Apple Cider Vinegar: Just Another Vinegar Or Medical Marvel?
Let’s talk about a substance that has some seriously bold claims behind it: Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). To listen to proponents, apple cider vinegar “can cure arthritis, guard against osteoporosis, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, prevent cancer, destroy infection, assist in digestion and weight control, maintain memory, and protect the mind from aging.” Now that’s bold! But do the claims hold up under scrutiny?
ACV In Folklore
There are quite a few mentions of ACV used throughout history as a medicinal tonic. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, is said to have had two remedies: honey and apple cider vinegar. Supposedly, samurais used it for strength and power, always a good idea when killing is your profession. And US Civil War soldiers used it to treat ailments like pneumonia and scurvy, along with gastric upset.
What Is It?
Well…it’s vinegar, made from apple cider, which is made from (all together now, class) apples. As such, it is a product of the fermentation of apple cider. In the early stages of fermentation, yeasts ferment the sugars in the source (apples, grapes, potatoes, grains, etc) to create alcohol (i.e., beer, wine, and distilled spirits). As fermentation continues, acetobactor bacteria turn the alcohol into acetic acid, the main acid in any vinegar. Each particular type of vinegar also contains other acids.
Nutrition In A Bottle?
Proponents of ACV proclaim that it is a storehouse of nutrients, not all that difficult to imagine since it’s made from apples. Unfortunately, those claims don’t hold up. While an apple is a good source of vitamins, the amount of ACV consumed at any given time is pretty minuscule. One tablespoon is a pretty large dose, typically 1-2 teaspoons is recommended. Therefore, ACV would have to be a very concentrated apple to have any measurable levels of nutrients.
Nutritional analysis has shown that it contains no amino acids, little in the way of vitamins and minerals, and not enough fiber to shake a stick at. The high levels of calcium it is supposed to contain? How about 1mg per tablespoon? I wouldn’t give up the multivitamin just yet. However, it does appears that acetic acid can help break down foods so that the minerals in them are more easily absorbed, much like what happens when bones are boiled in water with vinegar.
But Studies Have Shown…
On the other hand, at least one study has shown that vinegar can improve insulin sensitivity in non-insulin resistant, insulin resistant, and Type II diabetic individuals when consumed before a meal. The Type II patients saw a 19% increase in post-meal insulin sensitivity and a 17% decrease in post-meal glycemia. The insulin resistant folks saw an even more marked improvement: post-meal glycemia reduction of 64% and a 35% increase in post-meal insulin sensitivity.
Studies in rats have shown that vinegar can lower both cholesterol and blood pressure. As for cancer, one study showed a decreased risk of esophageal cancer. Unfortunately, another showed an increased risk for bladder cancer. I’d say the jury’s still out on that claim. But another benefit of vinegar consumption is that studies have shown it to increase satiety resulting in less food eaten.
From this brief synopsis, it looks like ACV may or may not help with most health issues, but has the potential of aiding in weight loss and insulin sensitivity. I’ve also heard anecdotally that ACV taken before a meal is beneficial for those with acid reflux. It seems that ACV stimulates the production of stomach acid, improving digestion. Since acid reflux is actually an issue of not enough stomach acid, rather than too much as the makers of Pepcid would have you believe, this makes sense. Basically, ACV is unlikely to hurt you and may have some beneficial effects. For the price of $4 for a bottle of organic ACV that’ll last for a month or more, it’s a pretty cheap supplement/placebo.
Putting It To Work
If you decide to use apple cider vinegar as a digestive aid, there are three rules:
- Dilute it. It is very acidic and can literally burn the throat, on top of being rather unsavory. Just a few ounces of water is enough.
- Don’t take the ACV pills. There’s no guarantee that they contain any ACV and there are reports of chemical burns to the throat from the tablets.
- Get it with “The Mother,” or mother of vinegar, still present. This is a substance made of cellulose and the fermentation bacteria.
There are also ways to use ACV in the culinary world, including:
- As the vinegar part of your “oil and vinegar” dressing.
- As a base for coleslaw rather than using mayonnaise, as in this Alaska Cooperative Extension Slaw.
- As part of a marinade for meat. It will help tenderize tougher cuts.
- Add a bit to the water in your steamer when steaming vegetables to add flavor.
- Prevent cut fruit from browning. Lemon juice will work also.
- To create a nutritious bone broth from a chicken carcass. The vinegar helps the bones to break down, releasing their minerals into the broth.
Do you use apple cider vinegar? Have you seen any health benefits from its use?
