Mia Lane
Aceto balsamico is the vinegar of connoisseurs. It can be matured over years in the highest quality class and cost a small fortune. But what about the health properties of balsamic vinegar? Is balsamic vinegar even healthy?
Balsamic vinegar – as healthy as apple cider vinegar?
Usually, it is simply called balsamico, the Italian vinegar with a strong taste. Its correct name is Aceto balsamico, which means balsamic vinegar in German. In our comprehensive article on Aceto Balsamico, you can read what balsamic vinegar has to do with balsam, how it is produced, and how you can recognize a high-quality balsamic vinegar in the jungle of many quality designations.
In the following, however, the question is whether balsamic vinegar is a healthy vinegar. Can you drink it just like the legendary apple cider vinegar to stimulate the metabolism, lose weight, regulate blood sugar, and ideally also lower cholesterol?
Balsamic only works when it’s acidic
There are only a few clear studies on the corresponding effect of Aceto Balsamico. Vinegar is usually examined in general, which leads to the suspicion that it is the acetic acid or the acid combinations in vinegar in particular that lead to the health effects of vinegar in general. Because if you neutralize the acid in the vinegar (e.g. with baking soda), then some positive properties will no longer appear (e.g. blood sugar lowering).
Overall, it can therefore be assumed that balsamic vinegar also has the corresponding positive properties that are generally ascribed to vinegar in studies and that we will discuss after the “Acids” and “Antioxidants” sections.
The acids in Aceto balsamico
Aceto balsamico contains various acids: acetic acid, followed by gluconic acid, succinic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, citric acid, and a small amount of lactic acid. It also contains tannins (tannins) and anthocyanins. All of these substances occur naturally in Aceto balsamico or are partly already contained in the grapes.
The acetic acid composition of balsamic vinegar does not differ much from that of other vinegar. Most vinegar contains acetic acid as well as most of the other acids mentioned – only the contents vary slightly. The longer a vinegar matures, the higher its content of acetic acid, lactic acid, and succinic acid. Other vinegar can also contain other acids, such as formic acid.
Antioxidants in balsamic vinegar
However, vinegar most likely not only works through its acidity but also provides antioxidants that could have a positive effect on health. Balsamic vinegar even contains more antioxidants (e.g. anthocyanins) than other vinegar, as was found in an analysis of 23 fruit vinegar – including apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, and white wine vinegar. However, it has to be a high-quality balsamic vinegar, i.e. an Aceto balsamico di Modena.
Of course, since antioxidants mitigate oxidative stress, which is considered a major cause of most chronic diseases, this high antioxidant content is a clue that balsamic vinegar may be beneficial to our health.
However, the highest antioxidant potential measured was about as high as that found in spinach or chili. You can easily eat 100 to 200 g per portion of spinach, which is not possible with balsamic vinegar, as it is only used as a spice and is therefore only consumed in small doses. The antioxidant effect of the balsamic vinegar will therefore be limited at the usual consumption levels.
Balsamic for blood sugar
Like apple cider vinegar and other vinegar, balsamic vinegar is said to be able to help regulate blood sugar levels. Various studies have shown that vinegar or pickled vegetables (pickles, gherkins), when consumed with a meal, can prevent a rapid and sharp rise in blood sugar.
Meal glycemic index decreased by up to 35 percent in diabetics, blood sugar levels dropped by up to 64 percent compared to the placebo group, and insulin sensitivity also improved by over 30 percent.
This requires about 20 ml (2 tablespoons) of vinegar per 50 g of carbohydrates. For example, 50 g of carbohydrates are contained in 100 g of white bread (2 slices) or in 150 g of cooked rice.
Weight loss balsamic vinegar
In studies, those subjects who ate the vinegar also felt fuller for longer, so those participants who ate a serving of vinegar for breakfast also consumed fewer calories throughout the day.
Balsamic and high blood pressure
Balsamic vinegar or vinegar in general also seems to have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system, e.g. B. to lower blood pressure, which is only known from a 6-week rat study in which the systolic blood pressure was reduced by about 20 mmHg thanks to regular consumption of vinegar with meals (compared to animals that did not receive any vinegar.
The vinegar inhibited the so-called renin-angiotensin system, a control circuit of various hormones and enzymes, which e.g. regulate blood pressure. Some antihypertensive drugs (the so-called ACE inhibitors, e.g. ramipril, captopril) also have an antihypertensive effect because they affect the renin-angiotensin system. A possible explanation could be that the consumption of vinegar also improves the absorption of calcium from the diet and calcium reduces the renin-angiotensin system.
Balsamic vinegar: a cholesterol lowering?
When the level rises, LDL cholesterol is considered a risk factor for arteriosclerosis and thus also for heart attacks and strokes. Oxidized LDL cholesterol is considered to be particularly unfavorable in this regard. It is such a threat to the body that it sends out its scavenger cells (macrophages) to eat up the oxidized LDL cholesterol.
