Should You Use Apple Cider Vinegar For Weight Loss?

Apple Cider Vinegar is fermented apple juice. It is currently in vogue for its multiple health benefits including hypertension, diabetes, and weight loss. It is, however, not very clear whether to use apple cider vinegar for weight loss or not.

Every other week, we see a new trend of weight loss coming in town. New methods are continuously being invented or discovered to make it convenient for people to lose weight.

These methods aim for easy and quick weight loss and claim to be efficient. But as we all know not all of them actually work.

We see new exercises or just fad diets that claim to be effective in weight loss and surprisingly they do work sometimes, but many of these diets can cause potential nutrient deficiencies in your body and are not recommended.

Therefore, it is necessary to do your research about whichever diet or method that you are going to adopt in order to prevent any deficiencies that can cause serious diseases in the long term because of misinformation or lack of information.

Here we have another popular method of weight loss. This “apple cider vinegar for weight loss” technique has been in town for quite a while and it is a famous method as it does not require much work and is easy to follow. Here is a detailed description is given about whether it causes weight loss or not.

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What Is Apple Cider Vinegar?

It is made from the juice of fermented apples and has multiple uses like a salad dressing etc. It has a small amount of micronutrients in it and delivers 22 calories in a 100-gram serving. It gives no protein or fat but has only 1% of carbohydrates, the rest is mainly water (94%).

It is made through fermentation in two steps only. In the initial step, after apples are cut or crushed, they are combined with yeast in order to transform their sugars into alcohol. Afterward, this alcohol is converted into acetic acid by the use of bacteria.

This alcoholic fermentation is done by the bacterial strain of acetobacter, ethanol is produced which yields vinegar and acetic acid. [Ref]

According to a study done in 2016, apple cider vinegar can be helpful in controlling the body’s glucose and lipid levels and may help in managing type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and weight loss. [Ref]

Does Apple Cider Vinegar Cause Weight Loss?

Apple cider vinegar is known for its ability to reduce appetite and cause weight loss by minimizing the intake of food on a daily basis, this function of apple cider vinegar has been analyzed widely.

To this date, there have been many studies done on the effects of apple cider vinegar on weight loss. Many have proven apple cider vinegar’s positive effect on weight loss while others still believe that it may not be a healthy way of losing those pounds.

Here we have a set of different research articles and their opinions about apple cider vinegar as a weight-loss remedy.

Apple Cider Vinegar for Weight Loss: Study 1:

Apple cider vinegar contains ‘acetic acid’. According to one study that investigated its effects on reducing body fat mass in obese Japanese in a time span of 12 weeks, the intake of acetic acid has been beneficial in lowering body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and visceral fat along with levels of serum triglycerides in the participants involved in the study.
Therefore, taking 1 or 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar will help in the prevention of any metabolic syndromes by reducing the risks of obesity. [Ref]
This shows the positive effects of apple cider vinegar on weight reduction.

Mayo Clinic Study 2:

While on the contrary, according to the Mayo Clinic, apple cider vinegar does not induce weight loss. It has certain components that claim to be effective but in reality, they are not.
Research done on this subject has failed to give consistent results about weight loss. But once in a while intake of apple cider vinegar can be good.
Excessive intake can result in irking your throat as it has a lot of acid in it. It can also lead to reduced levels of potassium as it may interact with supplements such as insulin or diuretics. [Ref].

Drinking vs tasting Apple Cider Vinegar: Study 3:

A study done in 2013 investigated if vinegar intake has a role in decreasing appetite. The participants were divided into two study groups.
Participants in the first group were supplied with vinegar in drinks or breakfast and participants in the second group only tasted vinegar without ingesting it.
The results from the first group proved the effects of vinegar in reducing appetite. However, the incidence of nausea was also increased.
From the second group, the results showed no effect of orosensory stimulation in reducing any measures of appetite or food intake.
This showed that ingestion of vinegar does have a role in suppressing appetite which can lead to weight loss but the feelings of nausea associated with the intake of vinegar do not make it an appropriate option as an appetite suppressant. [Ref]

Apple Cider Vinegar for Weight Loss: Study 4:

Another research published in 2007 examined the effects of apple cider vinegar upon delayed gastric emptying. The subjects of the first group were given 300 grams of rice pudding with 200 milliliters of water and the subjects of the second group were given rice pudding (300g) plus water (200 ml) along with apple cider vinegar (30 ml).
After studying the gastric emptying rate, it was concluded that since apple cider vinegar delays gastric emptying, it is not beneficial for diabetics regarding their glycemic control. [Ref]
Therefore, suggesting apple cider vinegar as a weight-loss remedy for diabetics will not be a good choice.

How To Use Apple Cider Vinegar for Weight Loss?

If you choose to include apple cider vinegar in your weight loss journey then it is crucial to know the proper way of using it.

Excessive intake of apple cider vinegar either multiple times a day or once a day in big quantities can be very detrimental to your health. It can cause conditions like heartburn, weakened tooth enamel, nausea, and acid reflux.

The proper way to take apple cider vinegar is by diluting it in some water first.
You can also include it as a salad dressing along with olive oil.
The best time to drink apple cider vinegar is before meals. Since it suppresses appetite, taking it after your stomach is already full means nothing but some extra calories.