Ok, so you know that friend of yours who wears pants made of hemp, prefers organic deodorant and spends your Saturday brunches espousing the virtues of apple cider vinegar? It turns out she may well be right. Well, about the apple cider vinegar at least. Apple cider vinegar aficionados claim it can help with everything from weight loss, to reduced cholesterol, lower blood sugar levels and improved symptoms of diabetes. Indeed, it has been an old wives tale and folk remedy for centuries. In fact, my grandmother used to rinse our hair in it. But recently there’s been a plethora of research about the benefits, and it turns out that a lot of the claims are backed by science. And because we like to do things properly, we’ve also put apple cider vinegar to the test over the past month and: can confirm, it stands up. At least in the digestive arena.
So, to celebrate our newly flushed systems and plentiful gut bacteria, we thought we’d get you up-to-date on some of the science-backed benefits of apple cider vinegar, to encourage you to give it a shot for yourself.
1. It’s very low in calories and will not break your fast
Apple cider vinegar only contains three calories per tablespoon, and since the recommended intake is two-to-three teaspoons per day, this is well below the 10 calorie threshold for what’s considered to ‘break a fast’. While it doesn’t actually contain many vitamins or minerals, it does contain small amounts of potassium. Unfiltered, organic apple ciders such as Bragg’s brand also contain what’s known as ‘The Mother’ which are essentially strings of proteins, enzymes, amino acids, antioxidants and good bacteria that give the product its signature cloudy appearance.
2. It can kill many forms of bad bacteria
Vinegar has been used as a folk remedy for disinfecting, cleaning and to treat infections for centuries. And it turns out that this traditional use has its basis in scientific fact. Vinegar, in particular, apple cider vinegar, has powerful antimicrobial properties which can help to kill bacteria, germs and bugs such as staphylococcus aureus and e. coli. Vinegar has also traditionally been used as a preservative in things like pickles, and research shows that when used in this way, it inhibits the growth of pathogens like e. coli which would otherwise spoil the food. Some people claim that these antimicrobial properties can help with issues like dandruff, eczema and acne. And, although there’s little evidence to support this, our month-long trial period did yield some positive results on winter-induced itchy scalp! (Although be warned: you will smell like a salad.)
3. Helps to lower blood sugar levels
Some of the most exciting confirmed scientific findings about apple cider vinegar recently have come in the treatment of patients with insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes. The high blood sugar levels and inability to produce insulin which are characteristic of this disease have been shown to be mediated by the consumption of apple cider vinegar. One study showed improvements in insulin sensitivity during a high carbohydrate meal of between 19-34% and significant reductions in blood sugar and insulin response. Another showed that apple cider vinegar consumption reduced blood sugar by up to 35% after a high carb meal, and numerous other studies confirm its ability to lower blood sugar levels and improve insulin function.
4. May assist with weight loss
Yep, you can stick this one in the not a total crock pile. Turns out that several studies on humans have shown that the consumption of apple cider vinegar can assist with weight loss, by way of increased satiety and lowered consumption of calories. These studies generally had people consume the apple cider vinegar with their meal and found that when they did so, their feelings of fullness (or satiety) increased and they consumed approximately 200-250 fewer calories as a result. Another study found that obese subjects had significant reductions in belly fat and improved weight loss as a result of consuming apple cider vinegar daily.
5. Helps to lower cholesterol and improve cardiovascular health
Apple cider vinegar won’t give you the cholesterol and heart health of a marathon runner if you don’t run marathons, but it can improve several risk factors for cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. Several animal studies suggest that apple cider vinegar consumption can assist in lowering cholesterol levels and triglycerides – even in those animals that ate a high fat diet. Some studies have also shown reductions in blood pressure, which can help to lower cardiovascular disease risk too. And preliminary human research has found similar things. A study from the Harvard School of Public Health confirmed that those subjects who ate salad dressings made with vinegar had a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
Some research has also shown associations between apple cider vinegar consumption and reduced risk of cancer, and there are a few isolated studies which have found vinegar has the ability to shrink or even kill cancer cells.
How do you take apple cider vinegar?
So, is it a magic potion miracle cure? Noooot really. But it does have many benefits that are backed by science, including weight loss, improved cardiovascular health and reduced blood sugar. And anything that has benefits like that has got to be worth a little bit of smelling like salad? Are we right?