Apple cider vinegar has been used as a health tonic for thousands of years. Research shows that apple cider vinegar has many health benefits, including lowering blood sugar. But is adding apple cider vinegar to your diet effective for weight loss? This article from Dr. Salam’s nutrition department has reviewed the research done on apple cider vinegar and weight loss.
What is apple cider vinegar?
Apple cider vinegar is prepared through two-stage fermentation. First, they cut or crush the apples. Then combine the apples with yeast to turn the sugar into alcohol. In the next step, bacteria added to the fermentation process convert alcohol into acetic acid. The production of this traditional material takes about a month. But unfortunately, apple cider vinegar prepared by factories has accelerated the production process and they prepare apple vinegar in just one day. Acetic acid is the main active ingredient in apple cider vinegar.
Acetic acid is also known as ethanoic acid, which is an organic compound with sour taste and pungent smell. About 5 to 6 percent of apple cider vinegar contains acetic acid. In addition, apple cider vinegar contains water and a small amount of other acids such as malic acid. One tablespoon (15 ml) of apple cider vinegar contains 3 calories and almost no carbohydrates.
Acetic acid and fat burning
Acetic acid is a short-chain fatty acid that dissolves in acetate and hydrogen in your body. Some animal studies show that the acetic acid in apple cider vinegar increases weight loss in several ways.
Read more: 5 facts about weight loss pills
Lowering blood sugar levels
In the experiment conducted on mice, it was found that acetic acid increases the ability of the liver to absorb sugar from the liver and muscles.
Decreased insulin levels
In a study conducted on mice, researchers found that acetic acid reduces the ratio of insulin to glucagon. When the said ratio goes down, fat burning occurs.
Improve metabolism
Acetic acid was used in the research conducted on mice. In the end, it was found that the AMPK enzyme increased. AMPK causes fat burning, reducing fat and sugar made in the liver.
Reduction of fat deposits
Researchers were able to treat obese and diabetic mice with acetic acid or acetate against weight gain. Also, acetic acid increases the expression of genes that reduce abdominal and liver fat reserves.
fat burning
In one study, rats fed a high-fat diet were given acetic acid. It was found that the genes responsible for fat burning were significantly increased in mice. As a result, the fat produced by the body was reduced.
loss of appetite
A study shows that acetate suppresses the appetite control center in the brain. By suppressing your appetite, you will consume fewer calories. Although the results obtained in animal studies seem promising, more research should be done in humans.
Increasing the feeling of satiety and reducing calorie intake
This ingredient helps you feel fuller. The result of feeling fuller is less calorie intake. In a small study, 11 people received this substance along with a high carbohydrate meal. The results showed that their blood sugar response was reduced by 55% up to one hour after the meal. Also, the participants in the study consumed 200 to 275 calories less during the rest of the day.
In addition to the effect of reducing the appetite of this substance, it is known that this substance slows down the emptying of the stomach. In another small study, it was found that consuming apple cider vinegar with a meal containing starch significantly reduced the rate of gastric emptying. Decreased stomach emptying rate leads to increased feeling of satiety, lower blood sugar and insulin levels.
However, some people have conditions where the use of this substance may have negative effects for them. Gastroparesis or delayed gastric emptying is one of the common complications of type 1 diabetes. Timing insulin with food intake becomes a problem for these people because it is difficult to predict how long blood sugar will rise after a meal.
Since this substance causes the food to remain in the stomach for a long time, using this substance in the meal will worsen the condition of diabetics. This substance helps to feel full by delaying the emptying of the stomach. This naturally leads to a reduction in caloric intake, but in some people with gastroparesis, it will worsen their condition.
Read more: Eat slowly until you feel full
Apple cider vinegar and weight and fat loss
The results of a human study show that apple cider vinegar has amazing effects on body weight and fat. A 12-week study was conducted on 144 obese Japanese adults who received 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, or a placebo drink. These people were also told to limit their alcohol consumption but to continue their diet and activity as before.
People who used 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar daily got the following results on average:
- Weight loss: 1. 2 kg
- Reduction of body fat percentage: 0. 7 percent
- Reducing the size of the abdomen: 1. 4 cm
- Triglyceride reduction: 26%
The changes of people who ate two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar daily are as follows:
- Weight loss: 1. 7 kg
- Reduction of body fat percentage: 0. 9 percent
- Reducing the size of the abdomen: 1. 9 percent
- Triglyceride reduction: 26%
Also, placebo drink group 0. He gained 4 kg of weight and a small amount was added to the size of their stomach circumference. According to this study, adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of this substance to the diet helps to lose weight. Also, the percentage of body fat and abdominal fat will decrease and blood triglycerides will decrease.
This was only one of the few studies that examined the effects of this substance for weight loss in humans. Although the study was conducted on a large scale and the results were promising, more studies are needed for a complete conclusion. In a research, mice were given a high-fat and high-calorie diet. The results showed that apple cider vinegar helps reduce fat absorption by 10%.
