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Apple Cider Vinegar! Can it help with fat loss? Is there any truth to the many health benefits that you hear it has? What does the science say?

I want to touch on ACV for fat loss, lowering blood sugar, assisting insulin sensitivity, being a natural antibiotic, & improving digestion.

First off, really quick, what is ACV?

You take apples, crush them down, and drain the liquid. You then add yeast & bacteria to the liquid which turns it to vinegar.

The part of ACV that is supposed to make it more special is “with the mother”. This comes from unfiltered ACV. I haven’t been able to find any research that proves that this actually makes any difference.

Most of the health benefits are really focused around vinegar or acetic acid in general. So, you can use any type of vinegar (white, balsamic, etc) and still get the same benefits I’m discussing.

Vinegar for fat loss: There was a study done using 175 obese subjects. Group 1 was given no vinegar. Group 2 was given 1 tbsp vinegar per day. Group 3 was given 2 tbsp vinegar per day. This was monitored over a 12 week period. Group 2 and 3 did see more fat loss over the 12 week period. The total amount was around 4-5 lbs of total weight loss over 12 week period.

Vinegar for lowering blood sugar and assisting with insulin sensitivity: There was a solid impact on blood sugar and insulin sensitivity both. The biggest impact here was seen in people with diabetes and pre-diabetes over healthy individuals. But, there might be some impact on this helping healthy individuals to better prevent diabetes though more studies would be needed.

Vinegar for an antibacterial like impact: Yes, this is true and it can potentially help with issues like SIBO.

Vinegar for digestion: Vinegar can help increase acidity of the stomach. This increase in acid can assist in digestion and absorption of nutrients.

There are health benefits from ingesting vinegar, but understand it isn’t a magical cure all. It can potentially help with digestion, nutrient absorption & being a natural antibiotic. As far as fat loss, you might see some slight benefit (if you’re already overweight). As far as blood sugar and insulin sensitivity, you might see some benefit (if you’re diabetic or pre-diabetic).

Overall, I think daily vinegar can definitely be beneficial as long as you understand that it can be used as a supplement (as in supplementing your nutrition and exercise).

If you choose to take vinegar daily I would recommend 1-2 tbsp per day.

Taking it at any point will still have benefits, but my personal recommendation is to take it before meals. This may be the best to help assist in digestion.

The best method of using it seems to be smaller doses 2-3x/day. But taking it once per day can still have good benefits.