An Apple A Day: Is Apple Cider Vinegar Good For You?

Aaron Chy, BSc General, PharmD Candidate

How ‘bout them apples?

It seems like everywhere you look these days, there’s another health trend on the rise. From coconut oil to detox teas, many natural-based health remedies have become popular for their supposed benefits towards weight loss and chronic disease management. Apple cider vinegar is another popular example, and many individuals stand by its use faithfully. Many supporters claim that apple cider vinegar can help with weight loss, treat blemishes when applied to the skin, and prevent diabetes among numerous other claims. As always, we’ve gone and done the research for you, to see if this health trend is worth spending your money.

Proposed health benefits

• Heart Health
  It’s been well established that good heart health can lead to a longer life, and less chronic complications down the road,¹ hence why good blood pressure and cholesterol are always such popular topics. A small animal study has shown that consuming apple cider vinegar can lead to small improvements in cholesterol.² Also, a different study that used plain vinegar (which is a component of apple cider vinegar) showed a similar decrease in blood pressure in test animals.³ These results are in line with an older study that was done on women, which showed that women who used more oil and vinegar based salad dressings generally had better heart health.⁴
• Weight loss
  You’d be hard-pressed to find a natural supplement that isn’t lofted as an easy weight loss solution, and apple cider vinegar is no exception. The good news is, a tablespoon of vinegar a day may lead to a small amount of weight loss.⁵ The bad news is though, that the effect may be very, very small. In the study that demonstrated weight loss, subjects only lost less than a pound per week.
• Reducing Blood Sugar
  Interestingly enough, there’s fairly good evidence showing that individuals with type 2 diabetes may see an improvement in their blood sugar levels when they consume a small amount of vinegar before meals or bedtime.^6,7 This hasn’t been shown in non-diabetic individuals yet, but it’s good news for people with type 2 diabetes looking for natural ways to manage their blood sugar.⁸
• Skincare
  Many have claimed that applying vinegar products to the skin can help eliminate acne and blemishes. The verdict on this is quite clear: applying any type of vinegar to blemishes is likely not effective, and is more likely to give you a mild acid burn.⁹ We don’t recommend you do this.

So what’s the verdict?

It seems that most of the benefits you’ve probably heard about not only apply to apple cider vinegar but to regular vinegar as well. But the truth is, there’s some evidence that a small amount of apple cider vinegar a day can potentially help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Uniquely, individuals with type 2 diabetes may also be able to use vinegar as a way of reducing their blood sugar – though these individuals should always be cautious, as lowering blood sugar too much can be dangerous. Lastly, you should never apply any vinegar products to your skin – we can just throw that idea out the window.

We hope this piece helped clear up any questions you had. As always, consult your healthcare provider if you’re considering any new health supplement, as it’s important to make sure it can be taken safely with any medical conditions and medications you may have. 

Questions or concerns? Feel free to reach out to us on Facebook, Instagram or at ask@orbishealth.ca with any thoughts or feedback. We’d love to hear from you. 

RESOURCES

1. Dynamed
2. Budak, N. )., Seydim, A. )., Kok Tas, T. )., Guzel-Seydim, Z. )., Kumbul Doguc, D. )., Savas, C. )., & Ciris, M. ). (2011). Effects of apple cider vinegars produced with different techniques on blood lipids in high-cholesterol-fed rats. Journal Of Agricultural And Food Chemistry, 59(12), 6638-6644. doi:10.1021/jf104912h
3. Na, L., Chu, X., Jiang, S., Li, C., Li, G., He, Y., & … Sun, C. (2016). Vinegar decreases blood pressure by down-regulating AT1R expression via the AMPK/PGC-1α/PPARγ pathway in spontaneously hypertensive rats. European Journal Of Nutrition, 55(3), 1245-1253. doi:10.1007/s00394-015-0937-7
4. Dietary intake of alpha-linolenic acid and risk of fatal ischemic heart disease among women. (1999). American journal of clinical nutrition, (5),
5. Kondo, T., et al., Vinegar intake reduces body weight, body fat mass, and serum triglyceride levels in obese Japanese subjects. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem, 2009. 73(8): p. 1837-43.
6. Johnston, C.S., C.M. Kim, and A.J. Buller, Vinegar improves insulin sensitivity to a high-carbohydrate meal in subjects with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care, 2004. 27(1): p. 281-2.
7. White, A.M. and C.S. Johnston, Vinegar ingestion at bedtime moderates waking glucose concentrations in adults with well-controlled type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care, 2007. 30(11): p. 2814-5.
8. Panetta, C. , Jonk, Y. and Shapiro, A. (2013) Prospective randomized clinical trial evaluating the impact of vinegar on lipids in non-diabetics. World Journal of Cardiovascular Diseases, 3, 191-196. doi: 10.4236/wjcd.2013.32027.
9. Natural Medicines