You will find many stories online about the benefits of apple cider vinegar (ACV), including weight loss and heart disease prevention. This is a popular home remedy that has been in our kitchens for hundreds of years.
Hippocrates used vinegar to help with healing wounds. Sung Tse, the 10th-century inventor of forensic medicine, promoted hand-washing with sulfur and vinegar to prevent infection during autopsy.
Let’s take a look at 5 benefits of apple cider vinegar and the science that backs them.
Aids in weight loss and maintenance
Several studies with human participants show that vinegar may increase the feelings of fullness, and that may help you eat less and lose weight. In one study, taking vinegar with a high carbohydrate meal resulted in higher feelings of fullness. The subjects ate about 200 to 275 fewer calories each day.
ACV may also help by suppressing oxidative stress that can contribute to obesity. It does this by facilitating the antioxidant defense systems. This was the finding from a study using rats fed a diet high in unhealthy fats. ACV may reduce the risk of obesity-related illnesses by lowering atherogenic risk.
Similar benefits have been seen in fruit vinegar such as pomegranate or apple. They appear to prevent obesity and related cardiac complications through their potent anti-inflammatory and anti-adiposity properties.
Assists in managing diabetes and blood sugar levels
Consuming apple cider vinegar may have a positive impact on the glycemic index and oxidative stress in Type 2 diabetics.
Among healthy subjects who ate a bread meal, supplementing with vinegar lowered glucose and insulin responses, as well as increased fullness. “The results indicate an interesting potential of fermented and pickled products containing acetic acid,” the researchers wrote in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
In a different small study, subjects with diabetes reported that consuming 2 tablespoons of ACV before bedtime decreased their fasting blood sugar by 4 percent the next morning.
Helps improve heart health
Animal studies suggest that ACV can optimize cholesterol and triglyceride levels, along with other common risk factors in heart disease.
Vinegar may also have important effects on some risk factors of atherosclerosis, with significant changes seen in LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol between low and high doses of vinegar. Researchers pointed to “a probable protective value” for its use.
Helps control candida infection
Apple cider vinegar has exhibited antifungal properties, particularly against candida (yeast) species in patients with denture stomatitis, a common inflammatory reaction to wearing dentures.
A 32-year-old woman with chronic vaginal candida infection who failed to respond to other therapies also recovered with the application of ACV, which can be considered for patients who are unresponsive to conventional medical therapies for this condition.
Fights harmful bacteria
Vinegar has demonstrated strong anti-pathogen action, including fighting bacteria. Using organic acids as supplements is regarded as safe and effective in eliminating harmful bacteria in the intestines.
A study investigated the antimicrobial ability of ACV against pathogens including E. coli, S. aureus, and C. Albicans. The results showed that the vinegar had antibacterial potential. The amount of ACV necessary to inhibit microbial growth varies depending on the bacteria. Other research demonstrated that ACV eradicates methicillin-resistant bacteria.
Cooking with vinegar or consuming it alone remain the best ways to incorporate ACV into your diet. You can also dilute the vinegar with water and drink it as a beverage. A 2016 review of studies suggested that consuming about 1 tablespoon of vinegar daily was typically enough to see potential health benefits. Experts also recommend getting organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar that retains the “mother.” This is formed from the apple residue and pectin. In turn this is the vinegar with all amino acids, minerals and vitamins.