You possibly have a bottle of apple cider vinegar in your store right now. It’s a delicious accumulation to home-based difficulties, steeps, and salad vinaigrette, but is it also good for you?
As a folk tonic, apple cider vinegar has been accredited with curing everything from the flu to warts. Many of its hypothetical profits are undocumented, but some connoisseurs think that addition a little of this sour liquid to your life may have some health benefits.

Apple Cider Vinegar and Weight Loss

Have you heard that apple cider vinegar will help you lose weight?
The only study to test the idea in people was done in Japan. In the study, 175 obese but healthy people appropriated either vinegar or water daily for 12 weeks. Their diets were comparable. They kept food journals. At the end of the study, those who used vinegar had lost slightly more weight. On average, the
vinegar group lost 1-2 pounds over the 3-month period. They increased it all back after the study was over.
The researchers suggest that vinegar may turn on positive genes involved in breaking down fats.
The effect is perhaps very subtle, says Chicago dietitian Debbie Davis, RD. “It may have some benefits in terms of weight loss and weight management, but it is definitely not a quick fix."
If you want to lose weight, you’ll still need to exercise and practice portion control.

Apple Cider Vinegar and Blood Sugar

While apple cider vinegar probably won’t make you skinny, it does look to help with diabetes and blood sugar control.
Carol Johnston, PhD, directs Arizona State University’s nutrition program. She has been studying apple cider vinegar for more than 10 years and believes its effects on blood sugar are similar to certain medications.
“Apple cider vinegar’s anti-glycemic effect is very well documented,” Johnston says.
She explains that the vinegar blocks some of the digestion of starch. “It doesn’t block the starch 100%, but it definitely prevents at least some of that starch from being digested and raising your blood sugar,” Johnston says.

Apple Cider Vinegar and Blood Sugar continued...

Not every skilled feels as confident about apple cider vinegar’s power.
"Trying to use vinegar to treat diabetes is like trying to bail out a flooded basement with a teaspoon," says Michael Dansinger, MD, director of Tufts University’s diabetes lifestyle coaching program.
He counsels patients to focus instead on their general diets -- a strategy backed by a lot more research, he says.
If you have gastroparesis, a common problem with diabetes that slows stomach emptying, be careful. Early research shows apple cider vinegar may make this problem worse.
"I’m concerned that drinking vinegar, even diluted in water, increases acid in your system, which puts a strain on your kidneys and bones,” Dansinger says.
If you have diabetes and want to try apple cider vinegar, let your doctor know, and keep an eye on your blood sugar levels.
Johnston stresses that if you are on medication for diabetes, you shouldn’t stop taking it and substitute vinegar. If you're thinking about using it to help manage your blood sugar, talk to your doctor first.

Apple Cider Vinegar and Digestion

If you drink apple cider vinegar with a starchy meal, then the starches you don't digest will feed the good
bacteria in your gut, Johnston says.
Davis recommends using unfiltered apple cider vinegar, “the cloudy kind, where you can see a blob in the bottle.”
That blob is known as “the mother,” and it’s full of probiotics and other beneficial bacteria. “This kind of vinegar can support immune function and, for some people, even help with constipation,” Davis says.

Tips on Taking Apple Cider Vinegar

Don't drink it straight. It’s so acidic that it could impairment your tooth enamel and your esophagus.
Don't use a lot. “Dilute 1 to 2 tablespoons in a big glass of water, and sip it along with your meals one or two times a day,” Johnston says.