Cucumber salad: the dressing sets the calories, raw handling sets the risk

The closest trial to the vinegar in a cucumber salad was run on 16 people with type 2 diabetes. Adding vinegar to a high-glycemic meal lowered the 2-hour glucose area from 311 to 181 mmol min/l. With a low-glycemic meal that already included a lettuce salad, the difference was not significant (P=0.56). The abstract gives no vinegar dose, and we found no trial on cucumber salad itself. What the dish carries depends mostly on the dressing. In USDA survey data a 159 g cup made with cucumber and vinegar has about 54 calories and 375 mg sodium, recalculated from a recipe record in which home salt varies. The same cup made with Italian dressing has about 191 calories, more than three times as much.

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• A US cup of cucumber and vinegar salad weighs 5.6 oz (159 g) and carries about 54 calories and 375 mg sodium. — USDA FNDDS food code 75142600, Cucumber salad made with cucumber and vinegar (fdc_id 2709821) (n = -) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g energy 34 calories, sodium 236 mg; per 159 g cup 54.1 calories, 375.2 mg sodium; unspecified portion 2.8 oz (80 g)
• The same cup of cucumber salad made with Italian dressing carries about 191 calories, more than three times the vinegar version. — USDA FNDDS, Cucumber salad, made with Italian dressing (fdc_id 2709820) (n = -) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g energy 120 calories, sodium 207 mg; per 159 g cup 190.8 calories, 329.1 mg sodium

What your body absorbs

• In 30 healthy adults, acetate from 3.4 fl oz (100 mL) of a vinegar drink with 750 mg acetic acid peaked in blood at 15 minutes and was back to baseline by 90 minutes. — 30 healthy adults, randomized crossover, single doses after overnight fast (n = 30) Evidence B source
  Serum acetate peak at 15 min (drink) vs 30 min (capsule), both above 200 umol/L; capsule AUC about 80% of drink, not significant
• In a crossover RCT, an acidic drink (lemon juice) taken with 3.5 oz (100 g) of bread lowered the blood glucose peak by 30% and delayed it by more than 35 minutes, an effect the authors compare to vinegar. — healthy adults, randomized crossover, 100 g bread with 8.5 fl oz (250 ml) water, black tea or lemon juice (n = -) Evidence B source
  Glucose peak -30% (p < 0.01), peak at 78 vs 41 min with water; no change in later energy intake

What it does to your health

• In a small crossover RCT of adults without kidney stones, a daily drink with apple cider vinegar for one week did not change 24-hour urine citrate, pH or volume. — 20 adults without urolithiasis, randomized crossover, 1 week per beverage, 6 completed the vinegar arm (n = 20) Evidence B source
  No significant change in 24-h urinary parameters with vinegar; lemon water +167.7 mg/24 h citrate (95% CI 16-319)
• In overweight adults, 4 tablespoons of vinegar daily for 4 weeks cut PHQ-9 depression scores by 42% versus 18% with a vinegar pill, with no difference on the CES-D scale. — healthy overweight adults, 28 completers, 4 weeks, 2.95 g vs 0.025 g acetic acid daily (n = 28) Evidence B source
  PHQ-9 -42% vs -18% (p = 0.036); CES-D -26% vs -5%, not significant between groups

Safety, limits and interactions

• In a 2001 typhoid outbreak among 94 French military personnel in Ivory Coast, a cucumber salad was the contaminating dish, with 3.6 times the risk of illness. — retrospective cohort, 94 personnel, 24 cases, all previously vaccinated (n = 94) Evidence C source
  Risk ratio 3.6 (95% CI 1.5-8.9) for eating cucumber salad
• An E. coli O157 outbreak in English schoolchildren on a trip to France was most likely carried by cucumber salad, though the estimate was imprecise. — retrospective cohort of a school group, 2 confirmed and 8 probable cases (n = -) Evidence C source
  Crude RR 4.3 (95% CI 0.6-29), p=0.08
• In a 2022 hepatitis E outbreak after a village dinner in China, eating cucumber in sauce was tied to 4.4 times the odds of infection, traced to pans shared with raw pork. — 80 people exposed at one dinner, 18 acute infections, 1:2 case-control (n = 80) Evidence C source
  AOR 4.44 (95% CI 1.23-16.06) for cucumber in sauce
• In a 2024 US Salmonella outbreak traced to Mexican cucumbers, 113 people fell ill and companies recalled salads made with cucumbers. — US multistate outbreak, November 2024, 23 states (n = 113) Evidence E source
  113 cases, 28 hospitalizations, 0 deaths

What people believe that the data does not support

• The EU refused the claim that apple cider vinegar helps control body weight, and none of 6 vinegar claims it reviewed was authorized. — EU health claim application, apple cider vinegar (n = -) Evidence E source
  Status Non-authorized; vinegar claims authorized 0 of 6

Who this works differently for

• In 16 people with type 2 diabetes, vinegar added to a high-glycemic meal lowered the 2-hour glucose area from 311 to 181 mmol min/l, but had no significant effect with a low-glycemic meal. — 16 patients with type 2 diabetes, two matched groups, single test meals with and without vinegar (n = 16) Evidence B source
  Glucose iAUC 181 +/- 78 vs 311 +/- 124 mmol min/l (P=0.04) with high-GI meal; 229 vs 238 (P=0.56) with low-GI meal

