A serving of apple cider vinegar a day can support healthy weight loss goals, new study reveals

03/19/2024 / By Zoey Sky

According to an experimental study, apple cider vinegar may help with weight loss, reduce blood glucose levels and reduce blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides).

However, the research team advised that you still need to do more than just consume apple cider vinegar every day. Details of the study were published in the journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health.

Apple cider vinegar is made from fermented apples and is naturally high in acetic acid.

This superfood is also popular among health enthusiasts because it offers several health benefits, from antibacterial properties to antioxidant effects and the potential to help control blood sugar.

Apple cider vinegar’s origins as a health tonic can be traced to Hippocrates, who used it to treat wounds, fever and skin sores. (Related: Natural healing: A warming apple cider vinegar recipe that helps boost your immune health.)

For the experimental study, a research team in Lebanon conducted a double-blind, randomized clinical trial involving overweight and obese young volunteers aged 12 to 25 years old.

The scientists randomly placed 30 participants in one of four groups. The participants were instructed to consume either five, 10 or 15 milliliters (mL) of apple cider vinegar diluted in 250 mL of water every morning before they ate anything for 12 weeks.

The control group consumed an inactive drink – a placebo – made from lactic acid added to water to look and taste the same.

This sort of study usually provides high-quality evidence because it can demonstrate cause and effect that the intervention, which is apple cider vinegar, results in a specific outcome.

The study was also double-blinded, which means neither the volunteers nor the research team involved with collecting the data knew who was in which group.

After three months, data revealed that the regular consumption of apple cider vinegar was linked with a significant decrease in body weight and body mass index (BMI).

On average, the volunteers who drank apple cider vinegar during that period lost six to eight kilograms (13 to 18 pounds) in weight and reduced their BMI by 2.7 to three points, depending on the dose. The volunteers also showed significant decreases in the waist and hip circumference.

Additionally, the scientists observed significant decreases in levels of blood glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol in the apple cider groups, which echoes previous studies.

The placebo group, who consumed water with lactic acid, had smaller decreases in both their weight and BMI. There were also no significant decreases in their blood glucose and blood lipids.

Considerations before taking apple cider vinegar

Before you take apple cider vinegar, keep in mind that it is acidic and there are concerns that it may erode tooth enamel.

This can be an issue with other acidic beverages, including fizzy drinks and sodas, lemon water and orange juice.

To reduce the risk of acid erosion, some dentists recommend the following after drinking acidic drinks:

Using a straw to reduce direct contact with the teeth.
Rinsing out your mouth with tap water afterward.
Chewing sugar-free gum after drinking acidic beverages to stimulate saliva production.
Not brushing your teeth immediately after drinking because it might damage the teeth’s softened top layer.

This study offers some evidence of a potential connection between apple cider vinegar and weight loss. But before health professionals can recommend this as a healthy and natural weight loss strategy, experts recommend conducting bigger and better conducted studies across a wider age range.

Such research must be conducted with a controlled background diet and exercise across all volunteers to provide more robust evidence that apple cider vinegar could be a useful aid for healthy weight loss.

But if you don’t mind the acidic taste of apple cider vinegar then you could try consuming a bit to help with weight loss, alongside a balanced diet. This study does not suggest that you can eat whatever you want and drink apple cider vinegar as a way to control your weight.

Watch the video below to learn how organic apples can help support digestive and heart function.

This video is from the Health Ranger Store channel on Brighteon.com.