One of the most traditional cures for almost anything
is apple cider vinegar. Over the centuries, the ancient folk remedy is touted
to relieve just about any ailment you can think of including diabetes, obesity
and even cancer. Here’s what science has found.
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) became well known in the
U.S. in the late 1950s, when it was promoted in the best-selling book Folk
Medicine: A Vermont Doctor’s Guide to Good Health by D. C. Jarvis. During the
alternative medicine boom of recent years, apple cider vinegar and apple cider
vinegar pills have become a popular dietary supplement.
Unpasteurized or organic ACV contains mother of
vinegar, which has a cobweb-like appearance and can make the vinegar look
slightly congealed. It’s the only way apple cider vinegar should be consumed.
ACV is used in salad dressings, marinades,
vinaigrettes, food preservatives, and chutneys, among other things. It is made
by crushing apples and squeezing out the liquid. Bacteria and Yeast are added
to the liquid to start the alcoholic fermentation process, and the sugars are
turned into alcohol. In a second fermentation process, the alcohol is converted
into vinegar by acetic acid-forming bacteria (acetobacter). Acetic acid and
malic acid give vinegar its sour taste.
Apple cider vinegar is purported to treat numerous
diseases, health conditions, and annoyances. To name a few, it kills head lice,
reverses aging, eases digestion, prevents flu, prevents acne, lowers blood
pressure, reduces inflammation, kills fungus, regulate pH balance, dissolves
kidney stones and helps relieve allergies, migraines, asthma, nausea, heart
burn and wash toxins from the body. Can it really do all these things? You bet
it can and more! But what does science say?
Diabetes.
The effect of apple cider vinegar on blood sugar
levels is perhaps the best researched and the most promising of APV’s health
benefits. Several studies have found that vinegar may help lower glucose
levels. For instance, a study (White, A. Diabetes Care, November 2007) of 11
people with type 2 diabetes found that taking two tablespoons of apple cider
vinegar before bed lowered glucose levels in the morning by 4%-6%. In another
study from Arizona State University, subjects took a drink of 20 grams of apple
cider vinegar and 40 grams of water. Those with insulin resistance who drank
the vinegar had 34% lower postprandial (after-meal) glucose compared to
controls. Vinegar may be the most cost-effective medicine in history, but most
people with diabetes still aren’t taking it.
High
Cholesterol.
A 2006 study reported in Medscape General Medicine,
showed evidence that ACV could lower cholesterol. In a study published in a
foreign medical journal, scientists found an apple cider vinegar-enhanced diet
may increase in HDL (good cholesterol), and reduce levels of triglycerides.
Research in rats suggests that apple-cider vinegar can help control
triglycerides and cholesterol (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, June
22, 2011).
Blood
Pressure and Heart Health.
Another study in rats found that vinegar could lower
high blood pressure. A large observational study also found that people who ate
oil and vinegar dressing on salads five to six times a week had lower rates of
heart disease than people who didn’t. Researchers have suggested that ‘this
reduction in blood pressure may be caused by the significant reduction in renin
activity and the subsequent decrease in angiotensin II’. Potassium in the
vinegar ‘balances sodium levels in the body, which aids in maintaining blood
pressure within healthy limits’ and ‘apple cider vinegar also contains
magnesium, a mineral that works to relax blood vessel walls and thus lower high
blood pressure’.
Cancer.
A few laboratory studies have found that vinegar may
be able to kill cancer cells or slow their growth. One study found that eating
vinegar was associated with a decreased risk of esophageal cancer. Another
associated it with an increased risk of bladder cancer. In recent trials,
pectin, which can be found in ACV, has shown promise in helping to slow the
growth of cancerous cells within the prostate
(http://www.news-medical.net/news/20100702/Modified-Citrus-Pectin-holds-promise-against-prostate-cancer.aspx).
In addition, apple cider vinegar’s acidity aids in detoxifying and cleansing
the digestive tract and cleaning out the colon, which supports the health of
the prostate as well.
Weight
Loss.