29 Reader Comments
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Call me cynical but there a million and one snake-oil sales men out there (including ‘respectable pharmaceutical companies’), making claims that product a, b or c will cure x, y and z. If it can be bottled/pilled and sold, I usually avoid it.
I think that is where paleo-type diets come in to their own. They may or may not cure several ailments, but their real benefit is that the PREVENT several nasty conditions arising in the first place!
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Another useful recipe:
1 cup water
1-2 tbsp ACV (depending how strong you like it)
1-2 tbsp honey (depending how sweet you like it)
According to legend, George Washington and Napoleon gave their troops a similar mixture. I drink this on days when I’m fasting; it pretty much eliminates hunger.
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Scott,
ACV is a staple in my PWO shakes, solely because of this study: http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/131/7/1973
Yeah, it’s based on rats, but really, are we that different??
It looks like both studies cite enhanced G-6-P utilization. Great stuff, and awesome blog.
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I like that ACV is a nice, simple vinegar. Ferment cider, get vinegar. Tastes good, too. I’d be curious to see more studies comparing ACV and other vinegars.
Debs
Food Is Love
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I used it when I had dreads as a deep cleanser, and also to relieve my itchy scalp (due to the dermatitis I’ve had since I was 10 years old) in lieu of medicated shampoo.
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I never thought about ACV for the health benefits but as another person noted above, I have had success in using it to prolong a fast. A question about what they originally posted wouldn’t having 1-2 tbsp’s of honey end your fast?
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For $4 a large bottle….it’s the best supplement on the market! That and just google it and you wil find 1001 uses and claims out there. But the real truth….is people just feel better with it. I know I use it to fight off cold/flu. Add some cayenne pepper and it’s great antibiotic.
Off topic….snake oil actually used to come from sea snakes and was high in EPA. Only later did people market knock off oil with no EPA to scam people….hence the name “snake oil saleman”. Funny enough…that means snake oil (the original) was the first fish oil ever sold that actually worked to help people’s pain relief!
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When I was suffering from a piriformis injury before the Boston Marathon I went to a massage therapist. She LOVED ACV and swore by it. She suggested that I drink a solution of it daily and even use in a bath. I wasn’t going to leave anything to chance and decided that ACV might be one of those Can’t Hurt and Maybe It’ll Help things. I use it. It doesn’t cost very much and I seem to be in good health – so maybe there is something to it.
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I think I’m getting the best of two interesting foods. I make Kombucha tea, now using more Green tea then Black. If I let the tea really ferment, it’s turns to a pretty tart mixture which some have referred to as almost tasting like ACV.
So, I drain a few gallons early and drink Kombucha tea daily, then let a few gallons”turn” which I use for cooking and I do drink occasionally.
While I have tried Eel, will start looking for a source of Sea Snakes, and Scott, I’ll need a recipe. I’m thinking Grill…
Thanks.
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Mike from Sherdog, very interesting. Thanks for that!
Allen, 1-2 tbsp of honey is 17-34g of sugar, so 68-136 calories. I’d think that would technically end the fast as you’d get a bit of insulin, but if he’s getting the results he’s looking for and it helps him eat less, hard to argue with it.
Jay, kombucha is one of those things that is on my list of things to start making. I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Though I have noticed that the store-bought kombucha has a distinct ACV taste to it.
Cheers
Scott
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I add some to water every morning and take it during the days that I do IFing. The wife of a guy I work with makes her own and adds spices and herbs to it. The best I have tried is the “Fire ACV” that was infused with hot peppers. Good to get the blood flowing.
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From my own personal experience (yes I do walk my talk), ACV is the best thing since sliced bread, to coin a phrase.
If you happen to suffer from acid reflux or heartburn, mix a teaspoon of ACV with a little warm water and drink it. The burning associated with acid reflux will disappear within minutes. If you don’t like the taste of neat ACV, add a little honey to the mix.
Another thing that ACV is good at is getting rid of warts and veruccas. Before going to bed, dab the wart or verruca with cotton wool soaked in ACV. Take a smaller piece of the soaked cooton wool and place over the wart or verruca and then cover the whole thing with an elastoplast or bandage. A word to the wise – it will likely sting and throb for a while but don’t let that put you off – no pain no gain!.
In the morning, remove the elastoplast and now dried out cotton wool. The wart itself will likely have turned black and you may find the immediate area around it slightly swollen. You may need to do the same thing again depending on the size of the wart but either way, the blackness is because the wart has died or is dying and it will eventually fall off by itself.
My wife had a wart on her finger for months and despite attempts to freeze it using OTC sprays, it was only the ACV that got rid of it and in two days flat.
