Is Pickle Juice Bad For You?
Short answer
In moderation, pickle juice is alright. Drink too much, and you may have some problems.
More beneficial to your health than not. However, harmful qualities are most likely associated and shouldn't be overlooked.
View Full Grading System
Category 'A'
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. Side effects are rare. Things rated an 'A+' are typically necessary for survival (for example, water).
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. A few harmful qualities may be associated, but only under certain circumstances such as an allergic reaction.
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. Harmful qualities may be associated, but aren't usually serious.
It is important to note that even the best things in life can become bad in immoderate amounts. So, although something may be rated an 'A+', overconsumption/overdoing can bring unwanted effects.
Category 'B'
Very beneficial to your health. Things rated a 'B+' may have a few harmful qualities to pay attention to.
Overall beneficial to your health. Things rated a 'B' may have some harmful qualities to pay attention to.
More beneficial to your health than not. However, harmful qualities are most likely associated and shouldn't be overlooked.
The main difference between category 'A' and category 'B' is the harmful qualities typically present in 'B' items. Serious side effects are usually uncommon, but are still possible and should be taken note of.
Category 'C'
Both beneficial and harmful qualities associated. Things rated a 'C+' are typically a bit more on the beneficial side. Still, moderation is important.
A fairly even ratio of beneficial and harmful qualities. Moderation is important. Very general topics that can lean towards both sides of the spectrum will be placed here as well. Rice, for example, can be good or bad depending on the type.
More harmful than beneficial. Side effects are common, especially when consumed/done excessively. Moderation is very important.
Category 'C' usually denotes to both good and bad qualities. When it comes to this category, it is important to keep this word in mind: moderation.
Category 'D'
Harmful to your health. Although benefits may be associated, the bad most likely outweighs the good. Moderation is very important.
Harmful to your health. A few benefits may be associated, but the bad outweighs the good. Moderation is extremely important.
Harmful to your health. Very few, if any, benefits are present. Things in this category should be avoided as much as possible.
Category 'D' is typically for things that are more harmful than beneficial. While consuming/doing something unhealthy once in a blue moon shouldn't hurt, we definitely recommend eliminating 'D' items as a regular part of your routine/diet.
Category 'F'
Category 'F' is for things that fail to bring anything beneficial to the table, and are very harmful to your health. We recommend completely avoiding anything in this category. Long-term side effects of 'F' items are usually very serious.
Category 'N'
'N' stands for neutral. Things placed into this category are generally (a) neither good nor bad for you, or (b) lack the necessary evidence to reach any conclusions.
Long answer
Pickle juice is mostly sodium, vinegar, and bacteria. Because of the high sodium content, you may experience some stomach discomfort if you drink too much - bloating, cramps, and diarrhea are all possible reactions. Sodium can put pressure on the cardiovascular system, too; it's not great for the heart, and it can cause problems in the long-term if you consume too much.
There's also some evidence that eating too many pickled foods can lead to stomach cancer - that comes from research which showed higher rates of stomach cancer in Turkey, Korea, and Japan, where pickled foods are commonly consumed.
To get there, however, you'd have to drink a lot of pickle juice. In moderation, it's good for a number of things. Something in pickle juice makes it a viable workout recovery drink - there's some early and limited research that indicates it can help to prevent muscle cramps. There's an interesting write-up of this at the New York Times; researchers saw lower rates of cramping when they fed pickle juice to research subjects. While still in the stomach, something in the pickle juice - the likely culprit is vinegar - limited the biological mechanism of that which causes muscle cramping.
The high sodium content in pickle juice makes it a good recovery drink, too; your body drains its salt reserves when it sweats, so you need something salty after a workout to help replenish that. Pickle juice, like Gatorade or chocolate milk, is high in sodium, so it works well for that purpose.
Pickle juice has bacteria in it - they're responsible for the actual fermentation that turns cucumbers into pickles. Luckily, these are good bacteria; they're the kind that you want populating your intestinal tract so that you have a vibrant and healthy community of microflora in your gut. In moderation, pickle juice can have a probiotic effect.
There's also some limited evidence that small doses of vinegar - another important ingredient in pickle juice - can have a moderating effect on blood sugar. That's good news if you have diabetes or at risk of developing diabetes. That's according to one study, so more research is still needed, but it's good news nonetheless. Small doses of vinegar also seem to have a moderating effect on weight, according to a study published in the journal Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry.
Possible short-term side effects
- stomach cramping
-
bloating
-
diarrhea
Possible long-term side effects
- sodium increases the risk of heart problems
-
may be a link between cancer and heavily consuming pickled foods
Ingredients to be aware of
Benefits
- helps to prevent muscle cramping
-
replenished salt reserves after workout
-
promotes a healthy gut
-
may promote weight loss
-
may help to regulate blood sugar
Please turn your Ad Blocker off to see this content. Thank you!
Approved by 
