20 Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

Key Takeaways

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a food preservative and flavoring agent that may have some health benefits. However, there is no concrete scientific evidence to support this.
Drinking large amounts of ACV can be harmful as it is highly acidic, so it can harm your teeth and irritate your throat.
While there is no concrete scientific evidence supporting the health benefits to drinking ACV, there is some evidence that it could help with weight loss, improve skin conditions, lower blood sugar, reduce acid reflux, lower risk for cardiovascular disease, improve gut health, and more.
Drinking diluted apple cider vinegar occasionally is harmless for most people. However, it is important to maintain a healthy diet and healthy lifestyle.

What is apple cider vinegar?

Apple cider vinegar (AVC) is a food preservative and flavoring agent. It is present in many products, such as salad dressings, marinades, and pickles. Besides its role as a kitchen staple, functional foods like apple cider vinegar are touted to have many health benefits, ranging from fighting germs to controlling blood sugar levels and promoting weight loss. There isn’t enough scientific proof to support all the health benefits of apple cider vinegar, but it is usually safe for most people when consumed in moderation. Please continue reading to find out more.

Is apple cider vinegar acetic acid?

Apple cider vinegar is considered a weak acid that is made up of 5-6% acetic acid. Apple cider vinegar is made in a two-step fermentation process. In the first step, apples are crushed, and yeast is added to the apple juice to turn the sugar content of apples into alcohol. After the sugars are converted to alcohol, natural bacteria called Acetobacter are used to convert the alcohol to vinegar (acetic acid). The raw, unfiltered, cloudy sediment is called the “mother.” The cloudy sediment of the raw form of ACV contains settled bacteria and yeast. Filtered apple cider vinegar is a clear liquid that is also pasteurized.

Is drinking apple cider vinegar good for the body?

Apple cider vinegar may have some health benefits. However, there is no concrete scientific evidence supporting the role of apple cider vinegar and its positive effects on various health conditions.

Is apple cider vinegar safe? What happens if you drink apple cider vinegar every day?

Drinking diluted apple cider vinegar occasionally is harmless for most people. You can incorporate apple cider vinegar into your diet through salad dressings, marinades, or pickles.

However, keep in mind that drinking undiluted apple cider vinegar or drinking large amounts of it can be harmful. Remember, apple cider vinegar is highly acidic, so it can harm your teeth and irritate your throat. A case report of osteoporosis (weak, brittle bones) and low blood potassium from drinking large amounts of apple cider vinegar, specifically, 8 ounces of diluted apple cider vinegar was consumed daily for 6 years. In addition, ACV can interact with your current medications, such as diuretics (water pills), insulin and other diabetes medications, and digoxin (a heart medicine). Also, ACV can also interact with certain dietary supplements, leading to unwanted adverse effects.

Last but not least, AVC may not be safe to be consumed if you have kidney disease. When someone has kidney disease, their kidneys may not be able to process the large amount of acid in ACV.

How much apple cider vinegar should I drink a day?

You should limit apple cider vinegar intake to no more than 1-2 tablespoons a day. To make diluted apple cider vinegar, add 1–2 tablespoons (15-30 mL) to a glass of water (240 mL). The rule of thumb is adding at least 5 to 10 parts of water to 1 part of ACV.

What are the 20 benefits of apple cider vinegar?

Here are the top 20 health benefits of apple cider vinegar:

Lower blood sugar

Apple cider vinegar may help in lowering blood sugar. A meta-analysis in 2021 reviewed 9 studies and found that ACV consumption may be beneficial for adults with diabetes and high blood lipids. However, the authors of the meta-analysis note that findings should be interpreted with caution due to the limitations of this meta-analysis. Remember, apple cider vinegar will not cure your diabetes, and it is not a substitute for a healthy lifestyle or medical treatment for diabetes. You should not stop taking your diabetes medications, and check with your doctor to make sure that it is safe to consume ACV with your current medications.

Lower blood triglycerides

Apple cider vinegar may decrease serum triglyceride levels (triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood). However, ACV has no significant effect on LDL-C (low-density lipoprotein or bad cholesterol), total cholesterol, or HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein or good cholesterol).

Aid weight loss

Apple cider vinegar has been studied for its effects on weight management in overweight or obese subjects. There is no strong evidence that ACV can help you lose weight. One randomized clinical trial in obese Japanese subjects showed that consuming 1 tablespoon of ACV a day for 3 months resulted in weight loss, reduced body fat mass, and lowered triglyceride levels without significant adverse effects. However, experts warn that there is no substitute for a healthy diet (restricted calorie diet) and regular exercise. Therefore, it may be beneficial to incorporate the recommended amount of ACG into your daily routine along with a balanced, restricted-calorie diet and regular exercise. With any weight management therapy, medication must be used as part of a comprehensive approach consisting of exercise and eating fewer calories. Always check with your healthcare provider to make sure ACV is safe for you.

