The Fabulous Life of Apple Cider Vinegar

The Fabulous Life of Apple Cider Vinegar

Vinegar has been used for centuries for all kinds of things in the kitchen including cooking and cleaning. It is also an old folk remedy that was used for many health conditions. Vinegar, specifically apple cider vinegar has recently gained popularity for various health benefits in which some are backed by scientific evidence.  Apple cider vinegar is made in a two-step process similar to how alcohol is made. The first step is done by exposing crushed apples to yeast, which ferment the sugars and turns them into alcohol. The second step involves bacteria being added to the alcohol solution, which further ferments the alcohol and turns it into  the main active compound in vinegar. The organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar is supposed to be the most beneficial, which contains strands of proteins, enzymes and friendly bacteria that give it a murky appearance. It is thought that is what gives it its health benefits. I have dug a little deeper to see exactly what is in this sour liquid that provides such health benefits.

Lowering Blood Sugar Levels

Type 2 Diabetes is characterized by elevated blood sugars, either because the body has become resistant to insulin or lost the inability to produce insulin. However, elevated blood sugar is common in people who do not have diabetes in people who don’t have diabetes which can lead to many health problems. Apple cider vinegar has been shown to have numerous benefits such as improving insulin sensitivity and lowering blood sugar levels.

Weight Loss

Because vinegar can lower blood sugar and insulin levels, it makes sense that it could help you lose weight.

Several studies suggest that vinegar can increase ones feeling of fullness, leading to less calories consumed, and as a result losing weight. These same studies found that people who consumed apple cider vinegar ate 200-275 fewer calories per day. But with that being said, just by adding or eliminating a single ingredient to your diet rarely has a long-term effect on your weight. You have to make an entire diet and lifestyle change to maintain results. From the research, it sounds like apple cider vinegar may have a positive affect in aiding with weight loss.

Heart Health

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women in the United States. A study showed that consuming apple cider vinegar resulted in lower levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. The science behind it is that the vinegar contains an antioxidant that prevents bad cholesterol from fully forming. Another benefit is shown to be the reduction of blood pressure. This study was done in Harvard and it concluded women who ate salad dressing with apple cider vinegar had a reduction in blood pressure over time.

These benefits target three major health concerns in United States and all over the world; obesity, heart disease, and high blood sugar. As apple cider gains popularity, more studies and research are being done and I think we will soon have more concrete evidence about it.  Although there is much more research that needs to be performed as I tell my patients, I believe adding this old remedy to your diet won’t hurt and could possibly benefit in many ways. If you are going to use apple cider vinegar, it is suggested to by the unfiltered, organic kind to get the purest most beneficial form.