The Study
Acetic acid activates hepatic AMPK and reduces hyperglycemia in diabetic KK-A(y) mice.
This study watched what happened to some diabetic mice and liver cells when they were given acetic acid. It saw that blood sugar went down, but we can't say for sure that the acid caused it — other things might have played a role. It's like noticing ice cream sales go up when it's hot, but not proving one causes the other.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Mice with diabetes had lower blood sugar after drinking water with a little vinegar chemical (acetic acid) for 8 weeks. Their livers also changed how they make sugar, and a key energy sensor (AMPK) turned on in liver cells.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 59 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1This shows a possible way acetic acid could help control blood sugar, but it was tested in mice and rat cells, not humans.
- 2Diabetic mice drinking acetic acid had lower blood sugar and HbA1c.
- 3Liver genes for making sugar and fat were turned down.
- 4In lab-grown rat liver cells, sodium acetate turned on AMPK and lowered key metabolic genes.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Biochemical and biophysical research communications
Year
2006
Authors
S. Sakakibara, T. Yamauchi, Y. Oshima, Y. Tsukamoto, T. Kadowaki
Related Content
Videos (1)
Claims (7)
Acetic acid turns on a key energy sensor in liver cells, which tells the body to start using stored energy.
If you regularly consume something like vinegar (which has acetic acid), it might help your body switch to burning fat faster when you're not eating carbs or during fasting.
Mice with a condition like type 2 diabetes had lower blood sugar after drinking water with a little vinegar (acetic acid) for two months. This suggests vinegar might help control blood sugar in diabetes.
Acetic acid might help lower blood sugar in diabetic mice by turning on a key energy-sensing protein in the liver, based on lab tests and gene activity clues.
In rat liver cells, a substance related to vinegar (sodium acetate) turns on a key energy sensor and lowers the activity of genes involved in sugar and fat production, which might explain how vinegar helps with metabolism.
Eating acetic acid—like what's in vinegar—might help improve metabolism in mice by turning down certain genes in the liver that make sugar and fat.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.