Apple cedar vinegar (ACV) weight-loss diet is arguably one of the most popularly searched topics related to health as recently pointed out by Robert H. Shmerling, MD, the faculty editor of Harvard Health Publishing. How come it is widely discussed? It is said that drinking a teaspoon or two of the fermented apples in a glass of lukewarm water usually 30 minutes before a meal promises a world of benefits aside from losing weight.

Among its many advantages as listed in Reader’s Digest include getting rid of stomach pain, hiccups, sore throat, stuffy nose, dandruff, acne, night-time leg cramps, bad breath, and bruises. In addition to that, taking in this kind of vinegar can lower cholesterol, prevent indigestion, and help control blood sugar. CNN furthermore elaborates on it being a “wonder” product by touting it as an all-purpose cleaner, food preservative, and above all, the reason for possible improvement of vascular health citing its antioxidant property which can also lower chances of heart attack and cancer. With its online status as a panacea, one can’t help but look for scientific evidences to back up those assertions especially those that coincide with decreasing our weight.

Shmerling cited two studies known to have human participants take ACV’s more ordinary variant, vinegar, and observed for evidence of weight loss. The first one, which is the more famous of the two, involved 175 heavy but still considered healthy Japanese. After three months, they were found to have lost a very moderate 2 to 4 pounds and “lower body mass index, visceral fat, waist measurements and triglyceride levels,” as elucidated by dietitian Carol Johnston in the same CNN article. The other research, which has few subjects concluded with feeling satiety but at the expense of nausea.

Shmerling ends his analysis by not strongly recommending apple cider vinegar for weight loss. It seems that the popularity of the product does not equate its efficacy. But if it can make you consider your choices for a “healthier you” more carefully this time, then it has served a purpose. After all, as you think you’re capable of changing your unhealthy habits, so can you.

By Jin

Sources:

LaMotte, Sandee. (2017, August 31.). Apple cider vinegar: what the experts say. CNN. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/18/health/apple-cider-vinegar-uses/index.html

Shmerling, Robert. (2018, April 25). Apple cider vinegar diet: does it really work? Retrieved from Harvard Medical School website: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/apple-cider-vinegar-diet-does-it-really-work-2018042513703?utm_content=buffer14725&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=buffer

15 ways apple cider vinegar benefits your health. Reader’s Digest. Retrieved from https://www.rd.com/health/wellness/apple-cider-vinegar-benefits/