Apple cider vinegar has long been a pantry staple, thanks to its versatility as an ingredient in everything from salad dressings to sauces and stews. More recently, this vinegar made from fermented apple juice has also gained a reputation for its medicinal properties.<\/p>\n
The tart-tasting liquid has been promoted for accelerating weight loss<\/a>, lowering blood sugar<\/a> and cholesterol levels<\/a>, and boosting energy<\/a>. Which of the claims are backed up by science? Fortune asked two nutritional experts to dig into the evidence surrounding apple cider vinegar\u2019s potential health benefits.<\/p>\n Is apple cider vinegar good for you?<\/p>\n Apple cider vinegar does have certain healthful properties, which are largely due to its acetic acid content. \u201cAcetic acid is a really important metabolite in our bodies, and the only dietary source of acetic acid is vinegar,\u201d Carol Johnston, PhD, professor of nutrition and associate dean in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University, tells Fortune.<\/p>\n But as a cure-all, apple cider vinegar doesn\u2019t hold up to scientific scrutiny. \u201cWe don\u2019t have evidence to back up a lot of the claims,\u201d says Johnston. She should know, since she\u2019s been studying vinegar<\/a>\u2014and not just the apple cider variety\u2014for decades.<\/p>\n Does apple cider vinegar help you lose weight?<\/p>\n Some studies have suggested that apple cider vinegar can boost weight loss by increasing feelings of fullness after a meal. But any weight loss it might bring about is minimal\u2014a pound or two per month<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you are already implementing diet and lifestyle changes, apple cider vinegar may be able to give you a slight advantage by helping you control your hunger while you eat less food. The scientific evidence falls short of indicating that apple cider vinegar is a magic bullet to produce weight loss on its own,\u201d Kristine Dilley<\/a>, a registered dietitian at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells Fortune.<\/p>\n Apple cider vinegar and blood sugar<\/p>\n The most \u201crobust\u201d evidence is for apple cider vinegar\u2019s effects on blood sugar<\/a>, Johnston says. In a 2021 review of nine studies published in BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies<\/a>, apple cider vinegar lowered fasting blood sugar and HbA1c (an average of blood sugar levels over three months) in people with type 2 diabetes<\/a>. It also brought down their total cholesterol.<\/p>\n How might apple cider vinegar lower blood sugar? Three mechanisms are likely involved, says Johnston. One is by slowing stomach emptying after a meal, which delays the movement of glucose (sugar) into the bloodstream. The second is by blocking the breakdown of starch into glucose. And the third is by increasing the amount of glucose muscle cells take in. \u201cThe result is you have less glucose in your blood,\u201d Johnston says.\u00a0<\/p>\n More potential health benefits of apple cider vinegar<\/p>\n Other potential applications are intriguing, but the research is still preliminary. For instance, vinegar might have a future role in treating depression<\/a> because of its effects on brain metabolism. It\u2019s also a good source of polyphenols<\/a>, plant-based antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties.<\/p>\n Johnston sees the potential. \u201cI think there\u2019s going to be a lot more that we\u2019re going to learn from vinegar in the future,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n She also notes that vinegar doesn\u2019t need to be of the apple cider variety. Any vinegar with a concentration of at least 5% acetic acid should offer the same benefits\u2014including red wine and balsamic vinegar.<\/p>\n How much apple cider vinegar should you take?<\/p>\n Our experts recommend taking one to two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar daily\u2014and no more than four tablespoons in total. \u201cThe easiest and safest way to consume apple cider vinegar is to work it into your daily diet by adding it to foods you already consume,\u201d Dilley suggests. Apple cider vinegar makes a good addition to salad dressings, marinades for chicken or fish, pickled vegetables, soups, and stews.<\/p>\n If you want to take it on its own, Dilley recommends diluting it with eight to 12 ounces of water. Apple cider vinegar is highly acidic. Drinking it straight as a \u201cshot\u201d could irritate the lining of your mouth or damage your tooth enamel.<\/p>\n Dilley doesn\u2019t recommend using apple cider vinegar capsules or gummies, which aren\u2019t regulated by the FDA. These supplements may not contain the amount of vinegar listed on the label.<\/p>\n Check with your doctor before you take apple cider vinegar, because it can interact with certain medications\u2014especially drugs that lower blood sugar or potassium, Dilley says. Cooking with it shouldn\u2019t pose a problem with your medications.<\/p>\n Who shouldn\u2019t use apple cider vinegar?<\/p>\n Avoid apple cider vinegar if you have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) because it can irritate sores in the lining of your esophagus, advises Johnston.<\/p>\n Vinegar also isn\u2019t recommended for people with slow stomach emptying, called gastroparesis. Because vinegar also slows stomach emptying, it could make the condition worse<\/a>.<\/p>\n The bottom line on apple cider vinegar<\/p>\n For now, the best-researched health benefit of apple cider vinegar is for lowering blood sugar. Still, Johnston considers vinegar a worthwhile addition to the medicine chest. After all, it\u2019s been part of medicine since Hippocrates used it for treating wounds<\/a>. \u201cAnything that has been in the medicinal world for 2,000 years has to have some legitimacy,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n More on nutrition and supplements:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Apple cider vinegar has long been a pantry staple, thanks to its versatility as an ingredient in everything…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":618573,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[74703,3535,26114,5319,565,134,111,139,556,69,74702,560,190537],"class_list":["post-618572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-and-wellness","tag-diabetes","tag-dietary-supplements","tag-editors-picks","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nutrition","tag-nz","tag-personal-health","tag-weight-loss","tag-well-migrated"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=618572"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618572\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/618573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=618572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=618572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=618572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}