Common kitchen staple may help relieve mild constipation, new research suggests

People who suffer from mild constipation may find some relief with a simple daily vinegar drink, new research suggests, even as experts urge more study and share cautions.

Constipation is a condition in which a person generally has fewer than three bowel movements a week, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Stools may also be hard, dry or lumpy and difficult or painful to pass.

The NIH says adults should get 22 to 34 grams of fiber a day, depending on age and sex — though fewer than 10% of women and about 3% of men reach the recommended daily intake, according to federal dietary guidelines.

THE 8 HEALTHIEST BEANS YOU SHOULD BE EATING MORE OFTEN, ACCORDING TO NUTRITION EXPERT Left untreated, chronic constipation can lead to hemorrhoids and anal fissures and, in severe cases, complications such as fecal impaction that may require emergency care.

The NIH recommends changes to diet and lifestyle, such as increasing fiber intake with foods including legumes, whole grains, fruits, vegetables , nuts and seeds, as a first step in treating constipation — along with over-the-counter medicines if needed.

Now, a new study has found that consuming vinegar in liquid form may also increase bowel movements.

Published online in the journal Scientific Reports by Japanese researchers, the study reported that eating vinegar-based dishes more often was positively associated with better defecation status, though it remained unclear how much vinegar and its potentially active ingredient, acetic acid, were necessary to be effective.

"Given that acetic acid may play a key role in the effects of vinegar and that its intake can be strictly controlled, we conducted a randomized controlled trial in which healthy adults with mild constipation (defecation frequency of 3–5 times per week) consumed a vinegar beverage instead of vinegar-based dishes to investigate the effects of vinegar on defecation," the researchers wrote.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE NEWS The researchers randomly assigned a total of 44 participants — healthy Japanese adults between 20 and 69 years old — to consume either a beverage made with vinegar or a placebo drink at breakfast for four weeks.

The participants reported to have an average of three to five bowel movements a week, which the researchers classified as mild constipation.

The vinegar drink was made by mixing brewed vinegar with water, providing 750 milligrams of acetic acid in each 200-milliliter serving.

The placebo used a small amount of citric acid instead of vinegar to give it a similar tart taste, so participants couldn't tell which drink they had.

Both drinks were sweetened with sucralose and flavored with apple.