I'm Lindsey Swan, a fourth year medical student at Upstage Norton College of Medicine and this is my medical student minute.

One of the most interesting thing I've learned in medical school is that pickles, or more specifically, vinegar, can help u better control our blood sugar after we eat, our bloo sugar rises specifically after meals high in carbohydrates like pasta, bread, or rice.

That's because our bodies brea down these carbs into glucose, a type of sugar that we use as energy.

When glucose floods our bloodstream, it triggers the pancreas to release insulin a hormone that helps move sugar out of the blood and into our cells, where we use it for energy.

As insulin does its job.

Blood sugars start to drop depending on what and how much we eat.

This rise and fall in blood sugar can become a roller coaster over time.

These ups and downs can lead to energy crashes, increased hunger, cravings, and in the long run, a higher risk of diabetes.

This is where pickles and vinegar come into play.

Acetic acid the key ingredient in vinegar, can slow down how quickly we break down our food so our bloodstrea isn't overwhelmed with glucose.

Less glucose means less insulin, and our sugar spikes begin to flatten out.

Recent studies have found that consuming 1 to 2 tablespoons of vinegar, especially before our biggest meal of the day, can decrease our blood sugar spikes by nearly 30%.

This helps turn this into this.

Not everyone like me loves pickles, so don't worry, there are plenty of other easy ways to add vinegar into your routine.

Maybe this looks like choosing a vinegar based salad dressing instead of a creamy one.

For others, it could look like adding a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar into a glass of water or a warm cup of tea.

So next time you eat a big meal give vinegar or pickles a try.

Even if it's just opting to eat your pickle firs instead of saving it for last.

I'm Lindsey Swan, and this ha been my medical school minute.