Does apple cider vinegar really aid digestion and weight loss?
Experts say you can safely skip this trend.
Apple cider vinegar is said to improve digestion, reduce bloating, and lower blood sugar levels.
Among other claims, the Norwegian health food chain Sunkost wrote that drinking a glass of water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar could aid in weight loss when combined with a healthy diet.
After we contacted them to find out if they had any documentation supporting these claims, Sunkost revised their article.
On social media and elsewhere online, more and more people continue to swear by the apple cider vinegar trend.
But researchers are sceptical.
“I’m not sure what miracles apple cider vinegar can perform,” Bjørn Steen Skålhegg writes in an email to sciencenorway.no.
He is a professor of molecular nutrition at the University of Oslo and has conducted research on the effects of fasting.
Skålhegg says many of the claims about apple cider vinegar lack documentation.
Hoax or fact?
To save you from having to navigate the internet's jungle of information and misinformation, we'll let Skålhegg address some of the claims about apple cider vinegar that pop up when you search online.
1. Apple cider vinegar can prevent acid reflux and an upset stomach
Until recently, Sunkost claimed this in their article 'Apple cider vinegar for good digestion and weight loss.' The article has now been removed but can still be accessed through the Internet Archive (link in Norwegian).
“Acid reflux is regulated by the muscles between the upper part of the stomach and the oesophagus. A common cause of acid reflux is that the closing mechanism between the stomach and the oesophagus is too weak,” Skålhegg explains, adding:
“This cannot be fixed with apple cider vinegar.”
All food and drink stimulate the production of stomach acid. He explains that apple cider vinegar does as well.
2. Apple cider vinegar can help with weight loss
The Norwegian version of Science Illustrated, Illustrert Vitenskap, writes that studies suggest vinegar may help people lose weight.
But Skålhegg says that there is a lack of documentation to support this.
Professor Robert H. Shmerling also writes on the Harvard Health Publishing's website that there is little evidence that apple cider vinegar leads to weight loss.
'If you are trying to lose weight, adding apple cider vinegar to your diet probably won't do the trick,' writes Shmerling.
He refers to a 2009 study of 175 people who drank 1 to 2 tablespoons of vinegar daily for three months. They lost between 1 and 2 kilograms and had a lower percentage of body fat, according to the study.
Shmerling also cites a study of 39 people who tried to lose weight through a 12-week low-calorie diet. Half of the group drank apple cider vinegar daily and lost a little more weight than those who did not.
'This one was quite small and short-term,' writes Shmerling.
The American researcher concludes that, overall, there is little convincing scientific evidence that apple cider vinegar leads to sustained weight loss.
3. Apple cider vinegar can lower blood sugar
Shmerling also writes that apple cider vinegar may affect how food is absorbed in the intestines, which could help lower blood sugar levels after a meal.
But Skålhegg says this cannot be confirmed.
“There's no documentation that apple cider vinegar can lower blood sugar,” he writes.
4. Apple cider vinegar is a vitamin bomb
This claim appeared in a 2004 article from Nettavisen, a Norwegian online news site.
“This is false,” says Skålhegg.
According to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority's food table, 100 grams of apple cider vinegar contains less than 10 milligrams of calcium, iron, and magnesium. This amounts to only 1 to 2 per cent of the recommended daily intake for an average person between 18 and 70 years old.
Beyond that, its vitamin content is nearly nonexistent.
Apple cider vinegar is 99 per cent water and contains almost no nutrients.
So, it is not a vitamin bomb.
Sunkost updates their article
When we contacted Sunkost to see if they could document some of the claims about apple cider vinegar on their website, they chose to remove the article.
“We recognise that some of the content in the article you referred to may be perceived as incorrect,” Live Kjenner, marketing director at Sunkost, writes in an email to sciencenorway.no.
The original article claimed that apple cider vinegar could help with bloating, heartburn, weight loss, and digestion.
“The article is now being updated and will focus on apple cider vinegar's properties as a support for normal digestion, linked to its content of lactic acid bacteria,” she says.
You can read the updated article here (link in Norwegian).
Use with caution
Despite a vast amount of research, there is little documentation supporting the health benefits of apple cider vinegar.
For this reason, you should be cautious with excessive use of the so-called 'miracle drink.'
Large doses of apple cider vinegar, as well as regular vinegar, can cause stomach and intestinal issues, according to Jacob Juel Christensen, who researches diet and atherosclerosis at the University of Oslo.
“Most of the controlled studies on apple cider vinegar have major methodological weaknesses and are not suitable for making recommendations,” says Christensen.
However, a moderate amount in dishes is not dangerous, he says.
References:
Khezri et al. Beneficial effects of Apple Cider Vinegar on weight management, Visceral Adiposity Index and lipid profile in overweight or obese subjects receiving restricted calorie diet: A randomized clinical trial, Journal of Functional Foods, vol. 43, 2018. DOI: 10.1016/j.jff.2018.02.003
Kondo et al. 'Vinegar Intake Reduces Body Weight, Body Fat Mass, and Serum Triglyceride Levels in Obese Japanese Subjects', BioScience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, vol. 73, 2014. DOI: 10.1271/bbb.90231 (Abstract)
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Translated by Nancy Bazilchuk
Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no
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