Vinegar is water and Acetic Acid. The Main Part of Acetic Acid is The Acetyl Molecule.

Acetobacter is the bacteria that converts alcohol into Acetic Acid(Vinegar) and it is ubiquitous. Just leave an open bottle of wine lying around for a couple of weeks and Acetobacter will find it quickly and convert it into wine vinegar. Acetobacter is also found in your intestines where the alcohol produced by the yeast in your gut is converted into vinegar. Your liver also produces vinegar when it metabolizes alcohol. When a molecule takes on an Acetyl(from vinegar) it is said to be acetylated and this distinction is quite significant as I will argue in this post!

Acetylation is currently at the forefront of pharmaceutical research because it greatly enhances the Adsorption and Bio-Availability of molecules once in the body. So any drug or nutrient( like an amino acid) once acetylated is much more effective and can be taken at significantly lower doses than it would take without it to achieve the same results. Apparently this is largely achieved because the acetyl acts like a negative charge patch although the exact mechanisms are still being studied.

Two major pathologies seems to be triggered by the over-expression of certain deacetylating molecules, Alzheimer's Disease and the over-expression of the deacetylating molecule for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and cancer seems to involve the over expression of the deacetylating enzyme of Histones, histone deacetylaze.

Cellular energy production from food is also dependant on Acetylation, The Citric acid cycle itself begins with the Acetyl-CoA molecule and any shortage of vinegar in the system will impede respiration and energy production...are you feeling old and/or tired?

Recent research is also indicating that acetylated polymers( proteins and enzymes) denature at a fraction of the rate of polymers that aren't! This means that protein turnover will be sharply curtailed with a cellular abundance of vinegar. If you are getting older then your proteins are not being replaced as fast as they are breaking down, this is aging at the molecular level. Drink more vinegar and you should be able to restore more youthful protein levels in the cell and throughout the body!

Athletes and physical exertion from working or a workout deletes Glycogen reserves and new research is indicating that Glycogen Repletion is hugely accelerated by the consumption of vinegar water, so watch out Gatorade!

Vinegar is also one of the few substances that can penetrate the wall of the stomach and when it does so it causes the cells in the wall to release Calcium Bicarbonate into the Blood Stream lowering the acidity of the blood. This is called the Alkaline Tide and also happens when the stomach produces HCL inside to digest proteins. The alkaline tide allows the blood to cleanse harmful acids from tissues because the higher ph of the blood has afforded the room. The blood carries these acids to the kidneys for excretion from the body. Gout is a disease that responds to vinegar treatments like this as do chronic muscle pain and ache.

Vinegar may not be expensive or trendy but without doubt it plays an important and undervalued role in our ongoing health and vitality. And maybe if you are not feeling just quite right, maybe your body is crying for vinegar?

Robert