03 Apr 2011
By REBECCA LYNNE TAN
For most Singaporeans, vinegar is what gives a bowl of bak chor mee that extra kick.
But the sour, fermented liquid apparently has health benefits, too.
These days, that is how the traditional condiment is being marketed – as a health supplement and natural remedy for ailments that range from fatigue to indigestion, as well as a means of keeping cholesterol and blood pressure levels at bay.
Packaged in bottles as well as handy drink cartons and tetrapaks, such vinegars are sold in supermarkets, convenience stores and health-food shops.
People consume vinegar, which is a weak acetic acid, in its raw form, straight out of the bottle in spoonfuls, or diluted with water, into a cold or warm drink.
Some reckon vinegar even aids weight loss.
Says bank officer Sharlene Tan, 35: “I feel more energetic, my cholesterol level is down and I have lost about 6kg in the last 11/2 years without changing my lifestyle.”
She takes a spoonful of fruit vinegar twice a day.
Flavours in the market include brown rice and glutinous rice as well as fruity variants such as mulberry, pomegranate, plum, apple cider, acai, passionfruit, pear, cherry, mango – each one said to have a different health benefit.
Retailers say these more exotic and drinkable vinegars have been gaining popularity over the years.
Four Seasons Organic Market, with outlets in Great World City, City Square Mall and Parkway Parade, has noticed a 30 per cent increase in the sale of its vinegars over the last year. Their offerings are imported from countries such as Australia, the United States, Italy and Japan.
Nutrimax Organic, which has two outlets in Victoria Street and in Ang Mo Kio, has seen a 40 per cent jump in sales since it began selling special drinking vinegars in 2005, which are mostly from Taiwan.
Specialty oil, vinegar and liqueur shop Vom Fass in Ion Orchard has also seen a similar increase since it opened last year. Its 28 varieties of vinegar are kept in clay barrels and bottled on the spot.
In fact, so popular are the vinegars that even traditional Chinese medicine specialist Eu Yan Sang with outlets islandwide, offers the liquid in various flavours, too. They include hawthorn fruit, black bean and apple.
A spokesman for the group says: “Each type of vinegar serves different functions. For instance, apple vinegar is believed to help elevate metabolism, and dissolve unwanted fats and convert fats into energy. Thus, it is popular with those who want to stay slim.”
Indeed, consumers who are snapping up bottles of the fermented juice-vinegar are often the more health-conscious, but dietitians warn that many of the purported health benefits lack convincing scientific evidence.
Ms Pindar Yu Po Yee, principal dietitian of the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition Services at the Singapore General Hospital, says: “Numerous studies have been conducted and these studies suggest that vinegar favourably provides protective benefits in treating diabetes, heart disease and obesity.”
But she cautions that the overall findings are not convincing.
“There is still lack of credible evidence to support the use of vinegar drinks for health purposes,” she says. “To date, no published research has been conducted to compare health benefits of different types of vinegar from different flavours and sources.”
Dietitans cite little scientific evidence and say there are no official recommendations for the daily intake of vinegar.
Raffles Hospital’s senior dietitian Nehal Kamdar says: “If you are using it as a salad dressing, it should be safe. But taken daily as a medical treatment, it may be risky. Right now, there is not enough evidence that vinegar has any health benefits and since it is unknown, so are the risks.”
Ms Yu adds: “Strong concentration of acetic acid in vinegar may weaken tooth enamel and cause indigestion and heartburn.”
Dietitians also say that long-term consumption could also lead to low potassium levels and lower bone density.
Yet, there are still some who will stand by vinegar as a good and natural cure.
Housewife Angie Tay takes a tablespoonful of apple cider vinegar every morning after breakfast and a diluted vinegar drink in the evening.
Says the 43-year-old, who has had this routine for the last two years: “I don’t feel as tired anymore. My stomach often felt bloated and queasy in the past but I think the vinegar has helped my digestion.”
And she has no qualms about the fact that vinegar does not have Western medicine’s seal of approval.
She adds: “Vinegar has been around longer than pills and drugs, and is one of the earliest natural remedies.”
Email: rltan@sph.com.sg
Click for jpeg format
« Back to previous
page
back to top