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Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis that occurs when uric acid crystals build up in the joints. These crystals typically cause redness, pain, and swelling in the joints and tissues surrounding them, especially in the lower limbs.
Humans have been using vinegar for thousands of years to cook meals, preserve foods, treat wounds, and prevent infection.
In this article, we discuss whether apple cider vinegar can help prevent or treat gout. We also cover how to use it, the possible risks, and other home remedies for this painful condition.
To date, there is no scientific evidence that apple cider vinegar can treat or prevent gout.
However, some preliminary research suggests that acetic acid, a key ingredient in apple cider vinegar and other types of vinegar, may help reduce or manage risk factors for gout, including:
In a 2016 study, researchers gave male rats on a high-fat diet 7 milliliters (ml) of apple cider vinegar per kilogram of body weight each day. After 30 days, there was a significant reduction in the animals’ food intake and body weight.
In the same study, apple cider vinegar also lowered blood sugar levels and improved serum lipid profiles by reducing the levels of circulating cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoproteins.
Also, in a 2017 study, mice on a high-fat diet received high doses of palm vinegar containing 4% acetic acid. They ate less and experienced a reduction in body weight, fat deposits, and inflammation as well as a change in their gut microbial composition.
People have historically used apple cider vinegar in folk medicine for diabetes. Recent studies suggest that vinegar consumption may help improve insulin sensitivity in people with and without diabetes.
This effect could occur because acetic acid can help slow down digestion and reduce carbohydrate absorption.
The same researchers pointed out that taking vinegar at bedtime could reduce fasting glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
So, while there is no evidence that consuming apple cider vinegar will directly prevent or treat gout, it may indirectly have these effects.
However, as it is an unproven remedy and could interact with other treatments, people with gout should talk to a doctor before using it.
There is no fixed recommended dosage of apple cider vinegar for treating or preventing gout.
A 2016 review found that drinking 15 ml of vinegar, which contains 750 milligrams (mg) of acetic acid, each day could help improve some conditions that are risk factors for gout, such as obesity and high blood pressure.
It is always best to use vinegar in a diluted form. For example, the authors of a 2014 study asked participants to drink 325 grams (g) of sugar-free squash and water alongside 25 g of vinegar with 6% acetic acid.
It is essential to dilute apple cider vinegar because it is very acidic. Acidic foods and drinks can weaken tooth enamel, increasing the risk of tooth decay and cavities.
While apple cider vinegar is generally safe to consume, people should be aware of the risks and take precautions.
One study found that people who consumed apple cider vinegar weekly were 10 times more likely to experience severe erosive tooth damage.
Also, a 2012 study found that a 15-year-old girl who drank a glass of apple cider vinegar daily experienced erosive tooth decay.
Diluting apple cider vinegar drinks reduces the amount of exposure that the teeth and mouth get to acid. Drinking the mixture with a reusable straw may also minimize acid exposure.
It is also important to watch out for other side effects that can occur as a result of consuming apple cider vinegar.
Research has shown that apple cider vinegar can potentially improve satiety, or the feeling of fullness, which can help reduce appetite and promote weight loss.
However, the results of a 2014 study showed that this satiety might primarily be due to the fact that drinking apple cider vinegar causes nausea.
In the study, young, healthy people of a normal weight who drank apple cider vinegar with breakfast experienced much higher rates of both nausea and satiety than those who did not consume the vinegar.
The authors of the study also noted that as well as nausea, some research indicates that regular vinegar consumption may cause the following side effects:
If side effects occur, it is best to stop using apple cider vinegar or cut back on the dosage until the side effects go away.
If any side effects are severe or continue to worsen after discontinuing the use of apple cider vinegar, a person should talk to a doctor or seek emergency care.
Many natural home remedies may help treat or prevent gout flare-ups. Some of the dietary and lifestyle changes with the most potential to influence gout include:
Some limited studies have shown that cherry consumption may help reduce uric acid levels. Compounds in cherries called anthocyanins also act as anti-inflammatory agents and antioxidants.
A 2012 study that included 633 people found that eating cherries or cherry extract over 2 days seemed to lower the risk of a gout attack by 35%, with benefits peaking at around three servings per day.
Tart cherry juice is available to purchase in some health food stores and online.
Compounds in ginger called flavonoids also seem to lower uric acid levels.
In a 2015 study, rats with high blood levels of uric acid that consumed ginger flavonoids experienced a decrease in uric acid levels over time.
