People often use apple cider vinegar as a home remedy. People have used it in cooking and medicine for a very long time.
They say it can help with a wide range of health problems, but you may want to know what the research says.
Apple cider vinegar is good for your health in many ways, like its ability to kill bacteria and fight free radicals.
Also, there is evidence that it might have health benefits, such as helping people lose weight, lowering cholesterol, lowering blood sugar, and making diabetes symptoms better.
But there isn’t much research on it, and more research needs to be done before it can be suggested as an alternative therapy.
This article looks at 7 possible health benefits of apple cider vinegar and what the evidence says about them.
1. Full of things that are good for you
It takes two steps to make apple cider vinegar.
First, the maker puts crushed apples in contact with yeast. The yeast turns the sugars in the apples into alcohol by fermenting them.
Next, adding bacteria helps the alcohol continue to ferment. This turns the alcohol into acetic acid, which is the main active ingredient in vinegar.
Acetic acid is what makes vinegar smell and taste very sour. Researchers think that this acid is what makes apple cider vinegar good for your health. Cider vinegars are 5–6% acetic acid
Apple cider vinegar that hasn’t been filtered contains something called “mother,” which is made up of strands of proteins, enzymes, and good bacteria that make the product look cloudy.
Some people think that most of its health benefits come from the mother, but there aren’t any studies to back this up yet.
Even though apple cider vinegar doesn’t have a lot of vitamins or minerals, it does have a little bit of potassium. Some amino acids and antioxidants are also in good brands.
Can help kill bacteria that are bad
Pathogens, like bacteria, can be killed by vinegar (3Trusted Source).
In the past, vinegar was used to clean and disinfect, as well as to treat nail fungus, lice, warts, and ear infections.
Hippocrates, who is known as the “father of modern medicine,” cleaned wounds with vinegar more than 2,000 years ago.
Vinegar is also used to keep food fresh. Studies have shown that it stops bacteria like E. coli from growing and making food go bad (3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source).
Apple cider vinegar might be able to help you find a natural way to keep food fresh.
People have also said that applying diluted apple cider vinegar to the skin could help with acne, but there doesn’t seem to be any strong research to back this up.
3. Could help lower blood sugar and take care of diabetes
One of the most convincing ways vinegar has been used so far is to treat type 2 diabetes.
High blood sugar is a sign of type 2 diabetes, which is caused by insulin resistance or an inability to make insulin (6Trusted Source).
But even people who don’t have diabetes can benefit from keeping their blood sugar levels in the normal range. Some researchers think that high blood sugar levels are a major cause of ageing and many chronic diseases.
Avoiding refined carbs and sugar is the best and healthiest way to control blood sugar levels, but apple cider vinegar may also help.
Research shows that vinegar can help with blood sugar and insulin levels in the following ways:
• A small study shows that vinegar may improve insulin sensitivity by 19–34% after a high-carb meal and significantly lower blood sugar and insulin response (7).
• When 5 healthy people ate 50 grammes of white bread, vinegar lowered their blood sugar by 31.4%. (8Trusted Source).
• A small study of people with diabetes found that eating 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before bedtime lowered fasting blood sugar by 4% the next morning (9).
• Many human studies show that vinegar can make insulin work better and lower blood sugar levels after a meal (10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).
The National Centers for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) says it’s very important for people not to replace medical care with unproven health products (12Trusted Source).
If you’re already taking medicine to lower your blood sugar, talk to your doctor before you start taking more vinegar.
4. Could help you lose weight
Studies show that vinegar could help people lose weight, which may come as a surprise.
Several studies on humans show that vinegar can make people feel fuller. This can cause you to eat less and lose weight.
For example, one study showed that people who ate vinegar with a high-carb meal felt fuller and ate 200–275 fewer calories the rest of the day (13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source).
Also, a study of 175 obese people showed that people who drank apple cider vinegar every day lost weight and had less belly fat (15):
• Losing 2.6 pounds by taking 1 tablespoon (15 mL) (1.2 kg)
• Losing 3.7 pounds after taking 2 tablespoons (30 mL) (1.7 kg)
But keep in mind that this study lasted for 3 months, so the real effects on body weight seem to be rather small.
Still, adding or taking away one food or ingredient rarely makes a big difference in weight. Adopting healthy eating and living habits can help you lose weight and keep it off for a long time.
Overall, apple cider vinegar may help you lose weight by making you feel full, lowering your blood sugar, and lowering your insulin levels.
About three calories are in a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, which is a very low amount.
5. Makes animals’ hearts healthier
One of the leading causes of death is heart disease (16Trusted Source).
Heart disease risk is linked to a number of biological factors.
Research shows that vinegar might help with a few of these risks. Many of the studies, though, were done on animals.
These animal studies show that apple cider vinegar can lower cholesterol, triglyceride, and a number of other risk factors for heart disease (17Trusted Source, 18Trusted Source, 19Trusted Source).
Some studies with rats have also shown that vinegar lowers blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart disease and kidney problems (20Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source).
But there is no good evidence that vinegar is good for human heart health. Before coming to any strong conclusions, researchers need to do more research.
6. Could improve skin health
Apple cider vinegar is often used to treat skin issues like eczema and dry skin (22Trusted Source).
The skin is slightly acidic by nature. Putting apple cider vinegar on the skin could help restore the skin’s natural pH balance and strengthen the protective skin barrier (22Trusted Source).
Alkaline soaps and cleansers, on the other hand, could irritate eczema and make symptoms worse (23).
Since apple cider vinegar is antibacterial, it could help prevent skin infections caused by eczema and other skin conditions.
Some people use apple cider vinegar that has been watered down as a face wash or toner. The idea is that it will kill bacteria and keep spots from happening.
But one study of 22 people with eczema found that apple cider vinegar soaks did not make the skin barrier stronger and actually irritated the skin (24Trusted Source).
Talk to your doctor before trying any new treatments, especially if your skin is already hurt. Don’t put undiluted vinegar on your skin because it can burn (25Trusted Source).
How much to use and when
Cooking with apple cider vinegar is the best way to add it to your diet. It’s a simple thing to add to foods like salad dressings and homemade mayonnaise.
Some also like to mix it with water and drink it as a drink. The most common doses are 1–2 teaspoons (5–10 mL) to 1–2 tablespoons (15–30 mL) per day, mixed in a large glass of water.
Start with small doses and don’t take too much at once. Too much vinegar can have bad side effects, like eroding tooth enamel and possibly interacting with other medicines.
Some dietitians recommend using apple cider vinegars that are organic, unfiltered, and have “mother” in them.
Bragg seems to be one of the most popular brands, and you can find reviews and ratings of it online. But there are also a number of other kinds.
7. To help you feel full
Some people say that apple cider vinegar can help you lose weight. This is because it can help you feel full.
Some short-term studies have shown that apple cider vinegar may help you eat less, lose weight, and get rid of belly fat, if that’s what you want to do (10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).
But its long-term effects on weight loss are unknown and likely to be small if a person doesn’t also make other changes to their diet and lifestyle.
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