Is Apple Cider Vinegar a Cure for Everything?

Vinegar has been used for killing weeds, cleaning coffee maker, polishing silver and gold, making pickles and as a dressing for salads. Yummy for dying Easter eggs and use it to clean your windows. It is also a folk remedy that might just relieve any ailment.

Apple cider vinegar is a very nice heath tonic. It is sold in the condiment as well as the health supplement sections of the grocery store. Most of the folk medicine uses of vinegar are not really scientifically proven, but there are studies that hint of apple cider vinegar’s helpful proclivities for lowing blood sugar and helping lose weight.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Fermentation is a process where sugars in foods are broken down by yeasts and bacteria. The first state of fermentation turn the sugars into alcohol. As the alcohol ferments you get vinegar or sour wine. You can make vinegar from most fruits, vegetables and grains. Apple cider vinegar is made from pounded apples. Apple cider vinegar or any other vinegar for that matter, is acetic acid. Vinegar also has vitamins, minerals salts and amino acids.

In the recent diet and health fads, apple cider vinegar is used as a diet supplement. In the 1950s vinegar was touted to be a boon to good health. Apple cider vinegar has long been a folk remedy or a supplement to treat head lice, reverse aging, wash toxins from your body and ease your digestion. There is little backing, but drinking apple cider vinegar (on or two tablespoons diluted) have worked in enough instances that the claims are becoming legitimized.

Health Benefits  

A few studies do indicate that vinegar has promise for helping with certain ailments. Some of these are diabetes, high cholesterol, heart heath and blood pressure, cancer, and weight loss.

Apple cider’s benefit on lowering blood sugar is the best researched and most well-known of vinegar’s health benefits. Studies have found vinegar helps lower glucose levels. Two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in advance of going to bed lowers glucose concentrations in the morning by up to 6%.

High cholesterol has been lowered in lab rats by several points by administering a small amount of apple cider vinegar. No testing has been done on humans, however.

Weight loss is promoted by vinegar. In a 2005 analysis, it was discovered that those patients who sprinkled a small amount of vinegar on bread and ate it just before bedtime felt full.

Some laboratory studies have discovered that vinegar might just kill cancer cells or possibly slow their growth. There is one study that found eating or drinking vinegar decreased the risk of esophageal cancer.

Laboratory studies in rats found vinegar actually lowered high blood pressure. It has been found if you eat oil and vinegar dressing on salads at least five times a week, you will have lower rates of heart disease.

Risks

Just like everything else in medicine there can be side effects. Apple cider vinegar is highly acidic and can be quite harsh. Dilute apple cider vinegar with water of juice before taking to avoid damaging your tooth enamel and the tissues in your throat. Be careful, vinegar can cause contact burns to the skin. Long term use could cause low bone density and lower the potassium levels in your blood. If you are taking diuretics, laxatives or medication for diabetes and heart disease apple cider vinegar could react unfavorable. Be careful.

If you take insulin know that vinegar contains chromium which alters insulin levels.

If you use apple cider vinegar as a salad dressing, perfect. Taken as a daily medical treatment could be suspect. There are studies that are interesting but more research needs to be done. There is not enough evidence to date that any vinegar has a health benefit. Talk to your doctor before using apple cider vinegar. You need to be careful that your medicines and vinegar supplements do not counteract each other.

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HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our health risk assessment, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years.

Charo Austria
5. June 2016
Charo Austria
5. June 2016
Last month, i drink apple cider, morning in a empty stomach, afternoon @ dinner , but it seems its bud 4me, mu menstration this month became delayed, maybe bcoz of acid that interact the flow of blood, is that true?, tnx

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Written by HealthStatus
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HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our health risk assessment, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years.

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