I had a wart/verruca (never had it checked out so not sure which one it was) on my foot for a couple of years but nothing would shift it, at least not the root. Did the ACV cure above for a couple of nights and it has not bothered me since.
As the saying goes, the proof of the pudding is in the eating
Alan
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I have a question to the ACV experts out there:
I have recently started using ACV diluted in water taken a few times a day. I have also read about its cleaning properties as a body wash in the shower/bath and I am interested to try this out. My question about this, is it important if ACV is used to clean the body to get it “with the mother” or can I by the cheaper stuff that is found by the white distilled vinegar? I know that most of the good bacteria needs to be “with the mother” when taken internally to get the positive effects, but does it need to be there when used as a body wash? As a college student scrapping for money, being able to use the cheap stuff could make using ACV as a wash a feasible option.
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Just a warning, Remember to brush your teeth throughly after using this stuff! I read these studies, and then started liking the taste of apple cider Vinger (tastes like apple cider, but without the carbs and good effects!) so much that I just added it to almost everything that was liquid that went into my mouth.
Come 6 months later for the next dentist appointment, and I had more cavities in a 6 month time period then in the rest of my life put together. Obviously the stuff is acidic, it’s far worse for your teeth then cola, please do take care!
I still add the stuff to most of my recipes, but brush my teeth immediately afterwards, and no longer add it to my bottled water I carry throughout the day.
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[...] over at Modern Forager did a post about my favorite supplement Apple Cider Vinegar. Also if you want to know 1001 uses for ACV, this [...]
[...] Apple Cider Vinegar, This stuff is great. It has long been renowned for its health benefits including its ability to [...]
Well, i suffer from soborheic dermatitis and i was searching the net for something to cure me. I came across this book with a title” Cur@ Seborrheic Dermatitis 4ever”. As what it claim and because i am suffering from something my doctor believed there is no cure, i bought the book. Cost me USD 27.00. I finish the book in one nite. I was desperate, especially with the title.
On of the main recommendation is to take ACV on your hair & scalp and may be even taken it in your diet. I must say i am dissapointed on ACV after reading all the scientific explainations about the contain and process of how the ACV is being made. I tried ACV on my hair and also include it in my diet. So far I am praying. I hope it does has what it claimed. If someone dare claim ACV to snakeoil, then i would be back to the starting line to look for a cure for SD. Anyone can help? No snake oil please.
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I actually take shots of apple cider vinegar daily! Its amazing for my skins but I only use Apple Cider Vinegar with “mother” in it as its the secret ingredient for lush skin
I get mine from a company in devon http://www.the-apple-cider-vinegar-company.com they have free shipping and fast delivery.
Thanks for reading, Sue.
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S K Wong,
For me, ACV helped my sebbhoric dermititis when I wasn’t using shampoo (I had dreadlocks). I diluted it in a small jar, about 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water, and poured it over the affected areas. I waited a couple of minutes before I rinsed it out. I did this whenever I took a shower, about twice a week.
Sometimes the skin/itchy spots would turn red afterwards, but only for about an hour, then the redness went away. It definitely stopped the itch and I think it helped my skin too. I remember I didn’t have as many flakes.
When I took the dreadlocks out, I went back to medicated shampoo and started to do the ACV treatment about once a month. However, the shampoo alone doesn’t seem to be as effective as I would like. So I’m going to start using ACV about twice a week in addition to Head and Shoulders shampoo and a hair conditioner with Tea Tree oil.
I used regular grocery store ACV, although I am interested in finding ACV with “mother” and compare it to what I have been using.
Good luck, I hope that helps!!
-Rebecca
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S K Wong…
One more thing… a paleo-diet might help you!
I ate paleo for a couple of months, and I plan to start again once I can budget it again (it is an expensive diet). When I ate paleo, my skin felt better than it ever has. It was very soft and clear of blemishes. I usually don’t have much acne, but I had practically zero pimples when I ate paleo. And it helped my scalp.
I don’t know how you found Modern Forager, but it is the perfect blog for learning about the paleo diet.
The basic rules are to cut out grains (including rice), potatoes, and all dairy products. Also avoid sugar, salt, and modern processed foods with artificial ingredients.
What you are left with is meat (organic, grass-fed, good quality meat), eggs, fruits, vegetables, roots, nuts, and seeds. Be sure to take plenty of omega-3 fatty acids (flax oil or fish oils) too.
Best,
Rebecca
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Thank you for your support, i will definitely try the remedies as suggested and i understand that getting rid of SD is not an easy task. Thank you again and would be glad to have more comments on ACV. I am also having virgin coconut oil (laurid acid) both on my hair and diet. (Omega 3, fuirts, manganese, vitamins..). I am a Chinese from South East Asia and rice is our main source of food. Will give that a thought. Pleo-diet! Will definitely find out more.