The bottom line

The vinegar itself moves fast. In 30 healthy adults, acetate from a drink with 750 mg acetic acid, roughly 1 tbsp (15 mL) of 5 percent vinegar, peaked in blood at 15 minutes and was back to baseline by 90. That was a vinegar drink, which is a different thing from a dressed salad. In a crossover trial whose abstract gives no sample size, lemon juice taken with 3.5 oz (100 g) of bread lowered the glucose peak by 30 percent and delayed it by more than 35 minutes. Bigger claims about vinegar hold up less well. Four tablespoons a day for 4 weeks lowered one depression score by 42 percent against 18 percent in 28 overweight adults, while a second depression scale showed no difference between groups, and that dose is far above any dressing. A week of an apple cider vinegar drink did not change urine citrate, pH or volume in adults without kidney stones, in a trial stopped early with only 6 people on vinegar. The EU refused the claim that apple cider vinegar helps control body weight, and none of the 6 vinegar claims it reviewed was authorized. A refusal means the evidence was judged insufficient. Every caution on file is about food safety, because the cucumber is raw and the dish is served cold. In a 2001 typhoid outbreak among 94 French military personnel in Ivory Coast, all previously vaccinated, eating the cucumber salad carried 3.6 times the risk of illness (95% CI 1.5 to 8.9). At a 2022 village dinner in China, cucumber in sauce was tied to 4.4 times the odds of hepatitis E (95% CI 1.23 to 16.06), traced to pans shared with defrosted raw pork. An E. coli O157 outbreak in English schoolchildren in France pointed at cucumber salad with an imprecise estimate (RR 4.3, 95% CI 0.6 to 29). In the United States in 2024, Salmonella in whole cucumbers from Mexico made 113 people ill and put 28 in hospital, and companies recalled salads made with them. We found no study here on allergy, pregnancy or medicines for this dish.

Sources

1. cusl-daily-r2-01 · reference dataset
   FNDDS 75142600 Cucumber salad made with cucumber and vinegar (fdc_id 2709821): Energy 34 kcal per 100 g; Sodium, Na 236 mg per 100 g; 1 cup 159 g (54.1 kcal, 375.2 mg sodium); Quantity not specified 80 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 · checked 2026-09-29
2. cusl-daily-r2-02 · reference dataset
   FNDDS Cucumber salad, made with Italian dressing (fdc_id 2709820): Energy 120 kcal per 100 g; Sodium, Na 207 mg per 100 g; 1 cup 159 g (190.8 kcal, 329.1 mg sodium)
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 · checked 2026-09-29
3. cusl-daily-r2-03 · RCT, crossover, acute
   In the vinegar drink group, serum acetate concentration increased immediately after intake, peaked at 15 min and returned to baseline at 90 min. ... AUC(capsule-ref) was about 80% of AUC(drink-ref ), but there was no significant difference between them.
   J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo), 2010 · checked 2026-09-29
4. cusl-daily-r2-04 · RCT, crossover, acute
   Lemon juice significantly lowered the mean blood glucose concentration peak by 30% (p < 0.01) and delayed it more than 35 min (78 vs. 41 min with water, p < 0.0001). ... Furthermore, the effect of lemon juice was similar to what has been repeatedly observed with vinegar and other acidic foods.
   Eur J Nutr, 2021 · checked 2026-09-29
5. cusl-daily-r2-06 · RCT, crossover, 1 week
   ACV did not significantly change 24-h urinary parameters. Coconut water (+ 273.8 mg/24 h, 95% CI 67.9-480 mg/24 h) and lemon water (+ 167.7 mg/24 h, 95% CI 16-319 mg/24 h) were associated with increased urinary citrate.
   Int Urol Nephrol, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
6. cusl-daily-r2-07 · RCT, 4 weeks
   At week 4, mean CES-D scores fell 26% and 5% for VIN and CON participants respectively, a non-significant difference between groups, and mean PHQ-9 scores fell 42% and 18% for VIN and CON participants (p = 0.036).
   Nutrients, 2024 · checked 2026-09-29
7. cusl-daily-r2-08 · cohort, outbreak
   A retrospective cohort study was conducted in 94 personnel. ... A cucumber salad was identified as the contaminating dish (Risk Ratio = 3.6; 95%CI 1.5-8.9).
   Eur J Epidemiol, 2005 · checked 2026-09-29
8. cusl-daily-r2-09 · cohort, outbreak
   Despite its low statistical power due to small numbers, this study suggested the most likely vehicle of infection was cucumber salad (crude RR=4.3, 95%CI [0.6-29], adjusted OR=107, 95%CI indeterminate, p=0.08).
   Euro Surveill, 2003 · checked 2026-09-29
9. cusl-daily-r2-10 · case-control
   Multifactorial analysis showed that the infection was significantly associated with the consumption of cucumber in sauce (aOR = 4.44, 95%CI = 1.23-16.06). ... This foodborne outbreak was most likely caused due to a failure in kitchen hygiene to differentiate between raw and cooked pots and pans during dish preparation, resulting in cross-contamination from defrosted pork to cold dishes.
   Int J Food Microbiol, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
10. cusl-daily-r2-11 · agency outbreak notice
    In addition, companies recalled sliced cucumbers or foods made with cucumbers like wraps and salads in some states.
    CDC, Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Cucumbers, 2024 · checked 2026-09-29
11. cusl-daily-r2-12 · EU claims register entry
    POL-HC-6626 Apple cider vinegar Helps control and normalize body weight. Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6626, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-29
12. cusl-daily-r2-05 · RCT, acute
    In group A, the incremental area under the curve of glucose (GiAUC(120)) was lower after the addition of vinegar (181+/-78 mmol min/l vs 311+/-124 mmol min/l, P=0.04). ... We conclude that the addition of vinegar reduces postprandial glycaemia in patients with T2D only when it is added to a high-GI meal.
    Eur J Clin Nutr, 2010 · checked 2026-09-29