Studies show that apple cider vinegar has many health benefits including getting rid of body fat, regulating blood sugar, lowering cholesterol and helping the liver. Some doctors actually recommend apple cider vinegar for their patients with diabetes to regulate their blood sugar. Learn about the many benefits of apple cider vinegar.
What is Apple Cider Vinegar?
Vinegar has many uses and has been used for a long time from cleaning coffee makers to loosening tight bolts to making pickles. But is it also said to be a health tonic that can cleanse your kidneys, help with diabetes and cause you to lose weight and many more health benefits.
Vinegar can be made from any product containing sugar including fruits like apples and occurs in two processes. The first process is when yeast changes sugar into alcohol, this is called alcoholic fermentation.
The second process occurs when bacteria called Acetobacter converts the alcohol to acid. This acid fermentation (acetic) is what forms vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is made with this process using apples.
When you read about apple cider vinegar you might see the phrase “with the mother”. Mother of vinegar is what can give it a cloudy look and is made up of cellulose and acetic acid containing proteins and enzymes and completely natural and harmless. It is the mother that is believed to be the real health benefits of apple cider vinegar.
The Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
Proponents of apple cider vinegar claim that it will help with the following conditions and more.
There have not been many studies with apple cider vinegar or acetic acid, the main ingredient in apple cider vinegar. And the studies that have been done were small yet still meaningful. These studies have shown apple cider vinegar can improve insulin sensitivity and be helpful to those with diabetes type I or type II.
A 2010 study with 10 men who had type I diabetes found that two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar could be used to reduce hypoglycemia [1].
A 2007 study concluded that acetic acid or vinegar has an anti-glycemic effect and that taking vinegar at bedtime reduced waking glucose levels by 4% - 6% in people with type II diabetes. This can help with the pre-breakfast rise in fasting glucose, sometimes called the dawn phenomenon [2].
More studies are needed to find out why vinegar can alter postprandial (after eating) glycemia and fasting glucose levels. A friend of mine who has diabetes told me that her doctor recommends apple cider vinegar to regulate her blood sugar.
- Helps with weight loss
- Diabetes and regulates blood sugar levels
- Lowers high cholesterol
- Lowers high blood pressure
- Helps digestion
- Relieves heartburn and acid reflux
- Helps with gout
- Helps with all forms of arthritis
- Energizes the mind and body
- Detoxifies and cleanses the body
- Cure Candida
- Cause a more alkaline state in the blood which is healthier
- Relieves sore throats
- Relieves hot flashes
- Helps create good gut bacteria
Apple Cider Vinegar and Diabetes
There have not been many studies with apple cider vinegar or acetic acid, the main ingredient in apple cider vinegar. And the studies that have been done were small yet still meaningful. These studies have shown apple cider vinegar can improve insulin sensitivity and be helpful to those with diabetes type I or type II.
A 2010 study with 10 men who had type I diabetes found that two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar could be used to reduce hypoglycemia [1].
A 2007 study concluded that acetic acid or vinegar has an anti-glycemic effect and that taking vinegar at bedtime reduced waking glucose levels by 4% - 6% in people with type II diabetes. This can help with the pre-breakfast rise in fasting glucose, sometimes called the dawn phenomenon [2].
More studies are needed to find out why vinegar can alter postprandial (after eating) glycemia and fasting glucose levels. A friend of mine who has diabetes told me that her doctor recommends apple cider vinegar to regulate her blood sugar.
Apple Cider Vinegar and Obesity
There have been studies that show vinegar can suppress the accumulation of body fat which could reduce obesity. A double-blind study randomly assigned 175 obese subjects into three groups. Every day for 12 weeks, each group consumed either15 ml of vinegar (750 mg of acetic acid), 30 ml of vinegar (1,500 mg of acetic acid) or a placebo containing no vinegar.
The study found that the body mass index (BMI), body weight, visceral fat, waist circumference and serum triglyceride levels were significantly lower in both of the vinegar consuming groups than in the placebo group. The study also concluded that the daily consumption of vinegar could be useful in the prevention of metabolic syndrome and reduce obesity [3].
