I don’t know enough about these sorts of trials but only having 5 participants with mild depression or worse in the actual trial with the vinegar “treatment” seems too low to draw many conclusions. Am I incorrect?
I don't think you're incorrect. But, that said, acetic acid is a precursor for butyrate which feeds the lower gut. Gut health is now held (from much better studies although I think it may still be a work-in-progress) to tie pretty directly to mental health, there's something going on across the blood-brain barrier which functionally makes your gut "part" of the brain's state.
So, in summary, it's bad science in a good space. Better science is needed. For once, those damn hippies going on about apple cider vinegar may have been on to something although personally I go for aged balsamic on Mushrooms: Vitamin D, they taste amazing and umami.
I definitely agree that the brain gut connection is promising and worth exploring and the science here could even be true and helpful. I just found the methodology underwhelming compared to the claims.
Totally. 5 works for me in UX testing a new button. I wouldn't dial M for murder on a Rat from 5 samples of a theory. Get to 100 and we're starting to talk. Show me some independent reproducibility &c
A single participant (VIN group) scored above 15 at baseline on the CES-D measure, indicating possible risk for clinical depression. The PHQ-9 responses at baseline indicated that three VIN participants and one CON participant scored in the range of 5 to 9, indicating mild depression, and one VIN participant (not the same individual who scored high on the CES-D measure) scored in the range of 10 to 14, indicating moderate depression. Thus, 5 participants (18% of the total sample) scored above the threshold indicating a potential risk for depression and mirroring recent national prevalence estimates for depression among U.S. adults: 18.5%
Wow! Vinegar, either 2 tblsp raw or diluted 2 tblsp/cup, is vile.
Which makes me wonder: 2 tblsp = 30 grams @ 5% = 1.5 grams acetic acid = 2 grams sodium acetate. Assuming sodium acetate instantly dissociates when it hits stomach acid, what are the chances that would do the same as pouring acid down my throat? That might make LOTS more people compliant. Anyone find any information related to this? I think I have some vague memory of a pharmacist telling me something like this for a completely different compound many many years ago.
