As I understand it, many people with ALS have other underlying health problems such as yeast overgrowth - Candida Albicans. This is aggrevated by food products that are preserved with vinegar. Perhaps someone who understands it better than I could tell whether it is the fermenting process that promotes yeast or not, but I believe that this is the connection. Overgrowth of yeast is more common than we would like to think and is a very real problem for some people - especially ones trying to eliminate causes for sickness or aggrevating symptoms that you might not have even connected with Candida.
Sugar also feeds yeast overgrowth.
I haven't checked, but there might be some material in the archives. I know this is a very real problem with PALS - 3 that I know of personally.