Maybe you’ve seen videos of Dr. Oz touting the health benefits of apple cider vinegar or random YouTubers claiming to have shed 10 pounds of belly fat in just seven days by drinking apple cider vinegar cocktails before meals.
Even if we know the health claims sound too good to be true, it’s tempting to try any weight loss regimen that’s so cheap, all-natural and seemingly effortless. So what’s the deal — can apple cider vinegar really help you lose weight?
First, a quick explainer on apple cider vinegar versus other types of vinegar. The active ingredient in all vinegar is acetic acid. Most of the vinegars we commonly eat or cook with — white vinegar, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and apple cider vinegar — contain between 5 and 6 percent acetic acid, although mild rice vinegar can be as low as 2 to 4 percent.When people talk about the health benefits of apple cider vinegar, they’re really talking about the health benefits of having more acetic acid in your diet. You could consume any vinegar to get the same effect, but the relatively mild and sweet flavor of apple cider vinegar is more palatable (barely) when mixed into a beverage, which has boosted its popularity. Plus, there are several brands of raw, organic, unfiltered and unpasteurized apple cider vinegar that have achieved a cult following for their purported health benefits.
But what does the research say?
Deborah Murphy, a registered dietician in Chicago, says the current scientific research on the weight-loss benefits of apple cider vinegar is “limited,” although there have been a handful of small studies that make a case for the natural health remedy.
First, several animal studies showed that doses of acetic acid seemed to suppress the accumulation of body fat in mice that were fed high-fat diets. Then the biggest human study to date (from 2014) followed the progress of 175 obese adults in Japan, some of whom were given a beverage containing one or two tablespoons (15 or 30 milliliters) of apple cider vinegar every day with their meals and some who weren’t.
After 12 weeks, the folks who drank a little vinegar every day lost 2 to 4 pounds (1 to 2 kilograms) and reduced their body mass index by 0.4 to 0.7 points compared to no statistical improvements in the group who didn’t drink the vinegar. While losing any weight is a win, only losing 2 to 4 pounds over three months (a third of a pound a week) hardly qualifies as a “secret weight loss cure” as some claim.
Other much smaller studies have linked apple cider vinegar to slowing down “gastric emptying,” which is the time it takes for food to move from the stomach to the small intestine. In an experiment involving just 10 people with type I diabetes, folks who drank a little apple cider vinegar each day kept food in their stomach longer and their stomach size also swelled more after eating a meal. Both of these findings support the idea that apple cider vinegar could help you feel fuller and stay fuller longer, although the scientific “proof” is still modest.
“Unfortunately, there is still no single food that holds the ‘secret’ to weight loss, despite what many on the internet may say about ACV,” says Murphy. “The only way to achieve and sustain weight loss is the same thing you’ve likely heard a hundred times before — eat healthy and move your body.”
Even if apple cider vinegar isn’t the cure-all it’s sometimes cracked up to be, it can still be part of a healthy diet and lifestyle. Cynthia Sass, a performance nutritionist based in New York and Los Angeles, warns against drinking apple cider vinegar straight, because the acetic acid can wear away tooth enamel and even burn the esophagus.
If you want to give apple cider vinegar beverages a try, Sass recommends swirling two teaspoons (9 milliliters) of organic apple cider vinegar and a teaspoon (4.5 milliliters) of honey in a cup of warm water once a day, “but don’t go overboard on the quantity or frequency,” Sass says.
There’s also no reason that apple cider vinegar has to be imbibed in order to access any potential health benefits. Murphy suggests working it into existing your existing recipes.
“Use apple cider vinegar to make a simple vinaigrette for your salad or a tangy coleslaw, whisk up a marinade for chicken or fish, or add a dash to sautéed greens,” Murphy says.
Uses for Vinegar: Beauty Tips
Vinegar is a wonderful — and inexpensive — addition to your beauty regimen. Vinegar can help restore the natural acidity of your skin, which may clear up skin problems such as dryness, itching, flaking, and acne. This article includes beauty tips and tricks that will help you stay beautiful without spending a fortune. We’ll start with the skin:
Age Spots: Vinegar mixed with onion juice may help reduce the appearance of age spots. Mix equal parts onion juice and vinegar, and dab onto the age spots. After several weeks of this daily routine, the spots should lighten.
Itchy Skin: To relieve itchy skin and/or aching muscles, add 8 ounces apple cider vinegar to a bathtub of warm water. Soak in the tub for at least 15 minutes.
Vinegar can be a useful addition to your skincare routine for your face.
Aftershave: Apple cider vinegar is a great aftershave for men that will help keep their skin soft and young looking. Keep a small bottle of it in the medicine cabinet, and splash on face after shaving.
Cleansers and Toners: Use a mixture of half vinegar, half water to clean your face. Then rinse with vinegar diluted with water, and let your face air dry to seal in the moisture.
Problem skin: Oily skin can be controlled with a mixture of half apple cider vinegar and half cool water. The mixture works as an astringent. You can also freeze this solution into ice cubes and use it as a cooling facial treatment on a hot summer day.
Make a paste of honey, wheat flour, and vinegar, then use it to lightly cover a new outbreak of pimples. Keep the paste on overnight, and rinse it off in the morning. This should accelerate the healing process.
Help Your Hands
People judge us by how our hands look. Vinegar can make a difference.
Chapped Skin: Mix equal parts vinegar and hand cream to help chapped hands.
Nail Polish: Make your nail polish last longer on your fingers by soaking fingertips for 1 minute in 2 teaspoons vinegar and 1/2 cup warm water before applying the polish.
Scrub: Clean very dirty hands by scrubbing with cornmeal that has been moistened with a little bit of apple cider vinegar. Rinse in cool water, then dry.
Healthy Hair
Yes, vinegar can make your hair cleaner and shinier.
Conditioning: Vinegar is a great hair conditioner and can improve cleanliness and shine. For simple conditioning, just add 1 tablespoon vinegar to your hair as you rinse it.
Dandruff: Massage full-strength vinegar into your scalp several times a week before shampooing. This can help create healthy hair and control dandruff.
As you’ve seen, vinegar can be just as effective as high-priced beauty products. The next time you want to pamper yourself, think of vinegar.