If there is little oxidized LDL cholesterol, that’s also a good idea. However, there is often a lot of LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream, so the scavenger cells stuff themselves with so much cholesterol that they are completely bloated, and in this state, they are called foam cells. However, the foam cells now form a large part of the dangerous deposits in the inner wall of the blood vessels, which are known as arteriosclerosis.
In cell experiments (in-vitro), balsamic vinegar was able to inhibit the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and subsequently also the formation of foam cells due to its antioxidant properties. The triglyceride and cholesterol content of the cells was reduced in the presence of vinegar.
Of course, balsamic vinegar alone cannot be used to lower cholesterol levels and the risk of arteriosclerosis. Because many other mistakes in eating and living habits play a major role here, vinegar can certainly not compensate for all of them. But now you know that the regular consumption of high-quality vinegar in dressings or other dishes is much more than a spice, namely a spice with medicinal properties.
Balsamic for wounds
Balsamic vinegar is also said to be suitable for wound care. This is not surprising, because the acids have an antibacterial and antiviral effect and also fight fungal infections. So if you are injured and there is nothing else in your medicine cabinet apart from a bottle of balsamic vinegar, you can use this to care for the wound. But beware: acids burn!
Balsamic for a stuffy nose
Vinegar is also an old home remedy for nasal congestion. So if you have a cold and you still have nothing but good old balsamic vinegar at home, you can put a few drops in hot water (it must be steaming) and inhale the steam.
Aceto balsamico in alkaline nutrition
Aceto balsamico can also be combined with an alkaline diet under certain circumstances. He has a PRAL value of -1.26. The PRAL value indicates whether a food is basic or acidic, with values below zero meaning basic and values above 0 meaning acidic. For comparison: Apple cider vinegar has a PRAL value of -2.17, so it is a little more basic than balsamic vinegar.
However, the PRAL value says nothing about whether a food is also healthy. A cheaply produced balsamic vinegar that does not do without additives is definitely not healthy food, even if it is alkaline. In our article on alkaline nutrition, we explain why alkaline does not always mean healthy.
Aceto balsamico for fructose intolerance
If you suffer from fructose intolerance, the question of whether you can also use balsamic vinegar is not easy to answer. 100 g of traditionally produced balsamic vinegar contains between 15 and 29 g of glucose and between 13 and 27 g of fructose. The ratio of glucose to fructose in balsamic vinegar is usually around 1:1, which is a good sign (but is subject to natural fluctuations because each vinegar is produced differently, ages for different times, etc.).
However, caramel color is often added to the cheaper Aceto Balsamico di Modena. Various types of sugar such as fructose, glucose, sucrose, etc. are used, which of course affects the ratio of fructose and glucose in the end product. Therefore, before you buy balsamic vinegar, take a close look at the list of ingredients in your balsamic vinegar before trying it out to see if it suits you.
Many people affected by FI tolerate small amounts of high-quality balsamic vinegar well in their long-term diet. In the waiting phase, however, if you are currently testing your personal fructose tolerance, you should rather omit the balsamic vinegar.
Aceto balsamico for histamine intolerance
Aceto balsamico is one of the less well-tolerated foods in the case of histamine intolerance. The reason for this is that it is produced by fermentation, which naturally produces histamine.
Alcohol in the balsamic
Balsamic has a residual alcohol content that is naturally left over from fermentation. This is comparable to that of other vinegar (approximately between 0.2 and 1.5%). During pregnancy, Aceto balsamico is not a problem in the usual small amounts (e.g. a few tablespoons in the salad dressing). However, you should avoid larger amounts.
Side Effects of Balsamic and Other Vinegar
The acid content in balsamic vinegar (around 6%) can also mean that the balsamic vinegar can irritate the esophagus and irritate the stomach if too much is consumed. More than 2 tablespoons per day should therefore not be consumed, but this applies to all vinegar.
Sensitive people can also react to the consumption of balsamic vinegar and other vinegar with heartburn. In this case, use it sparingly or try alternatives, e.g. For example, freshly squeezed orange or lemon juice for the dressing, both of which are usually better tolerated.
However, if you use small and individually tolerable amounts of vinegar, the health benefits seem to clearly outweigh them.
Conclusion: balsamic vinegar as a spice, apple cider vinegar for detoxification
Since high-quality balsamic vinegar is quite expensive and because of its strong aroma it is only used in small quantities as a spice, applications such as those known from apple cider vinegar are out of the question. For this purpose, only an inexpensive balsamic vinegar would remain, which could then have qualitative disadvantages, e.g. B. contains coloring or sugar (details in the balsamic quality article linked above).
The bottom line is that Aceto Balsamico is used as a spice in small quantities (of good quality), but that apple cider vinegar is better suited for the morning glass of water with a dash of vinegar – of course also in good quality: organic and naturally cloudy.