Apple Cider Vinegar and High Blood Pressure
A 2001 study with rats found that long-term dietary use of acetic acid significantly reduced blood pressure compared to the rats that did not have any vinegar. It is believed it is the acetic acid in the vinegar that produces these health benefits [4].
Apple Cider Vinegar and Cholesterol
The British Journal of Nutrition reported a 2006 study using rats fed either a high cholesterol diet without vinegar or rats fed a high cholesterol diet with acetic acid (vinegar).
Comparing the two groups, the rats fed the diet with acetic acid had significantly lower values of total cholesterol and triglyceride and liver ATP citrate lyase (ATP-CL) activity [5].
This could also suggest that apple cider vinegar could help or prevent nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which has become prevalent in the US.
Apple Cider Vinegar is Alkalizing
Our blood needs to be slightly more alkaline than acidic. An acidic body is more of a breeding ground for viruses, bacteria, fungus and other illnesses while a more alkaline body fights off these illnesses.
Our diet of soda pop, caffeine, too much animal protein and white flour all contribute too many of us being overly acidic. Apple cider vinegar can detoxify and restore our body to a more alkaline state reducing many of the common complaints like aches and pains, chronic fatigue and allergies.
Buying and Taking Apple Cider Vinegar
You can buy it in liquid or capsule form. In my opinion, the healthiest would be organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar liquid. Bragg’s is the most popular brand. It should be bought in a glass container only and not plastic, since the vinegar can leach chemicals out of the plastic.
Mix two teaspoons into an 8 ounce glass of water 1 to 3 times per day. You can mix this with lemon, lime, honey and even maple syrup. You can also make a hot tea with it or mix it into your salad dressings
Apple Cider Vinegar Warnings
Never drink apple cider vinegar (or any vinegar) straight or without diluting it first. It can burn your mouth and throat tissues and harm your digestive tract.
Some home remedies mention putting apple cider vinegar directly on your skin for acne or various other ailments. Do not do this as it can burn your skin, always dilute it first.
If you take any medications, make sure you talk to your doctor before taking apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar can thin the blood, so if you are taking a blood thinner like Coumadin or Warfarin, talk to your doctor.
If you take any medications, make sure you talk to your doctor before taking apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar can thin the blood, so if you are taking a blood thinner like Coumadin or Warfarin, talk to your doctor.
It also contains a good amount of potassium, so if you take a potassium lowering drug, again talk to your doctor first. And of course, if you are allergic to apples, stay away from apple cider vinegar.
Conclusion
There are valid studies proving the health benefits of apple cider vinegar to go along with the folklore, but more studies are needed. Drinking two teaspoons per day will not instantly make you healthy, but along with a healthy diet and exercise, it could be one more way to heal your body and stay healthy.
About the Author
Sam Montana is a certified Food Over Medicine instructor from the Wellness Forum Health Center and certified in optimal nutrition from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Copyright © August 2011-2019 Sam Montana
References:
[2] Vinegar Ingestion at Bedtime Moderates Waking Glucose Concentrations in Adults With Well-Controlled Type 2 Diabetes. doi: 10.2337/dc07-1062 Diabetes Care November 2007 vol. 30 no. 11 2814-2815
[3] Vinegar intake reduces body weight, body fat mass, and serum triglyceride levels in obese Japanese subjects. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2009 Aug;73(8):1837-43. Epub 2009 Aug 7
[4] Kondo S, Tayama K, Tsukamoto Y, Ikeda K, Yamori Y “Antihypertensive effects of acetic acid and vinegar on spontaneously hypertensive rats.” Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2001 Dec;65(12):2690-4. [5] Fushimi T, Suruga K, Oshima Y, Fukiharu M, Tsukamoto Y, Goda T. Dietary acetic acid reduces serum cholesterol and triacylglycerols in rats fed a cholesterol-rich diet. British Journal Nutrition. (2006) 95.5: 916-924.
