Does Apple Cider Vinegar Help With Weight Loss?

Well, we sure hope so; after all, apple cider vinegar sounds yummy, doesn’t it?

Actually, not really, though apple cider vinegar can be consumed as a delectable or disgusting drink, depending on your viewpoint.

The apple cider bit’s probably alright; it’s the vinegar that might have your stomach doing a few circles.

Thankfully, there are other ways to get this supposedly healthy tonic into your diet, ways that have been around for thousands of years. And while such a long history doesn’t always translate into big ticks from modern-day nutritional experts, apple cider vinegar seems to have stood the test of time.

What is apple cider vinegar?

Apple cider is basically a two-step fermentation process whereby crushed apples are combined with yeast to convert the resulting sugars into alcohol. Then, in part two, bacteria is added to ferment the alcohol into acetic acid. This process can take anything from a day to a month.

Is apple cider vinegar good for weight loss?

Research in a small study in animal studies states, yes. However, even though acetic acid has been found to lead to weight loss in animals, this has not been verified in humans.

So do regard all of the following with due caution as, so far, rats have been the reluctant recipients of apple cider vinegar research.

Apple cider vinegar may or may not do one or all of the following:

• Lower your blood sugar levels

• Improve your metabolism, therefore, burning fat faster

• Reduce your fat storage by protecting you from weight gain

• Suppress your appetite

So can apple cider vinegar really help you lose weight?

The reluctant rats and mice involved in studies so far – rats and mice quite likely unaware that they had weight issues – might say yes, if they could.

And it is one of those weird and unfortunate research situations where it seems we humans must send the animals in first, even for something as seemingly harmless as apple cider vinegar.

The sooner a decent number of humans step forward as apple cider vinegar guinea pigs, the sooner we will have some more definitive facts to override what is currently just a svelte mouse.

What are the health benefits of apple cider vinegar?

Yes, weight loss question marks aside. Is apple cider vinegar good for you? Well, no, this is also unproven. Most studies so far have focussed on obesity in the rat and mouse community, human studies thus far offering only small, inconclusive samples.

Where can I buy apple cider vinegar?

If you must, chances are you’ll find apple cider vinegar in larger supermarkets. Otherwise, wait until more conclusive research is available.

What are the alternatives to apple cider vinegar?

A decent, balanced diet would be a very good start. And if you genuinely want to know what that is and all it encompasses, you need to become a diet and nutrition expert yourself. Learn more about our 10967NAT Diploma of Nutrition.