I must say that i am so happy to receive your online comments and support from the other side of the world. Thank you.
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Yeah, the brand of ACV I bought is the same bottle shown on top, “Bragg, Organic ACV”. Thanks again.
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No posting so far? I must admit bluntly that ACV is not a solution for my SD. I have stop using it. I am now much better using a miracle herb i found lately i should be 100% cure in a few more days and it smell wonderful.
ACV is no cure for SD. Definitely.
Sorry, its a vinegar rather than a marvel.
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hey sk wong, try out raw active manuka honey for your dermatitis. it is a very widely accepted treatment for healing persistent wounds, burns and killing MRSA(the antibiotic resistant staph infection). honey has always been used for healing purposes because it has antibacterial and antiinflammatory properties, but active manuka honey is much much more potent than other varieties because it is made by bees that pollinate the tea tree bush. for SD its not proven, but there have been a handful of studies that show it is just as effective as steroid creams in treating sebhorreic dermatitis. i believe the treatment protocol was to completely cover the affected area for at least 3 hours a day, every day. the SD cleared up in 1-2 weeks. make sure you get one with a UMF factor of at least 15+. goodluck!
i see that you found an herb that works…what herb is it? thanks
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Tq Bobby.
I am not sure if this is the right forum to talk all abt SD. I am better of with SD now, Yes, I still get one or two bump once a while but it will subside within a few hours (3-4 hours, normally it takes weeks to subside). I dont have flaks and ithcy scalp anymore. My opinion on SD from chinese medicine point of view is that SD is the sign of a weak lever and kidneys. This can happen when you take too much of antibiotics, medicine, alcohol, sleeping pills, lack of sleep, stress, processed food and nutrition problem. So instead of trying to solve the scalp we should eliminate all this problem so that the lever and kidney can recover to normal health thus improving the self immunity of a person. I am now taking chinese herbs to improve the health of the kidney and lever, this will eventually resolve the SD. So far I am 95% done and I have full confident in my approach. For those who have SD check the back of your palm, you will find brownish spot like on the surface of your skin. This is a sign of a unhealthy lever. So I am trying to solve the root of the problem rather than the symptom of a problem created elsewhere. Two basic method to contain SD is to fast and take only organic food and vegetarian. Keep all topical medicine out. No shampoo can cure you SD, no …zoles (make things worst) or soap can cure your SD, you can only do it through internal organ healing. The cream is Ling Zhi. Sorry I am suppose to talk about ACV and my explanation is wierd to the western world.
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Even though there are no proven effects of the stuff, I personally have had some great experiences with it. As an arthirits sufferer I dont doubt for a second that it actually works. Just my 0.02$
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[...] – Especially Apple Cider Vinegar is amazing stuff. Long known to have healing qualities even as far back as biblical times, more [...]
I used it to get rid of toenail fungus. It took about 4 months. I wish I had taken pictures. I had that dang fungus for over 30 years and now my nail looks perfect! If only I could market it and make money
Jana
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After taking ACV from March 9, 2010 to July 6, 2010, I can report that the arthirits pain in my neck and shoulder joints has completely gone away. As a extra benefit, my total cholesteral has dropped 39 points (from 249 to 210), my bad LDL cholesteral has dropped 29 points (from 152 to 123), my triglycerides has dropped 70 points (from 245 to 175), and my good DHDL cholesteral has gone up 4 points (from 48 to 52). I was not anticipating this extra benefit, as I originally started to take ACV for my arthirits pain. One problem is that ACV eats tooth enamal. The answer is to drink ACV through a straw. I have just about finished my second bottle of Bragg, Organic ACV (32 fluid ounces). I drink anywhere from 2 to 3 classes per day of ACV mixed with honey. I was wondering how long I can stay on ACV, as I don’t know what the long term effects might be. (Note: I think I should add that I am currently not on any kind of medication. Although the doctor has been urging me to take cholesteral medicine for the last three years.)
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Mike OD Reply:
Unless you have a medical condition or notice any side effects, I imagine small doses of ACV in water can be sustained over long periods of time. 1-2 tablespoons a day (in enough water) shouldn’t have an issues….but again, not a doctor so see how you feel. I’ve used it off and on for years. As for the whole cholesterol myth…..all I can say is that statins seem to do more harm than any lowering of cholesterol would do (if you triglycerides are in check). You can watch this video for more explanation on cholesterol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awA2fsa94MI and I am sure if you google “cholesterol myth” you will get plenty of info on it too.
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