Benefits Of Apple Cider Vinegar On Weight Loss

Overview

Apple cider vinegar is a functional food that is made by fermenting crushed and pressed apples. It is taken as a shot on an empty stomach, popped as a pill and chewed as a gummy all in hopes of: promoting weight loss; ‘boosting’ metabolism; accelerating the ‘fat burning’ process, alleviating acid reflux; ‘detoxifying’ the body from toxins; rejuvenating skin; enhancing gut health; as well as reviving dull, dry hair (amongst other things). 

Unfortunately, very little, if any, scientific evidence is available to support these claims. Regardless of what celebrities or the media say, apple cider vinegar alone is unlikely to ‘’torch’’ belly fat and aid weight loss, especially when regular exercise and a healthy calorie restrictive diet, the two main components of a healthy lifestyle, are not considered or tailored. It is also worth bearing in mind that when taken in large doses and over long periods of time, apple cider vinegar can do more harm than good by not only inducing nausea and indigestion, but also weakening the tooth enamel, contributing to hypokalemia and/or hypoglycaemia, bone loss as well as chemical skin and throat burns. Apple cider vinegar can also interact with certain medications and therefore should be used with caution.

Introduction 

Cider vinegar or, as it is better known, apple cider vinegar, is a type of vinegar that is made by the fermentation of apple juice.¹ The production of apple cider vinegar requires only two simple steps: ethanol or alcoholic fermentation and acetic acid fermentation.² In the first step, yeasts are added to apple juice produced from crushed apples where they ferment the simple sugars in apples, thus converting them into alcohol. Following the fermentation process which takes approximately 7 days, the alcohol is further fermented by acetic acid bacteria in the presence of oxygen. Responsible for its pungent, sour taste and smell, acetic acid makes up 5-6% of apple cider vinegar and acts as its ‘’active’’ ingredient.³ In fact, it is acetic acid that is believed to carry the proposed health benefits of apple cider vinegar.^4-6 

The aim of this article is to explore the benefits of apple cider vinegar on weight loss, if any, and to outline the nutritional facts and side effects of apple cider vinegar. Can apple 

cider vinegar help you bid farewell to those stubborn jiggly rolls once and for all, or are you better off saving your teeth and throat the misery? Dive right in (preferably with a straw!) and find out!

Benefits of apple cider vinegar on weight loss

Almost 10,000 years ago, dating back to as early as 5000 BC, vinegar was mainly used for healing and medicinal purposes.³  Interestingly, during the 8th century, vinegar was even consumed by Japanese Samurai warriors in hopes of increasing vitality.⁷ It is only recently that the role of apple cider vinegar in health and disease has been investigated. A few studies conducted on humans have shown that apple cider vinegar is able to lower blood glucose levels ^4-5 whilst increasing insulin sensitivity by as much as 19-34% following ingestion of a carbohydrate-rich meal.⁸ This is especially promising for type 2 diabetics who suffer from insulin resistance which results in huge blood sugar spikes because cells cannot take in glucose readily or use it for energy. 

Additionally, it has been shown that apple cider vinegar consumption is associated with significantly lower cholesterol levels.⁶ One study even reported decreased blood pressure following apple cider vinegar consumption.⁹ Apple cider vinegar achieved this by decreasing the activity of the enzyme renin within the kidneys. Since the study was conducted solely on rats, it is unclear whether apple cider vinegar has similar effects on humans. 

The research surrounding the benefits of apple cider vinegar on weight loss and weight management is even less clear and remains inconsistent, controversial and scarce. Some research studies suggest that apple cider vinegar increases satiety and suppresses appetite,^10-11 thus slowing down gastric emptying.¹¹ As a result, the amount of glucose absorbed from a meal is decreased, causing individuals to consume fewer calories, in turn facilitating weight loss. It is worth mentioning that the participants in one of the studies reported feelings of nausea¹⁰ which can decrease appetite, leaving one questioning whether the patients lost weight as a result of the side effects from nausea and/or the true appetite suppressant effect of apple cider vinegar. 

