Made from fermented apples and naturally high in acetic acid, apple cider vinegar has been popular lately for its purported health advantages – from antibacterial properties to antioxidant effects and potential for helping manage blood sugars.
Its origins as a health tonic stretch much further back. Hippocrates used it to treat wounds, fever and skin sores.
An experimental studyreleased today, looks into whether apple cider vinegar could possibly be effective for weight reduction, reduce blood glucose levels and reduce blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides).
The results suggest it could reduce all three – nevertheless it won’t be so simple as downing an apple cider vinegar drink a day.
What did they do?
A bunch of scientists in Lebanon did a double-blinded, randomised, clinical trial in a bunch of obese and obese young people aged from 12–25 years.
Researchers randomly placed 30 participants in considered one of 4 groups. The participants were instructed to eat either 5, 10 or 15ml of apple cider vinegar diluted into 250ml of water each morning before they ate anything for 12 weeks. A control group consumed an inactive drink (a placebo) made (from lactic acid added to water) to look and taste the identical.
Typically this form of study provides prime quality evidence as it may show cause and effect – that’s the intervention (apple cider vinegar on this case) results in a certain consequence. The study was also double-blinded, which implies neither the participants or the scientists involved with collecting the info knew who was wherein group.
So, what did they find?
After a period of three months apple cider vinegar consumption was linked with significant falls in body weight and body mass index (BMI). On average, those that drank apple cider vinegar during that period lost 6–8kg in weight and reduced their BMI by 2.7–3 points, depending on the dose. They also showed significant decreases within the waist and hip circumference.
The authors also report significant decreases in levels of blood glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol within the apple cider groups. This finding echoes previous studies. The placebo group, who got water with lactic acid, had much smaller decreases in weight and BMI. There were also no significant decreases in blood glucose and blood lipids.
From animal studies, it is assumed the acetic acid in apple cider vinegar may affect the expression of genes involved in burning fats for energy. The latest study didn’t explore whether this mechanism was involved in any weight reduction.
Is this excellent news?
While the study appears promising, there are also reasons for caution.
Firstly, study participants were aged from 12 to 25, so we are able to’t say whether the outcomes could apply to everyone.
The statistical methods utilized in the study don’t allow us to confidently say the identical amount of weight reduction would occur again if the study was done again.
And while the researchers kept records of the participants’ eating regimen and exercise through the study, these weren’t published within the paper. This makes it difficult to find out if eating regimen or exercise can have had an impact. We don’t know whether participants modified the quantity they ate or the forms of food they ate, or whether or not they modified their exercise levels.
The study used a placebo which they tried to make similar in appearance and taste to the lively treatment. But people should still find a way to find out differences. Researchers may ask participants at the tip of a study to guess which group they were in to check the integrity of the placebo. Unfortunately this was not done on this study, so we are able to’t make sure if the participants knew or not.
Finally, the authors don’t report whether anyone dropped out of the study. This could possibly be vital and influence results if individuals who didn’t shed weight quit attributable to lack of motivation.
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Any other concerns?
Apple cider vinegar is acidic and there are concerns it could erode tooth enamel. This generally is a problem with any acidic beverages, including fizzy drinks, lemon water and orange juice.
To minimise the chance of acid erosion some dentists recommend the next after drinking acidic drinks:
- rinsing out your mouth with tap water afterwards
- chewing sugar-free gum afterwards to stimulate saliva production
- avoiding brushing your teeth immediately after drinking because it would damage the teeth’s softened top layer
- drink with a straw to minimise contact with the teeth.
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Down the hatch?
This study provides us with some evidence of a link between apple cider vinegar and weight reduction. But before health professionals can recommend this as a weight reduction strategy we want greater and higher conducted studies across a wider age range.
Such research would must be done alongside a controlled background eating regimen and exercise across all of the participants. This would supply more robust evidence that apple cider vinegar could possibly be a useful aid for weight reduction.
Still, when you don’t mind the taste of apple cider vinegar then you could possibly try drinking some for weight reduction, alongside a healthy balanced and varied dietary intake. This study doesn’t suggest people can eat whatever they like and drink apple cider vinegar as a solution to control weight.