Daniel Harrison Fermentation of crushed apples yields apple cider vinegar. The vinegar has many potential applications, from culinary use to cleaning the home. The use of apple cider vinegar for the treatment of specific ailments has also been suggested.
Apple cider vinegar has potential health benefits, including its ability to aid in weight loss, control diabetes, and protect the heart when taken orally. Vinegar applied topically may alleviate varicose veins (though skin application can sometimes cause chemical burns). There is only a small amount of evidence to support these benefits, however. If you’re considering using apple cider vinegar to treat your condition, you should first consult with your doctor.
Benefits
Research on the effects of apple cider vinegar has been conducted primarily on animals and in vitro. The health benefits of apple cider vinegar have only been studied in animals; however, the preliminary results from human studies are encouraging.
Perhaps Useful For Weight-Control
Apple cider vinegar may aid in weight control if consumed in sufficient quantities. The participants in a small 12-week study were instructed to reduce their caloric intake by 250 calories per day. Some were told to cut calories only, while others were given the recommendation to also take one ounce of apple cider vinegar daily. People who used apple cider vinegar saw marked improvements in, in comparison to those who didn’t use the vinegar. Obese people in another study were given the option of drinking a beverage with either half an ounce of vinegar, an ounce of vinegar, or no vinegar at all on a daily basis for a period of 12 weeks. Weight, body mass index, visceral fat, and waist circumference were reduced in both groups.
Could be useful for controlling type 2 diabetes
The treatment of type 2 diabetes may be aided by the use of apple cider vinegar. Positive effects on some measures of diabetes were seen in a study of 110 people with type 2 diabetes. Over the course of three months, participants were given either a placebo or half an ounce of apple cider vinegar diluted in about seven ounces of water to drink with dinner. Within that time frame, those who consumed vinegar with their water saw significant decreases in fasting blood sugar and HbA1C.
Blood sugar levels after an overnight fast are considered an indicator of diabetes and other metabolic disorders. HbA1c is a marker for average blood sugar levels over the past 2-3 months. If you have high levels of either, it may be a sign that your blood sugar is too high, putting you at greater risk for diabetes-related complications. Neither of these indicators changed in the control group that didn’t consume vinegar.
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For people with type 2 diabetes, taking half an ounce of apple cider vinegar daily has been shown to reduce waist and hip measurements. In addition, a meta-analysis of nine studies showed that apple cider vinegar reduced fasting blood sugar and haemoglobin A1c in people with type 2 diabetes.
The term “total cholesterol” refers to the sum of your blood’s low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and triglyceride levels. In addition to increasing your risk of heart disease, high levels of LDL cholesterol or triglycerides can also be harmful. Even though HDL is the “good” cholesterol, having too little of it can be harmful to heart health.
To some extent, apple cider vinegar may help with all of these factors.
One ounce of apple cider vinegar daily may lower triglycerides and total cholesterol while raising “good” HDL cholesterol, according to studies. A daily intake of as little as half an ounce of apple cider vinegar may have a beneficial effect on triglyceride levels in those with obesity and on triglycerides and total cholesterol in those with type 2 diabetes.
Nineteen people with untreated high levels of cholesterol and/or triglycerides were examined in one study. For eight weeks, participants were instructed to eat the same diet and exercise routine as before, but to also take one ounce of apple cider vinegar twice per day. Total cholesterol, “bad” LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides all dropped in the study’s participants.