For thousands of years, vinegar has been used for
weight loss. White vinegar (and perhaps other types) might help people feel
full. A study (Ostman, E. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2005) of 12
people found that those who ate a piece of bread along with small amounts of
vinegar felt fuller and more satisfied than those who just ate the bread. A
2009 study on mice showed that consuming acetic acid (the active component in
ACV), upregulates the expression of genes for fatty acid oxidation enzymes in
the liver causing a suppression in body fat accumulation. In a double-blind
experiment, obese Japanese were assigned to three different groups based on
similar body weights, body mass indexes (BMI), and waist circumference. Each
group drank a 500 ml drink containing either 30ml, 15ml, or 0ml of vinegar
daily for 12 weeks. Those in the 30ml and 15ml groups had lower BMI, visceral
fat area, waist circumference, serum triglyceride, and body weight to the
control group of 0ml. The 12-week weight losses were modest: 1.2kg in the 15ml
group and 1.7kg in the 30ml group. These two groups consumed a similar number
of calories to the control group and also performed a similar amount of
exercise, so the effect is not likely to have been due to an impact on appetite
or other lifestyle changes. It was concluded that consumption of vinegar might
reduce obesity.
Apple cider vinegar is chosen over white vinegar for
many processes involving the elimination of fungus. Although they both have
highly acidic properties; apple cider also contains detoxifying qualities that
will clear up other skin allergies. No side effects have been found when
treating the skin with apple cider vinegar, making it a cost effective and safe
remedy.
Here are many other benefits of apple cider vinegar
that can be applied to your lifestyle.
Hair:
It is widely known that apple cider vinegar can be
used as a rinse for your hair after shampooing to add healthy body and shine.
Recycle an old shampoo bottle and fill it with 1/2 a tablespoon of apple cider
vinegar and a cup of cold water. Pour through your hair after shampooing
several times a week.
Face:
Did you know that apple cider vinegar can help
regulate the pH of your skin? Dilute apple cider vinegar with two parts water,
and spread the concoction over your face with a cotton ball as a toner. You can
do this at night after washing, and in the morning before you apply your moisturizer.
You can also dab apple cider vinegar directly onto age spots and leave them on
overnight to lighten their color.
Hands
and Feet:
Are your hands and feet feeling tired and swollen
after a long day? Treat yourself to a personal spa massage by rubbing apple
cider vinegar onto them.
Sunburn:
Suffering from a bad sunburn? Add a cup of apple cider
vinegar to your bath and soak for 10 minutes.
Teeth:
Did you know that apple cider vinegar can help remove
stains from teeth? Rub teeth directly with apple cider vinegar and rinse out.
Aftershave:
Fill a bottle with equal parts apple cider vinegar and
water and shake to blend.
Detox:
Add 2 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to a 1 or 2
liter filtered water bottle. Drink this throughout the day to cleanse your body
and kidneys all day long.
Drain
Cleaner:
Baking soda and apple cider vinegar is an amazing
bubbly combination that has many uses. As a drain cleaner, sprinkle baking soda
down the drain then add apple cider vinegar and let it bubble for 15 minutes,
then rinse with hot water. This is a safer alternative to dangerous drain
cleaners.
Digestion:
A small amount of apple cider vinegar, taken just
prior to a meal, will stimulate production of digestive juices. Dandruff: A
home remedy for dandruff is to mix 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar with 1/4 cup
water. The vinegar solution is thought to restore the restore the pH balance of
the scalp and discourage the overgrowth of malassezia furfur, the yeast-like
fungus thought to trigger dandruff.
Mosquito
and Insect Bites:
Using as little as 1/4 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
will relieve insect bites instantly.
Stomach
Aches:
Mix 1 tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar with
12 ounces of warm water, and drink in the morning on empty stomach. Feel free
to add a little honey or maple syrup.
Alkaline
Acid Balance:
Some alternative practitioners recommend using apple
cider vinegar to restore alkaline acid balance. The theory behind the alkaline
diet is that our blood is slightly alkaline (with a normal pH level of between
7.35 and 7.45) and that our diet should reflect this pH level. Proponents of
the alkaline-acid theory believe that a diet high in acid-producing foods leads
to lack of energy, excessive mucous production, infections, anxiety, irritability,
headache, sore throat, nasal and sinus congestion, allergic reactions, and
increased risk of conditions such as arthritis and gout.