People can buy fresh ginger at their local supermarket or take it as a supplement. Ginger supplements are available online.
Anyone who receives a gout diagnosis should ask a doctor or dietitian which foods are high in purine. Purines are compounds that increase levels of uric acid.
Foods that are high in purines include:
Research shows that vitamin C, which is in many citrus fruits, may reduce the risk of gout by increasing how much uric acid the kidneys excrete.
The authors of a 2015 review found that consuming more than 500 mg of vitamin C daily reduced serum uric acid.
People can purchase vitamin C in drug stores and online.
Alcohol is a known risk factor for gout. The risk of gout increases in relation to the amount of alcohol that a person consumes.
The type of alcohol also has an effect. For example, beer seems to increase the risk of gout more than liquor. The safest alcohol for people with gout to drink is wine.
Some research shows that compounds in milk — orotic acid, casein, and lactalbumin — may help reduce gout flare-ups by increasing how much uric acid the kidneys excrete.
Other compounds in milk products may also help reduce acute gout inflammation and flare-ups.
The authors of one review paper recommend consuming low fat or nonfat dairy products, such as yogurt and skim milk.
Although not all doctors recommend this, and researchers are not quite sure why it works for some people, drinking at least four cups of coffee daily may reduce the risk of gout.
There is no proof that consuming or using apple cider vinegar can help prevent or treat gout.
However, certain chemicals in apple cider vinegar, namely acetic acid, may lower the risk of developing conditions that can increase the likelihood of gout, such as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
When using apple cider vinegar for any purpose, it is vital to dilute it. Undiluted vinegar products are very acidic and can damage the teeth, throat, and skin.
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The Civil War began in 1861 as a result of growing tensions over slavery and states’ rights between the northern and southern states.
The southern states had seceded in 1860 and formed the Confederate States of America.
The war Civil War ended with the Confederate surrender in 1865.
During part of the war, Confederate surgeons did not have reliable access to medicines because the Union Navy prevented the Confederacy from trading.
As infection rates rose among the wounded, the Confederate Surgeon General commissioned a guide to plant remedies.
Francis Porcher, a botanist and surgeon, compiled a book called Resources of the Southern Fields and Forests. It lists medicinal plants of the southern states, including plant remedies that Native Americans and slaves used.
The Confederate Surgeon General, Samuel Moore, drew from Porcher’s work to create a paper titled “Standard supply table of the indigenous remedies for field service and the sick in general hospitals.”
Scientists from Emory University in Atlanta, GA, analyzed the properties of extracts from some of plants that people used during the Civil War. Their results appear in the journal Scientific Reports.
Their findings show that these plants have antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria linked to wound infections. Specifically, they were effective against Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae.
Senior study author Cassandra Quave, an assistant professor at Emory University’s Center for the Study of Human Health and the School of Medicine’s Department of Dermatology, is an ethnobotanist. This is a discipline that studies the uses of plants in different cultures throughout history.
“Our findings suggest that the use of these topical therapies may have saved some limbs, and maybe even lives, during the Civil War,” explains Quave.
The researchers focused on three plant species that Porcher cited that grow on the Emory campus: the white oak, the tulip poplar, and a shrub called the devil’s walking stick.
They gathered samples from campus specimens and tested extracts on multidrug-resistant bacteria.
First study author Micah Dettweiler used the Civil War plant guide for his honors thesis at Emory. He has a degree in biology and works as a research specialist in the Quave laboratory.
During the course of his studies, he was surprised to learn that many Civil War soldiers died from disease on the battlefield, and how common amputation was as a medical treatment. The American Battlefield Trust estimate that about 1 in 13 of those who survived the Civil War had to undergo amputations.
According to the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, at the time of the Civil War, germ theory and medical training were in their infancy. Doctors used tonics, iodine, and bromine to treat infections, quinine for malaria, and morphine and chloroform to reduce pain.
“Our research might one day benefit modern wound care if we can identify which compounds are responsible for the antimicrobial activity,” says Dettweiler.
Study co-author Daniel Zurawski — chief of pathogenesis and virulence for the Wound Infections Department at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, MD — believes in learning from the wisdom of our ancestors. He also hopes that researchers can test these plant compounds in world-renowned models of bacterial infection.
“Plants have a great wealth of chemical diversity, which is one more reason to protect natural environments,” concludes Dettweiler.
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