rice
People living a sedentary lifestyle and eating large portions of rice may find that they gain weight.
Research has shown that higher consumption of white rice is associated with a significantly increased risk of type 2 diabetes, especially in Chinese and Japanese populations. Another study found that people who ate five servings of white rice per week had a 17% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Eating too much carbohydrates increase blood glucose level and insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas that allows the body to convert glucose into energy. Any excess energy will subsequently be stored as body fat.
White rice has a GI score of 73, making it a high GI food, which means its carbohydrates convert very quickly, causing blood sugar level to peak within a short period of time. Over a long period of time, it can be damaging for the body, contributing to increased risks of heart diseases, kidney diseases, and stroke.
On a less gloomy note, eating a heavy meal that consists too much simple carbohydrates and sugar in the middle of the day makes your blood sugar level spike and your body is unable to get all that sugar into the cells, which is the main source of energy. It is one of the main contributing factors to feeling the afternoon slump.
Vinegar lowers insulin production
Winning the battle of the bulge may not seem so distant. Surprisingly, the solution is a common household food item that can be found in your kitchen pantry.
Vinegar appears to be a powerful tool to help fight fat. Research has suggested that the main chemical in vinegar, called acetic acid, is effective for regulating blood pressure and blood sugar level.
Scientists from the Max Plank Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim, Germany found that FFA2 and FFA3 receptors inhibit insulin secretion. FFA2 and FFA3 receptors are found in pancreatic islets, gastrointestinal tract, and stomach.
FFA2 and FFA3 receptors are activated by acetic acid, preventing the production of too much insulin. Without the spike in insulin levels, the body burns more fat for energy, preventing the body from transforming glucose into fat.
In a double-blind trial conducted in Japan, subjects were randomly assigned to three groups with similar body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. During the 12-week treatment period, subjects in each group ingested 500ml of a beverage containing either 15ml of vinegar, 30ml of vinegar and 0ml of vinegar daily. After the treatment period, body weight, BMI, visceral fat area, waist circumference were significantly lower in both groups that consumed vinegar.
Vinegar reduces GI of foods
Combining vinegar with carbohydrates significantly reduce the GI of foods by about 20-35%. For comparison, white rice on its own has a GI of about 73, whereas sushi rice (with vinegar) has a GI of 59.
Perhaps the most significant benefit from vinegar is that it helps to control blood sugar spikes in people with Type 2 diabetes and those who are prediabetic. It appears that acetic acid in vinegar interferes with enzymes that break down starch molecules. This effect can be brought about by any sort of vinegar, such as white distilled vinegar, apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar etc. It is the presence of acetic acid in vinegar, not the type of vinegar that matters.
Acetic acid is only effective for block starch absorption in your body. So, if you are eating foods that have high fat content with little or no carbohydrates, adding vinegar into your diet is not going to help with weight loss.
Incorporating vinegar into diet
In conclusion, don’t eat carbohydrates on its own as your body will trigger the biggest spike in blood sugar level and insulin response. The best thing you can do to reduce the downside of consuming carbohydrates, is to add a little bit of acid into your food so that it will reduce the breakdown and absorption of the foods.
Try diluting some apple cider vinegar in water and drink it before you eat. You want the acetic acid to coat your stomach lining before introducing carbohydrates.
