People have been touting the benefits of vinegar for years. Publications written recently include words such as “natural miracle cure,” “detox,” “weight loss,” “healing power” and “anti-aging.” What do we really know about vinegar?

Vinegar appears to inhibit the digestion of starch, or long chains of carbohydrates. When starch is not completely digested, you get a smaller blood sugar (glycemic) response. The vinegar has a more moderate blood-glucose impact when a fiber-rich whole grain is eaten (because there is less of a spike to begin with) and no effect when no starch is eaten. The active starch-inhibiting ingredient in vinegar is acetic acid, which is in all vinegars.

Those undigested starch calories may also add up over time to some weight loss, plus there is emerging research that vinegar might increase fat oxidation. However, vinegar is not a magic bullet for weight loss since it may only result in a loss of 1‒4 pounds in three months.

Apple cider vinegar aficionados boast about the unique attributes of the unfiltered, unpasteurized product, which still has the “mother” in it, the weblike blob of bacteria that is actually the starter (like a sourdough starter) used to ferment wine into vinegar. The “mother” is harmless and may offer some benefits, such as polyphenols and probiotics, but there is no research to back up health claims about it. And there is not an appreciable amount of vitamins, minerals or pectin in apple cider vinegar, as is often advertised.

If you want to try to reap the benefits of vinegar, make sure you do it right because it can be harmful otherwise. Dilute 1 or 2 tablespoons of vinegar in 8 ounces of water and drink it right before eating, once or twice a day, perhaps before lunch and dinner. It’s important to take the vinegar just before eating so it is in your stomach before any starch reaches it.

Never drink vinegar straight. It is a potent acid that can be dangerous if aspirated, may cause burns to the tender tissue of the mouth and esophagus, and can lead to tooth erosion. And because vinegar could interact with medications and its anti-glycemic effect may be dangerous to diabetics taking insulin, talk to your doctor before using it therapeutically if these are concerns for you.

Eat as well as you can as often as you can.