Health & Wellness

6 Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar And Its Possible Side Effects

Apple cider vinegar is a natural tonic. There are several health advantages associated with apple cider vinegar that human studies have proved in laboratory conditions. However, it has also sparked concerns about...

Dafe

Mar 3, 2022 • 10 min read

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The health advantages and potential side effects of apple cider vinegar are explored in this post, as well as how to take apple cider vinegar safely.

What is Apple Cider Vinegar?

Apple cider vinegar is produced by combining apples with yeast. The sugar in the apples is transformed into alcohol by the yeast. Following that, bacteria are added to the mix and convert the alcohol into acetic acid.

Acetic acid, which comprises 5 to 6% of apple cider vinegar, is a weak acid. It's classified as a "weak acid" despite the fact that it has fairly strong acidic properties when concentrated.

Water and trace amounts of other acids, vitamins, and minerals are also present in vinegar.

Acetic acid and apple cider vinegar have been found in studies in both animals and humans to promote fat burning, reduce blood sugar levels, improve insulin sensitivity, and lower cholesterol levels.

Unfortunately, there are no human studies that verify the use of apple cider vinegar on a daily basis, and further research is needed.

Apple cider vinegar is a well-known home cure. It has been used in cooking and medicine for decades.

Many people claim it can cure a variety of ailments, but you may be wondering what the research says.

Various health benefits have been attributed to apple cider vinegar, including antibacterial and antioxidant effects.

Furthermore, research suggests it might have health advantages, such as:

aiding weight loss
reducing cholesterol
lowering blood sugar levels
improving the symptoms of diabetes

However, because there is little research, it cannot yet be recommended as a substitute therapy.

Unfortunately, apple cider vinegar has been linked to a number of negative effects.

This is especially true when taken in high doses.

Although little amounts are often safe and beneficial, taking too much can be dangerous and even life-threatening.

Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

1. Destroys Harmful Bacteria

Vinegar can help eliminate germs, such as bacteria. Traditionally, vinegar has been used to clean and disinfect wounds, fungus on the nails, lice, warts, and ear infections.

Hippocrates, the father of contemporary medicine, utilized vinegar to clean wounds for more than 2,000 years ago.

Vinegar is also a preservative in food. It has been found in studies to prevent bacteria like E. coli from developing and spoiling food.

If you're searching for a natural way to preserve your food, apple cider vinegar might be useful.

According to anecdotal evidence, diluted apple cider vinegar might help with acne when applied to the skin, however there is no substantial study to back this up.

2. Contains Some Healthful substances

Apple cider vinegar is made by two different processes. First, the manufacturer mixes crushed apples with yeast. The yeast ferments the sugars in the apples and turns them into alcohol.

Then, adding bacteria to ferment the alcohol, turning it into acetic acid which is the main active compound in vinegar.

Acetic acid is the key component in vinegar that gives it its characteristic sour scent and flavor. This acid is believed to contribute to apple cider vinegar's health advantages. Cider vinegars have a 5 to 6 percent acetic acid content.

Organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar also contains a component known as mother, which is made up of protein strands, enzymes, and good bacteria that give the liquid a hazy appearance.

Some people feel that the mother is primarily accountable for the baby's health advantages, however there are presently no studies to support this.

Apple cider vinegar contains a tiny amount of potassium, which is helpful for eliminating bloating. Some amino acids and antioxidants are also present in high-quality brands.

3. May Aid Weight loss

Surprisingly, vinegar may help people lose weight, according to studies.

A number of human studies suggest that vinegar may boost feelings of satiety. This might cause people to eat fewer calories and lose weight as a result.

Vinegar can even help to reduce the sensation of hunger and make us feel more full. According to one research, combining vinegar with a high-carb meal increased feelings of fullness, causing participants to consume 200–275 fewer calories throughout the rest of the day.

Furthermore, an experiment involving 175 persons with obesity found that daily apple cider vinegar intake resulted in reduced abdominal fat and weight reduction.

taking 1 tablespoon (15 mL) led to a loss of 2.6 pounds (1.2 kg)
taking 2 tablespoons (30 mL) led to a loss of 3.7 pounds (1.7 kg)

However, keep in mind that this experiment was carried out for three months, so the actual impact on body weight appears to be quite minor.

However, simply changing or adding single foods or components has little impact on weight in most cases. Long-term weight reduction is aided by adopting healthy and encouraging diet and lifestyle habits.

