The Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

What is apple cider vinegar?

Apple cider vinegar is made via a two-step process that involves fermentation.

1. In the first step, raw apples are mixed with yeast and some form of carbohydrate. Yeast and natural bacteria then ferment apple juice, converting it into an alcohol
2. The second step also involves fermentation — this time, alcohol made during the first step is converted into acetic acid, which gives apple cider vinegar its sour taste.

Acetic acid is the major ingredient responsible for the health benefits of apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is also rich in antioxidants, which are molecules that prevent cell damage in the body.

It’s also a rich source of healthy bacteria, which might keep your gut microbiome healthy.

What are the forms of apple cider vinegar available?

Apple cider vinegar is classically used in the liquid form. Some people drink it, while others use it with food. Unfortunately, the extremely sour taste of apple cider vinegar makes it difficult to drink.

This is especially true if you plan to use it every day.

This is why apple cider gummies might be a better option for you. Their mild, apple-flavored taste means you can take them every day. Plus, they’re not as acidic as the liquid form, which means they won’t be as damaging to your teeth as liquid apple cider vinegar is.

Finally, gummies are easier to carry around, which means you don’t have to miss out on apple cider vinegar when you’re at work, vacations, or traveling.

What are the health benefits of apple cider vinegar?

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1. It may help treat diabetes type 2

Diabetes type 2 occurs when your body stops responding to insulin. This leads to high blood sugar levels, which lead to complications like kidney failure and eye disease.

Numerous studies have shown that apple cider vinegar can help the body respond better to insulin. This means it might keep your blood sugar levels in check and prevent the development of long-term diabetes complications.

Unfortunately, most studies looking at the effect of apple cider vinegar on blood sugar are small. This means it’s difficult to say how strong this effect is and whether it applies to everyone.

Keep in mind that you should use apple cider vinegar only as an adjunct to first-line diabetes therapies like weight loss and medications (and not as a replacement).

2. It acts as a disinfectant

Apple cider vinegar has been used to clean wounds, treat lice, warts, and onychomycosis (nail fungus).

That’s because its acidic nature is good for killing bacteria. Apple cider vinegar also inhibits bacterial growth in food, which is why you can use it as a natural preservative for food.

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3. It might help you lose weight

Studies have shown that apple cider vinegar helps people lose weight.

For example, in this study, researchers divided participants into two groups. One group consumed 30 mL of apple cider vinegar (ACV) per day while the other didn’t. Both groups limited their overall calorie intake in a similar fashion.

At the end of the 12-week study, researchers found:

• The ACV group lost more weight
• ACV led to significant reductions in BMI and waist circumference
• ACV led to a significant reduction in visceral fat, which is the fat around your organs. Visceral fat is associated with a higher risk of heart disease
• The group taking ACV had a lower appetite score. This is one explanation behind ACV’s weight-loss effects.
• ACV led to significant reductions in total blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. It also increased HDL cholesterol levels, which is also known as “the good cholesterol”.

But again, simply adding apple cider vinegar to your diet is unlikely to lead to significant weight loss. You should combine it with other weight loss measures like regular exercise and a healthy diet.

3. It may help you with dandruff

While there’s no scientific evidence for this, many people have reported successfully fighting dandruff with apple cider vinegar. And there’s a scientific explanation for that.

While the mechanism behind dandruff is not completely understood, yeast are known to play a role in its development. As the skin reacts to yeast, you develop flakes, irritation, and itchiness. Apple cider vinegar reduces the skin’s pH, which makes it difficult for yeast to survive.

4. It might save you from heart disease

We’ve already discussed that ACV can reduce your blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. And this, in turn, reduces your risk of getting heart disease.

Some studies have shown that apple cider vinegar can also lower high blood pressure, which is another risk factor for heart disease.

Unfortunately, most studies looking at ACV and heart health have been done on animals. We don’t have enough human studies to conclusively say whether ACV can benefit your heart.

How to use apple cider vinegar?

There are several ways to use apple cider vinegar. You can:

• Add it to food while cooking
• Use it as a salad dressing
• Use it to make pickle
• Dilute it with water and drink it
• Take it in the form of gummies, which is the most convenient way to use it

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While there’s no recommended dosage, anywhere between 5 and 30 mL of diluted ACV per day is considered safe.

If you go above that, you might experience:

• tooth damage and cavities
• throat irritation
• severe hypokalemia (where blood potassium gets too low, causing muscle and heart dysfunction)
• low blood sugar levels
• burns to the digestive tract (especially if you don’t dilute ACV before using it)