The Study
Acetic acid upregulates the expression of genes for fatty acid oxidation enzymes in liver to suppress body fat accumulation.
This study looked at mice and liver cells given acetic acid and saw that fat-related genes became more active and body fat was lower. It shows a link, but we can't say for sure that the acetic acid caused these changes because we don’t know all the details of how the study was done.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
This study looks at how acetic acid, which is in vinegar, might help reduce fat in the body by turning on fat-burning genes in the liver.
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 suggests acetic acid might help reduce fat buildup in the body by boosting fat burning in the liver, which could be helpful for people with obesity or fatty liver.
- 2Mice given acetic acid had less body fat and liver fat after 6 weeks, even though they ate the same amount of food.
- 3Their fat-burning genes were more active.
- 4The same genes turned on in human liver cells, but only when a specific energy sensor (AMPK) was working.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
Year
2009
Authors
Tomoo Kondo, Mikiya Kishi, T. Fushimi, Takayuki Kaga
Related Content
Claims (4)
Acetic acid helps the liver burn fat and stop making new fat at the same time.
Acetic acid might help the body burn fat better by turning on certain fat-burning genes in liver cells — at least in mice and lab-grown human cells.
Giving mice vinegar (acetic acid) in their stomachs while they eat fatty food seems to help them store less fat in their bodies and livers, even if they eat the same amount and don’t gain or lose muscle.
Acetate turns up fat-burning genes in liver cells, but only when a specific switch called AMPK is working — if we turn off that switch, the effect goes away.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.