Old home remedy, current hype – the real health benefits of apple cider vinegar
19/10/2024
Translation: Eva Francis
Apple cider vinegar’s literally on everyone’s lips, as this basic ingredient for dressings is also considered a miracle cure. It’s supposed to have all kinds of positive effects – helping you lose weight’s just one of them. Fact or fiction? Let’s find out.
«Scientifically proven: Apple cider vinegar can help you lose weight», «Losing weight with apple cider vinegar: new study comes to surprising conclusion», «Apple cider vinegar: losing weight one sip at a time? Study confirms effect». These are just a few examples of headlines from German-language media outlets. While apple cider vinegar’s been a popular home remedy according to traditional tales and folk medicine for years, academic knowledge and research institutes have now apparently provided new evidence. However, scientific research can also be misleading or easy to misinterpret.
Apple cider vinegar: studies gone sour?
The current hype surrounding apple cider vinegar is definitely one that needs to be put into perspective. The hopeful promise of easy weight loss and other miracle effects from apple cider vinegar are spreading like wildfire on media platforms – all based on a new study from Lebanon, specifically from Holy Spirit University in Kaslik. Researchers came to the conclusion that drinking a few millilitres of apple cider vinegar a day – preferably diluted with a little water in the morning on an empty stomach – could lead to weight loss of up to 8 kilogrammes in young overweight people (between 12 and 25 years) within just 12 weeks.
BUT: Although the test subjects did experience certain positive effects compared to the randomised control group, who took placebos, a few questions remain unanswered. A nutrition expert, for instance, criticised (link in German) that the study didn’t reveal whether the participants lost weight because of the apple cider vinegar or because of the acetic acid it contained (which other types of vinegar contain, too). In addition, the study was carried out with only 120 participants and over a period of only 12 weeks, which reduces the scientific validity of the results in terms of positive and negative long-term effects.
What is apple cider vinegar?
So before you start downing pints of it, let’s take a look at what apple cider vinegar is.
Apple cider vinegar is made from apple wine, which is fermented apple juice.
Vinegar is produced when vinegar bacteria (mainly acetobacter) and plenty of fresh air come into contact with cider and convert the alcohol it contains into acetic acid. This process is called oxidising. After a maturation period of anywhere from a few weeks to years, depending on the type of vinegar, the flavour and acidity have fully developed.
By the way, Apple cider vinegar’s alkaline and therefore has a positive effect on your body’s acid-base balance. This goes for filtered and naturally cloudy versions. However, naturally cloudy apple cider vinegar contains important suspended matter, the so-called vinegar mother, which has plenty of living vinegar bacteria, iron and phenolic compounds in it, which have a cell-protecting effect (link in German).
Ingredients of apple cider vinegar:
- Minerals and trace elements: potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, fluoride, silicon, zinc, copper
- Vitamins: B1, B2, B6, C, E, A and folic acid
- Polyphenols and flavonoids, which are secondary plant substances
However, it must be said that some experts advise against using apple cider vinegar as a source of vitamins and minerals. The German health insurance company AOK, for example (website in German) writes that an apple contains significantly more vitamins and potassium than the vinegar made from it.
The true benefits of apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar’s often used to make salad dressings or savoury sauces. It’s also popular as a household remedy and in DIY natural cosmetics where it acts as a base for facial toners or healthy hair care.
There’s hardly any medical evidence or scientific research to prove its benefits so far, but apple cider vinegar’s widely believed to have these positive effects:
1. Apple cider vinegar contributes to healthy intestinal flora
The acetic acid contained in apple cider vinegar and the lactic acid bacteria produced by fermentation are said to help raise stomach acid levels, which can reduce proliferation of unwelcome germs. This also supports the digestive process and can help against constipation. As digestion and gastric emptying is boosted, food residues don’t linger in the stomach area, reducing reflux and heartburn.
2. Apple cider vinegar could lower blood sugar levels and cholesterol
Research results from 2019 showed that apple cider vinegar has a positive effect on high blood sugar levels. According to the study, drinking a glass of apple cider vinegar before a meal can moderate the postprandial (after-meal) rise in blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes.
In another study, researchers found out that apple cider vinegar can also help against high cholesterol levels by lowering levels of LDL cholesterol (known as the «bad» cholesterol) while raising levels of HDL cholesterol (often referred to as the «good» cholesterol).
3. Apple cider vinegar reduces appetite and fills you up faster
According to a 2018 study, apple cider vinegar reduces appetite and increases the feeling of being full. As a result, your calorie intake sinks and you lose weight. However, there are no long-term studies on this. In addition, being active and working out is just as important and changing your diet can also help you lose weight. In other words, drinking apple cider vinegar alone isn’t to be considered a miracle cure.
4. Apple cider vinegar has an antibacterial effect
Even Hippocrates is said to have used apple cider vinegar to treat wounds. Its antibacterial effect, as well as its benefits as an anti-inflammatory, are the only ones that have been scientifically proven (link in German). It’s the secondary plant substances in apple cider vinegar that help against germs, making this vinegar useful to disinfect small wounds if no other disinfectant’s available. It also works against bee strings and other insect bites.
However, there are a few things to keep in mind when you use apple cider vinegar for medical purposes. If you’re drinking it, make sure to dilute it with plenty of water or it can attack your tooth enamel. The safest way is to drink it through a straw. Afterwards, rinse your mouth with water, but don’t brush your teeth for half an hour. If you suffer from heartburn or stomach problems, be careful with apple cider vinegar. And even if you don’t and think it might help with your diabetes or high cholesterol levels, always talk to your doctor before you start drinking apple cider vinegar regularly. Self-treatment without getting medical advice is never a good idea, even if research suggests there are positive health benefits.
Header image: shutterstock
Moritz Weinstock
Autor von customize mediahouse
Notebook, camera, laptop or smartphone. For me, life's about taking notes – both analogue and digital. What's always on me? My iPod Shuffle. It's all in the mix, after all. This is also reflected in the topics I write about.