A Scientific Approach to Apple Cider Vinegar
Obesity is one of the most significant health problems in developed and developing countries today. It can lead to many conditions, including diabetes, high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. That's why maintaining a healthy weight alongside adequate, balanced nutrition is so important for improving our health and quality of life.
With that in mind, the number of people wanting to lose weight — and, unfortunately, the amount of misinformation floating around — grows a little more every day. Some foods whose benefits haven't been clearly proven, or that show no meaningful effect, get talked up so much that people end up consuming them in large amounts. One food in this position today is apple cider vinegar. So does it really help with weight loss? Does it lower blood sugar and cholesterol? Let's see what science says.
Apple Cider Vinegar and Body Weight
Various studies over 1–6 months have shown that consuming apple cider vinegar can help reduce body weight and fat accumulation around the abdomen and liver.
In another double-blind, placebo-controlled human study, 155 people consumed apple cider vinegar for 12 weeks. By the end, there was some reduction in body weight, BMI, body fat and waist circumference — though 4 weeks after the study ended, the lost weight had been regained.
According to many studies, with adequate and regular use apple cider vinegar has a small but positive effect on weight loss. Research into how it produces this effect is ongoing. The most-studied mechanisms are that it reduces fat formation, increases fat burning by raising the levels of genes involved in fat metabolism, and reduces energy intake and increases feelings of fullness by lowering the glycaemic index of foods.
Unfortunately, there's no miracle food that produces weight loss on its own. So you shouldn't overdo foods like apple cider vinegar, which can be harmful in excess.
Apple Cider Vinegar and Blood Sugar
Various studies in healthy people have shown that consuming apple cider vinegar reduces the postprandial (after-meal) glucose and insulin response.
In a study by Johnston and Buller, vinegar consumption significantly reduced the postprandial glucose and insulin response after a high-glycaemic-load meal, and those people also had lower energy intake for the rest of the day. When consumed with a low-glycaemic-load meal, the postprandial insulin response decreased, but there was no reduction in the postprandial glucose response or in energy intake later in the day.
According to many further studies, apple cider vinegar has a positive effect on lowering the postprandial glucose and insulin response, but the nutritional content of the meal it's consumed with matters a great deal. It shows this effect when consumed before high-glycaemic-load meals. Timing matters too: one study showed that consuming it immediately before a meal has a stronger anti-glycaemic effect than consuming it 5 hours before.
Recent studies in people with insulin resistance found that consuming vinegar before high-carbohydrate meals not only reduced the postprandial glucose and insulin response but also improved whole-body insulin sensitivity. However, this effect was seen less in people with type 2 diabetes than in those with insulin resistance.
In another study of people with type 1 diabetes, consuming 30 ml of apple cider vinegar 5 minutes before a carbohydrate-rich meal reduced postprandial glycaemia by about 20%.
Research continues into the mechanisms behind these effects on blood sugar — including slowing the rate of gastric emptying, suppressing intestinal carbohydrate absorption, suppressing endogenous glucose production in the liver, and affecting glucose metabolism in skeletal muscle.
Effect on Lipid Metabolism
Vinegar's anti-lipidemic effect has been demonstrated in animal studies, but human studies here are limited. In animal studies, regular vinegar consumption was found to lower LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels and raise HDL cholesterol. However, as noted, there isn't yet enough evidence proven in human studies.
How Much Apple Cider Vinegar Can You Have?
As you can see, apple cider vinegar does have positive effects on our health. But that doesn't mean it can be consumed in large amounts. People with stomach or intestinal issues in particular need to be very careful. Drinking it undiluted can damage the oesophagus, so it's better to mix it with a liquid like water or fruit juice, or add it to salads and meals. According to the research, adding 2 tablespoons to a salad as a dressing at each meal is safe.
Merve Tığlı, Dietitian