It is also questionable whether the extra fluid intake contributed to the feelings of satiety. A recent randomised control trial followed a group of 39 overweight and obese individuals over 12 weeks, all of which were put on a diet with a daily 250 kcal deficit, in addition to or at the expense of 30 ml apple cider vinegar.¹² Interestingly, a reduction in body weight was reported in both groups, however the participants who consumed apple cider vinegar experienced a more significant loss in weight. Unfortunately, the study sample size and duration were both small and short respectively, making it hard to draw any sound conclusions from the results.  More recently, claims surrounding the possible effect of apple cider vinegar on resting and exercise energy expenditure in humans have not been validated.¹³

Nutritional facts

1 tablespoon or 15 ml of organic apple cider vinegar from the company BRAGG contains 11 mg of potassium yet no calories, carbs, fats, protein or sodium (United States Department of Agriculture).¹⁴ Adults and children aged 4 years and older require up to 4,700 mg of potassium per day (National Institutes of Health).¹⁵ To reach this amount, one would need to consume over 428 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar which is strongly not advised. 

Side effects and other concerns

Like most things in life, apple cider vinegar is not without its disadvantages and its consumption and usage pose some serious risks, especially when taken in excess and/or used incorrectly. Unsurprisingly, due to being very acidic, apple cider vinegar can contribute to tooth decay and erosive tooth enamel,¹⁶ especially when consumed regularly in an undiluted form. Apple cider vinegar consumption has also been demonstrated to induce nausea,¹⁰ throat burns (esophageal injury)¹⁷ as well as chemical skin burns.^18-19 One case study report even reported hypokalemia (abnormally low potassium levels) and more concerningly, osteoporosis or bone loss, in a 28-year old female patient who consumed 250 ml of diluted apple cider vinegar every day for 6 years.²⁰ 

Furthermore, apple cider vinegar, as mentioned above, delays gastric emptying, an effect which although proves beneficial for healthy people, can in fact be life-threatening to people with health conditions such as diabetes. This is because people with diabetes often suffer from gastroparesis which causes food to move very slowly from the stomach to the small intestine, thereby significantly reducing their ability to absorb nutrients from food.²¹ Add apple cider vinegar to the mix and the rate is further lowered or even completely stopped! 

Perhaps the even bigger concern of apple cider vinegar consumption is its ability to interact with certain medications such as those used for diabetes, thus putting people with diabetes at risk of developing hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) (Alberta Rheumatology).²² Apple cider vinegar can also contribute to hypokalemia when taken alongside medications such as insulin, digoxin and diuretics including furosemide and hydrochlorothiazide. 

Summary

Apple cider vinegar undergoes alcoholic fermentation followed by acetic acid fermentation before it is produced. At the end of this two-step process, apple cider vinegar contains between 5-6% acetic acid, the smelly ‘’active’’ ingredient that is thought to carry the proposed health benefits. Over the years, people have made ridiculous claims about apple cider vinegar, ranging from its ability to increase strength to transforming its consumers into effective hourglass-shaped ‘fat burning’ machines. As of today, there is insufficient scientific evidence to prove that apple cider vinegar provides any health or weight loss benefits for humans. Most of the available scientific studies that show positive weight loss effects from regular apple cider vinegar consumption are conducted solely on animals. It cannot be assumed that humans will share similar results as the anatomy and physiology of the species is completely different . Before any conclusions can be drawn, further studies with larger sample sizes and more diverse groups of participants need to be carried out. 

Apple cider vinegar contains small amounts of potassium and no calories, protein, carbs or fats. Therefore, people with low potassium levels should use apple cider vinegar with caution.  Apple cider vinegar poses other concerns especially when taken in large doses including nausea and indigestion, chemical skin burns, oesophageal injury, erosion of tooth enamel and bone loss. More concerningly, apple cider vinegar can interact with some medications for diabetes and induce hypoglycaemia. It can also induce hypokalemia when used alongside diuretics and insulin.