In the last few years, apple cider vinegar has been linked to treating and preventing countless ailments ranging from weight loss, chronic fatigue, headache, insect bites, acne, muscle soreness, kidney and stomach issues, digestion, and even cancer. This blog’s primary focus will be on the weight-loss claims surrounding apple cider vinegar on the internet. Before moving into research studies on apple cider vinegar, it is crucial to understand it, its production, and other nutritional information. Let’s start with its history.
The production and use of vinegar are ancient. The word vinegar comes from the French phrase vin aigre, meaning sour wine. Vinegar has been used to preserve food, medical purposes, and flavours throughout human history, but the origin of apple cider vinegar is unknown.
ACV is produced by the two-part fermentation of apples. First, apples are fermented into ethanol, mainly by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and then second, fermentation converts this cider into acetic acid. All other kinds of vinegar are produced in the same manner explained above but with different carbohydrate sources. ACV is mainly composed of water with 5-6% acetic acid, to which all the health claims are linked. It contains little to no amount of protein, fat, and potassium.
In the last 1-2 years, apple cider vinegar has gained tremendous popularity because of its association with weight loss. “I lost 10kg in a month with ACV”, “Drink ACV to reduce weight in a week,” “best supplement to reduce fat,” and so on. If you search for apple cider vinegar on YouTube, you will probably see one or all of the abovementioned videos. Apple cider vinegar is not new; we have been using it since ancient times, but we have never used it for weight loss. Based on some animal-based studies and just one or two poorly conducted human studies, people started believing in the benefits of apple cider vinegar for weight loss.Some of these studies are mentioned below-
Whether it is a manufacturing company or a social media influencer trying to sell you apple cider vinegar, it references the above research study. But if you read this study carefully, which most people don’t do, you will see many limitations this study has. They are as follows-
2. A similar study conducted in 2009 found that people who had ACV with meals consumed 200 fewer calories at the meal. However, this study did not observe the participants over time to notice any changes in body composition.
3. A Japanese trial on 175 obese adults found that one or two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar can lead to fat loss, especially in the lower body, but this trial has many limitations. Even after 12 weeks of continuous intake of ACV, they lost just 4lbs which an obese person can easily lose by following basic nutrition and workout routine.
It can be seen that there is clearly a lack of human data about the weight loss aspect of apple cider vinegar. Unfortunately, most studies that promote ACV for fat loss were conducted on rats, so we can not apply them to humans.
Satiety means a feeling of fullness after having a meal. A study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests a reduced food intake after consuming vinegar. The study was conducted on 12 healthy participants who were given vinegar with acetic acid on three different levels with white bread. Another group was given only white bread. The researchers found that the group with the highest dose of vinegar (28 grams with 6% acetic acid) with bread felt fuller than the group with just 18g of vinegar with bread. However, a study published in the International Journal of society found that vinegar’s appetite-suppressing effect was mainly because people felt nauseous after consuming the vinegar and not because of anything special in vinegar that suppresses hunger. So it is not clear whether vinegar directly suppresses appetite or not.
Excessive consumption of ACV may lead to the following complications-
In a 2015 study in the clinic and Aesthetic Dermatology journal, researcher Dr. Stephanie Feldstein discussed the case of a 14-year-old girl who suffered from two erosion on her nose. She started applying ACV on her nose to remove unwanted “ugly moles” three days before her mother took her to the doctor. Physical examination revealed nono -inflammatory, poorly defined erosions on the nose. The application of ACV can erode skin and cause significant chemical burns.
In a 1998 study in the journal Nephron (https://bit.ly/2F9YJVc), K. Lhotta discussed the case of a 28-year-old woman who was admitted to the hospital due to muscle cramps and hypokalaemia. She revealed that she has taken 250 ml of cider vinegar for the last 6 years. She was diagnosed with reduced bone mineral density because of the high acid load.
Continuous consumption of a vinegar beverage can result in acidic burns and destruction of the surface of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, vinegar beverages should be considered as corrosive agents.”
As per examine.com recommendations (https://bit.ly/358dbrT), “ACV, due to its acidic nature, can damage various tissues and tooth enamel. Application to sensitive skin, excessive consumption (especially of undiluted vinegar), and excessive consumption of pickled foods may lead to damaged tissue.”
Do not consume ACV or any other kind of vinegar if you are suffering from kidney disease, as the kidney may not be able to process the extra acid from ACV.
As we can see, there is not even a single study focusing specifically on ACV and weight loss. Studies that support ACV are either poorly conducted or can not applies to humans. There is mixed evidence on the appetite-suppressing effect of ACV. If your goal is weight loss, focus on your training and nutrition and not waste your money on apple cider vinegar.
^ a b c d Kondo T, et al. Vinegar intake reduces body weight, body fat mass, and serum triglyceride levels in obese Japanese subjects. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. (2009) Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. (2009)
^ a b Khezri, S, et al. Beneficial effects of Apple Cider Vinegar on weight management, Visceral Adiposity Index, and lipid profile in overweight or obese subjects receiving restricted calorie diet: A randomized clinical trial. J Funct Foods. (2018)
Budak et al. (2014) “Functional properties of vinegar.” J Food Sci. [accessed April 2020 via https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24811350]
^ a b Salbe AD, et al. Vinegar lacks anti glycemic action on enteral carbohydrate absorption in human subjects. Nutr Res. (2009)
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