Health benefits of apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar has been touted as a health aid for centuries. Known for its healing products, apple cider vinegar has been consumed to lose weight, cleanse the body and as an aid to good health.
Apple cider vinegar is fermented from apples and the best product to buy should not be distilled, filtered or pasteurized, as these processing steps destroy many of the vitamins, nutrients and fermentation products that are thought to be important elements in apple cider vinegar’s health benefits and weight loss properties. You will find excellent products at your local health store or pharmacy.
We take a look at some of the ways that apple cider vinegar is said to offer health benefits.
Weight loss
Research has shown that apple cider vinegar is effective in weight loss by supressing body fat accumulation. It is generally believed that enzymes and organic acids in apple cider vinegar cause weight reduction by acting as an appetite suppressant. By increasing your metabolic rate and reducing water retention, apple cider vinegar helps you maintain a feeling of well being.
In a Japanese experient, obese individuals drank 15ml of apple cider vinegar each day for 12 weeks. At the end of the study, a lower BMI, visceral fat area, waist circumference and body weight was recorded.
A glass of warm or cold water with a teaspoon of cider apple vinegar may not drastically reduce weight, but it will assist when used in conjunction with a controlled diet. Alternatively, sprinkle apple cider vinegar on salads and add to salad dressings.
Increased mineral absorption
Vinegar is high in acetic acid which can increase the body’s absorption of crucial minerals from the food that we consume. Making vinegar a part of your daily diet, in any form (even mixed with water) before or with meals, can improve your body’s ability to absorb all those minerals hidden away in the food you eat.
Lower blood sugar levels
In recent years, apple cider vinegar has been singled out as an especially helpful health tonic. While many of the folk medicine uses of vinegar are not researched, a few do have a medical research backing them up and studies have hinted that apple cider vinegar could help with several conditions, such as diabetes, by lowering blodd sugar levels.
The most promising of apple cider vinegar's possible health benefits is that studies have found vinegar to lower glucose levels. For instance, one 2007 study 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 as much as 6 percent.
Safety First
While the risks of taking occasional, small amounts of apple cider vinegar seem low. But using apple cider vinegar over the long term, or in larger amounts, could have risks. Apple cider vinegar should always be diluted with water or juice before swallowed. Pure apple cider vinegar could damage the tooth enamel and the tissues in your throat and mouth.
Always check with your doctor before using any natural alternatives to, or in conjunction with, medication.Your doctor can also make sure that the apple cider vinegar won't affect other health conditions or the effectiveness of the medicines you take.