Other health benefits of apple cider vinegar
In addition to fat burning and weight loss, this substance has several other great health benefits:
Lower insulin and blood sugar
Studies show that when you consume this substance with a meal containing high carbohydrates, blood sugar and insulin levels will drop significantly.
Improve insulin sensitivity
A study conducted on people with type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance found that adding this ingredient to a high-carb meal improved insulin sensitivity by 34 percent.
Lowering of fasting blood sugar
In a study conducted on people with type 2 diabetes who consumed apple cider vinegar with a high protein breakfast, it was shown that their fasting blood sugar was reduced by 2 times.
Improvement of symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome
In a small study conducted on women with polycystic ovary syndrome, it was found that the use of this substance for 90-110 days causes the resumption of ovulation activity up to 57%. Researchers hypothesize that this improvement is due to reduced insulin resistance.
Read more: 6 signs of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Lower cholesterol levels
Research conducted on diabetic and normal mice showed that this substance increases the HDL of good cholesterol. Also, apple cider vinegar helps to reduce LDL, bad cholesterol and glyceride.
Lower blood pressure
Animal studies show that apple cider vinegar lowers blood pressure by inhibiting the enzymes responsible for constricting blood vessels.
Death of harmful bacteria and viruses
Apple cider vinegar fights bacteria that cause food poisoning. A study showed that this substance reduces 90% of some bacteria and 95% of some viruses. Adding apple cider vinegar to your diet has benefits for blood sugar, insulin, polycystic ovary syndrome, and cholesterol. Apple cider vinegar also fights bacteria and viruses.
How to add apple cider vinegar to your diet?
There are not many ways to add this substance in the diet. A simple method is to use apple cider vinegar with olive oil in salads. It tastes great especially when it is combined with green leafy vegetables, tomatoes and cucumbers. You can also use this material in the preparation of pickles or simply pour it into water and drink it. In order to lose weight and lose weight, pour 1 to 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into water and drink it.
It is better to divide the amount of apple cider vinegar you consume into two to three parts and drink it throughout the day. Also, the best time to consume apple cider vinegar is before meals. It is not recommended to consume more than 1 to 2 tablespoons of this substance per day because higher consumption will be harmful. It is also best to start with one teaspoon a day to see if you are comfortable with it.
Do not use more than one tablespoon at a time because it may cause nausea. It is very important to mix this substance with water because someone will burn your mouth and esophagus undiluted. Now, we want to mention the benefits of using apple cider vinegar so that you can get to know more about this amazing drink.
Benefits of apple cider vinegar
1. High acetic acid with powerful biological effect
Organic and unrefined apple cider vinegar contains protein, enzymes and useful bacteria, which are called mother, and this product has a cloudy and opaque appearance. Some people believe that the mother is responsible for most of the health benefits of this substance, but currently the consumption of this drink has not been confirmed in research.
There are only 3 calories in each tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, which is a very low number. This vinegar does not contain a lot of vitamins and minerals, but it contains a low amount of potassium. Also, quality apple cider vinegar contains some amino acids and antioxidants.
2. Killing harmful bacteria
Apple cider vinegar helps kill pathogens, including bacteria. Apple cider vinegar has traditionally been used to clean and disinfect, treat nail fungus, lice, warts, and eye infections. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, used apple cider vinegar to clean wounds about 2000 years ago.
Also, apple cider vinegar is used as a food preservative to prevent spoilage, and studies show that apple cider vinegar prevents the growth of bacteria such as E. coli in food and destroys them. If you are looking for a natural way to protect your food, then apple cider vinegar can be very useful. There are also reports that in ancient times diluted apple cider vinegar was used to treat acne, but there is no strong research to confirm this.
3. Lowering blood sugar and fighting diabetes
It can be said that until today, apple cider vinegar is the most successful medicine for type 2 diabetes patients. A high level of blood sugar causes the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, which can be due to insulin resistance or the inability to produce insulin. Even so, high blood sugar levels can cause problems for people who do not have diabetes. Researchers believe that high blood sugar is one of the main causes of aging and various chronic diseases.
Almost everyone knows that they can reap the benefits of keeping their blood sugar levels within a normal range. The most effective and healthy way to maintain a normal blood sugar level is to stay away from carbohydrates and refined sugars, but apple cider vinegar also has powerful effects. This substance improves insulin sensitivity by 19-34% during the consumption of a high-carbohydrate meal, as well as significantly lowers blood sugar and insulin response.
Studies show that this substance has numerous benefits for blood sugar and insulin levels:
- Blood sugar reduction up to 34% after eating 50 grams of white bread.
- Consuming 2 tablespoons of this substance before going to bed reduces fasting blood sugar in the morning by 4%.
Many other studies on humans show that this substance improves insulin action and lowers blood sugar levels after a meal. For this reason, apple cider vinegar is very useful for diabetics, pre-diabetics and people who want to keep their blood sugar levels low for other reasons. If you are currently using blood sugar-lowering medications, consult your doctor before using or increasing the amount of apple cider vinegar you receive.