Apple cider vinegar can help you lose weight by making you feel full, lowering blood sugar and insulin levels, and increasing satiety.

Apple cider vinegar, on the other hand, has a very low level of calories.

4. May Improve Heart Health

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death.

There are a number of biological factors that influence your chance of developing heart disease.

Vinegar has been shown to lower several of these risk factors in studies. However, most of the research was conducted on animals.

According to animal research, apple cider vinegar may reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as many other heart disease risk factors.

Acetic acid, the major component of vinegar, has been found in studies to lower blood pressure in rats. This is a significant risk factor for heart disease and kidney problems.

Vinegar does not appear to have heart-healthy effects in people. Before drawing any firm conclusions, researchers need to do further research.

5. May Boost Skin Health

Apple cider vinegar is a popular treatment for dry skin and eczema.

The skin is naturally acidic. Topical apple cider vinegar might assist to restore the natural pH of the skin and enhance the protective skin barrier by assisting with rebalancing the natural pH of the skin.

On the other side, alkaline soaps and cleansers might aggravate eczema.

Apple cider vinegar's antibacterial properties may, in theory, assist with skin issues linked to eczema and other skin problems.

Some people use diluted apple cider vinegar in a face wash or toner as a spot treatment. The idea is that it may eliminate germs and prevent pimples by diluting apple cider vinegar.

However, one study of 22 eczema patients found that apple cider vinegar baths did not enhance the skin barrier and induced skin irritation.

Be cautious about attempting new treatments, particularly on damaged skin. Do not put straight vinegar on your skin; it might be harmful.

6. Assist With Diabetes And Blood Sugar Management.

One of the most convincing uses of vinegar is as a treatment for type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is one of many types of diabetes, which is caused by insulin resistance or the inability to produce insulin.

However, researchers think that maintaining blood sugar levels in the normal range might be beneficial to those who don't have diabetes. Some experts believe that excessively high blood sugar levels are a major cause of aging and several chronic illnesses.

Avoiding refined carbohydrates and sugar, the most efficient and healthiest approach to reduce blood sugar levels, may help, but apple cider vinegar can also aid.

There is research that suggests that vinegar offers the following benefits for blood sugar and insulin levels:

Acetic acid was found to improve insulin sensitivity by 19–34% during a high carbohydrate meal in a small study. It significantly lowers blood sugar and insulin response.
After eating 50 grams of white bread, vinegar reduced blood sugar by 31.4% in 5 healthy individuals according to a research.
In a study of just 15 people with diabetes, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before bedtime significantly reduced blood sugar levels the next morning.
Many additional research in people have shown that vinegar may improve insulin function and decrease blood sugar levels after meals.

It is critical that consumers do not substitute medical treatments with unproved health treatments, according to the National Centers for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH).

Before increasing the amount of any type of vinegar in your diet, talk to your doctor if you're already taking blood-sugar-lowering medications.

Potential Side effects of apple cider vinegar

1. Delayed Stomach Emptying

Apple cider vinegar has been studied in people, and preliminary studies suggest that it may reduce the speed at which food leaves the stomach and enters the intestines. This might slow down the absorption of nutrients into the circulation.

However, this impact might aggravate gastroparesis, which is a typical disease among persons with diabetes.

In gastroparesis, the stomach's nerves are not functioning adequately, so food remains in the stomach for too long and isn't emptied at a normal rate.

Heartburn, bloating, and nausea are some of the most common symptoms of gastroparesis. Because it's tough to predict how long food will take to digest and absorb in persons who have both type 1 diabetes and gastroparesis, timing insulin with meals is difficult.

A single study examined 10 people with type 1 diabetes and gastroparesis.

When people drank water with 2 teaspoons (30 mL) of apple cider vinegar, the length of time food remained in their stomach significantly improved, compared to drinking plain water.

More study is needed to understand apple cider vinegar's impact on blood sugar.

2. Digestive Side Effects

In some individuals, apple cider vinegar may cause unpleasant gastric problems.

Apple cider vinegar and acetic acid, the components within it, have been shown in both human and animal studies to reduce hunger and increase fullness, resulting in a natural reduction in calorie intake.

However, one study that was controlled found that indigestion might cause appetite and food intake to decrease in some individuals.

Those who had a drink with 25 grams (0.88 ounces) of apple cider vinegar reported less hunger while simultaneously feeling sicker, especially when the vinegar was combined in an unattractive-tasting beverage.

3. Low Potassium Levels And Bone Loss

There are no current studies on apple cider vinegar's impact on blood potassium levels and bone health.

