Byron's Vinegar Diet: A Historical and Nutritional Analysis

The harmful effects of the vinegar diet that Lord Byron used for weight loss have recently been examined in an article in the journal Nutrients.1 Byron, who suffered from a combination of what we would call eating disorders today, also had several other health issues throughout his life, and was obsessive about losing weight, is known to have consumed only vinegar with water and rice in the last years of his life. This article explores the history of the use of vinegar as a weight-loss tool, and the associated health risks, which include hypocalcaemia (low calcium levels), hyperreninemia (abnormally high concentration of renin in the blood, which contributes to high blood pressure and kidney failure), and osteoporosis (thinning of bone tissue). The authors conclude that Byron's extensive use of the vinegar diet likely exacerbated his pre-existing health problems