May suppress appetite

Some short-term studies suggest that vinegar suppresses appetite. However, these results have not been reproduced in long-term studies. More research is needed to say whether apple cider vinegar can safely increase feelings of satiety, lead to long-term appetite suppression, and decrease caloric intake.

Antibacterial properties

Researchers have found that a combination of vinegar and lemon juice has beneficial effects on harmful bacteria. This is why ACV or vinegar, in general, has a role as a food preservative. Studies have discovered ACV’s antimicrobial effects against E. Coli, S. aureus, and C. albicans. More research is necessary to gain more understanding regarding this mechanism against certain bacterial strains and the potential benefit from ACV supplementation

May control high blood pressure

Small animal studies in rats have shown that vinegar can reduce systolic blood pressure, blood triglycerides, and cholesterol. However, there isn’t enough data from human studies to support this effect.

May lower risk of cardiovascular disease

ACV may have a potential role in lowering blood cholesterol, including total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL, the bad cholesterol), and triglycerides, while increasing high-density lipoprotein (HDL, the good cholesterol). High blood cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for developing heart attack, heart disease, and stroke.

However, more research is essential to learn about the role of ACV in improving heart health.

May reduce acid reflux

It sounds counterintuitive to treat acid reflux with apple cider vinegar, but there have been claims about the role of ACV in relieving heartburn symptoms. Keep in mind there is no published medical research, and drinking apple cider vinegar can potentially make heartburn worse by irritating the food pipe.

May control varicose veins

An article published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine in 2016 found that external application of ACV on varicose veins leads to improvement of symptoms such as swelling, cramps and pain. Notably, the participants of this study are instructed to elevate their legs at a 45-degree angle with ACV being applied topically. Therefore, this study's results are not conclusive, as elevation of the legs may play a role in reducing the symptoms of varicose veins.

While it may not be harmful to apply ACV on the legs, keep in mind that sometimes ACV can cause skin burn and irritation.

May whiten teeth

Apple cider vinegar has antibacterial and bleaching effects and could help to reduce plaque and stains from teeth. However, the acids in apple cider vinegar can cause erosion of the tooth enamel. The risk of serious teeth damage definitely outweighs the benefits of using ACV as a teeth whitening agent.

May treat dandruff

Laboratory experiments have shown that apple cider vinegar has antifungal properties. One of the potential health benefits of ACV is reducing dandruff by preventing fungal growth on the scalp, balancing the pH, and stimulating the shedding of dead skin cells.

May treat acne

Apple cider vinegar has antibacterial properties. External application of ACV can potentially kill the bacteria that cause acne. However, apple cider vinegar soaks were not found to improve skin barrier function and caused skin irritation in the majority of people.

May boost energy

Taking 750 milligrams (mg) or more of acetic acid supplements daily could have many health benefits, including stabilized blood glucose levels, which may help to prevent energy slumps and crashes. However, not all apple cider vinegar supplements contain 750 mg of acetic acid.

May improve gut health

Raw apple cider vinegar has gut-friendly bacteria and may work as a natural probiotic to improve gut health. However, there is no evidence to support ACV’s role as a probiotic to support digestive health.

May prevent the growth of Candida

Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungus that can grow out of control (this is commonly called a yeast infection). In the lab, ACV has been found to have antifungal activity against C. albicans, but it is unclear whether this effect is present in the human body. There is no specific research supporting the use of apple cider vinegar soaks for toenail fungus or ACV supplements for oral thrush or vaginal yeast infections.

May treat denture stomatitis

Due to the antifungal properties of ACV against Candida, it could be a treatment for denture stomatitis (redness, swelling, and pain in the mouth, which is common in denture wearers). However, again, the effects of the acidic ACV on tooth enamel may prevent its use for this health condition.

May eliminate head lice

There are anecdotal reports of apple cider vinegar helping to eliminate head lice. However, studies have found that vinegar is one of the least effective home remedies for lice.

May burn warts

Apple cider vinegar may be used to destroy warts and cause them to fall off, similar to salicylic acid. However, extreme caution is advised when applying ACV directly to the skin because it can cause chemical burns.

May provide eczema relief

Healthy skin is naturally slightly acidic; however, this is not the case for the skin of people who have eczema. Due to the acidic nature of ACV, it’s believed that the application of ACV can promote a balanced pH, thus, provide eczema relief. Notably, a study in 2019 found that ACV application does not improve skin health in the 22 participants with eczema. Skin irritation was also noted. Talk to your dermatologist before using ACV for skin benefits to prevent skin burn and irritation.

May treat kidney stones

A 2016 study leads to findings that support the relationship between high intake of dietary potassium and kidney stone prevention. Since ACV contains potassiums, there are claims that it can help prevent the formation of kidney stones. However, there is no scientific evidence supporting the role of ACV in kidney stone prevention. Also, if you have kidney disease, accumulation of acid in the body can happen because the impaired kidney cannot process a large amount of acid.

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