Health benefits of apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is popular in the health and fitness community as a drink that might help you lose weight faster.

It’s mostly apple juice, but adding yeast turns the fruit sugar into alcohol (fermentation). Bacteria turn the alcohol into acetic acid. That’s what gives vinegar its sour taste and strong smell.

But losing weight isn’t the only benefit of apple cider vinegar. Here are some other health benefits supported by researches:

1-Kill harmful bacteria

The main substance in vinegar, acetic acid, can kill harmful bacteria or prevent them from multiplying.

It has traditionally been used for cleaning and disinfecting, treating nail fungus, lice, warts and ear infections.

Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, used vinegar for wound cleaning over two thousand years ago.

Vinegar has also been used as a food preservative, and studies show that it inhibits bacteria (like E. coli) from growing in food and spoiling it.

There have also been anecdotal reports of diluted apple cider vinegar helping with acne (which is a skin condition caused by bacterial infection) when applied to the skin, but I didn’t find any strong research to confirm this.

2-Fights Diabetes and high blood sugar

For now, the most successful application of vinegar to date is in patients with type 2 diabetes and high blood sugar levels.

The healthiest way to control type 2 diabetes and high blood sugar is to avoid refined carbs and sugar, but apple cider vinegar can also have a powerful effect.

A study showed an Improvement in insulin sensitivity during a high-carb meal by 19–34% and significantly lowers blood sugar and insulin responses.

Another study found that 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before bedtime can reduce fasting blood sugar in the morning by 4%.

It also Reduces blood sugar by 34% after eating 50 grams of white bread.

For these reasons, vinegar can be useful for people with diabetes, pre-diabetes, or those who want to keep their blood sugar levels low for other reasons.

3-Aids in weight loss and reduce belly fat

As some people claim that apple cider vinegar helped them lose weight, there are many studies have supported this claim.

Several human studies show that vinegar can increase satiety, help you eat fewer calories and lead to actual pounds lost on the scale.

For example, a study showed that if people take vinegar along with a high-carb meal, they get increased feelings of fullness and end up eating 200–275 fewer calories for the rest of the day.

Another study in 175 people with obesity showed that daily apple cider vinegar consumption led to reduced belly fat and weight loss:

-(1) tablespoon: Lost 2.6 pounds, or 1.2 kilograms.

-(2) tablespoons: Lost 3.7 pounds, or 1.7 kilograms.

However, keep in mind that this study went on for 3 months, so the true effects on body weight seem to be rather modest.

That said, just adding or subtracting single foods or ingredients rarely has a noticeable effect on weight.

It’s the entire diet/lifestyle that counts and you need to combine several effective methods to see results.

So, apple cider vinegar won’t work any miracles on its own.

4-Improve heart health

Heart disease is currently the world’s most common cause of premature death.

Several studies have shown that vinegar can reduce blood triglycerides, cholesterol and blood pressure. This could lead to a reduced risk of developing heart disease.

some animal studies suggest that apple cider vinegar can lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, along with several other heart disease risk factors.

Related: saturated fat isn’t your enemy

There are also some studies showing that vinegar reduces blood pressure in rats, which is a major risk factor for heart disease and kidney problems.

The only human evidence so far is an observational study from Harvard showing that women who ate salad dressings with vinegar had a reduced risk of heart disease.

As mentioned above, human studies also show that apple cider vinegar can lower blood sugar levels, improve insulin sensitivity and help fight diabetes. These factors should also lead to reduced risk of heart disease.

5-Protective effect against cancer

There is a lot of hype online about the anti-cancer effects of apple cider vinegar. In fact, numerous studies have shown that various types of vinegar can kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.

However, all of the studies on this were done in isolated cells in test tubes, or rats, which proves nothing about what happens in a living, breathing human.

That said, some observational studies in humans have shown that vinegar consumption is linked to decreased esophageal cancer in China, but increased bladder cancer in Serbia.

In conclusion, It is possible that consuming apple cider vinegar may help prevent cancer, but this needs to be researched more before any recommendations can be made.

How to use apple cider vinegar

The common dosages of apple cider vinegar range from 1–2 teaspoons (5–10 ml) to 1–2 tablespoons (15–30 ml) per day.

You can incorporate it into your diet by adding it in your cooking, salad dressings and other things like that.

Some people also like to dilute it in water and drink it as a beverage.

After all, apple cider vinegar is one of the healthiest food choices that you can add to your diet. it’s calorie-free, adds lots of flavor to food, and has many health benefits. But it’s not a miracle cure.