However, one case study linking high blood potassium and bone erosion has been linked to massive dosages of apple cider vinegar consumed over an extended period of time.

A 28-year-old woman took 8 ounces (250 mL) of apple cider vinegar mixed with water every day for 6 years.

Her doctors discovered that she had low potassium levels and other abnormalities in blood chemistry when she was admitted to the hospital.

Furthermore, the young woman was found to have osteoporosis, a condition that causes fragile bones and is seldom seen in youngsters.

The woman's doctors believe that a large daily dose of apple cider vinegar caused minerals to be leached from her bones to counteract the acidity of her blood.

Furthermore, they have shown that high acidity levels can limit the formation of new bone.

Of course, the dosage of apple cider vinegar used in this case was considerably higher than most people would consume in a day, not to mention that she did it every day for several years.

4. Erosion of Tooth Enamel

Acidic foods and beverages have been linked to tooth erosion.

Although fruit juices and soft drinks have received more study, some research suggests that vinegar's acetic acid might harm teeth enamel.

In one experiment, wisdom tooth enamel was put in a variety of vinegars with pH levels ranging from 2.7 to 3.95. After 4 hours, the teeth had lost up to 20% of their minerals as a result of the vinegar exposure.

Importantly, this research was conducted in a lab and not in the mouth, where saliva helps to buffer acidity; so a person would not keep vinegar in their mouth for four hours. Nonetheless, there is some evidence that excessive amounts of vinegar might cause tooth erosion.

1 cup (237 mL) of undiluted apple cider vinegar per day as a weight loss aid may have caused the severe dental decay in a 15-year-old girl, according to a case study.

5. Throat Burns

Apple cider vinegar can cause burns in your throat.

A study of harmful liquids that children accidentally swallow found that vinegar was the most common liquid that caused throat burns.

Researchers have found that vinegar is a powerful chemical that can cause harm if it is not kept in a safe place.

There have been no cases of throat burns from apple cider vinegar that have been published.

However, an apple cider vinegar tablet became lodged in a woman's throat, causing burns in one case report. For 6 months after the incident, the woman reported suffering from pain and problems swallowing.

6. Can Cause Skin Burns

Apple cider vinegar's strong acidity might cause burns if applied to the skin.

In one example, a fourteen-year-old girl's nose eroded after she applied many droplets of apple cider vinegar to remove two moles according to a method she had seen on the internet.

In another, a 6-year-old boy with several health problems burned his legs when his mother applied apple cider vinegar to treat an infection.

There are some anecdotal stories about people getting burned after applying apple cider vinegar to their skin.

7. May Interact With Drugs

Apple cider vinegar may react with a few medicines.

Insulin or insulin-stimulating drugs, as well as vinegar, may cause dangerously low blood sugar levels or potassium levels in people with diabetes.
Taking Lanoxin and apple cider vinegar together could lower your potassium levels too much.
Some diuretic medications can cause your potassium levels to drop too low. To prevent this from happening, do not consume these drugs with large amounts of vinegar.

How to Consume Apple Cider Vinegar Safely

The majority of people can consume reasonable amounts of apple cider vinegar without risk by following these basic rules.

Reduce your consumption. Begin with a tiny quantity and work your way up to 2 tablespoons (30 mL) per day, diluted in water, depending on your personal tolerance.
Avoid exposing your teeth to acetic acid as much as possible. Try diluting the vinegar in water and sipping it through a straw to minimize your tooth exposure.
Rinse your mouth. After taking it, rinse it with water. Allow at least 30 minutes before brushing your teeth to avoid additional enamel damage.
If you have gastroparesis, avoid it. Apple cider vinegar should be avoided or used in moderation, with 1 teaspoon (5 mL) in water or salad dressing.
Keep an eye on your allergies. Although apple cider vinegar allergies are uncommon, if you have an adverse response to it, stop using it right away and contact your doctor.

CONCLUSION

Apple cider vinegar is claimed to have a long list of health advantages, including improved energy and the treatment of illness.

Unfortunately, there isn't much evidence to back up many of the health advantages claimed for it.

However, some studies suggest it may have some advantages, such as destroying germs, lowering blood sugar levels, and encouraging weight loss.

It's been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years, and it's believed to have antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, nourishing, and moisturizing properties. It's also been used as a natural hair conditioner, skin care product, and cleaning chemical.

Apple cider vinegar is safe to use, but you should not take too much of it.