Experts Share The Reality Behind Apple Cider Vinegar And Its Wild Impact On The Body

These days, you can hardly go online without seeing someone claim a wondrous outcome from drinking tons of apple cider vinegar. ACV’s like a magical elixir that makes the rich and beautiful enjoy stellar health and wellbeing, apparently. And it’s not just celebs – some trained medics join them in the hype. But what’s the truth about ACV?

So many benefits

The list of purported benefits is as long as your arm. It fights diabetes. It’ll help you lose weight. It’ll lower your blood pressure. It’ll even make your skin glow as though you’d swallowed a table lamp, battling acne into the bargain. It can even cure cancer – or so they say.

Truth or fiction?

But can ACV really be the panacea that some think it to be? Or is it just the latest snake oil, ineffective against any of the complaints that vinegar-sippers claim it helps with? Can there really be any benefit from sour fruit juice, or should it just be tipped away – or at least restricted to flavoring a salad?

Supposed benefits

Talking of salad, one of the claims made of ACV is that it’ll slay bacteria if you douse your green stuff with it. And if you swig it, it’ll rid you of soreness in your throat and make swollen veins disappear. It can cut your weight and help your heart stay healthy, and you can apparently use it to keep your hair free of dandruff as well!

Anti-cancer properties

One of the more extreme claims is that it can help in the fight against cancer. And some research projects have certainly shown that pouring vinegar directly onto cancer cells doesn’t do the cells any good. Mind you, it’s pretty hard to imagine how you could apply vinegar onto a cancer within the human body.

Alkaline composition

Less dramatically, ACV’s often used as to combat the common cold. The idea is that it might promote the production of alkalines in the body. These eradicate bacteria and viruses, which prefer acidic surroundings. A nice thought, but there’s no science to support the concept.

Sour wine

Whether ACV helps with a common cold or not, it is certainly acidic. It might not be the strongest vinegar given its light and fresh taste, but it’s still got that acid tang. That comes from acetic acid, the ingredient that makes all vinegar sour. In fact, the English word “vinegar” derives from the French vin aigre, simply translated as “sour wine.

Converted to acid

Of course, ACV isn’t made from wine, and actually it’s not really made from apple cider, either. It’s created from apple juice by putting in some yeast. The latter ferments the liquid’s sugars, which produces alcohol. But you won’t get drunk on ACV! No, that’s because bacteria move in and break down the alcohol, converting it into acid.

"The mother"

Once the vinegar’s been made, it’s left containing strands of a substance known as “mother.” This is just the remnants of the bacteria – called acetobacter – and the yeast that created it. Some believe that the mother’s what produces all the health benefits of ACV. Sometimes, though, it’ll be filtered out of the ACV to leave a clearer product.

Add to tea or water

ACV can be utilized in all sorts of ways. It’s often employed in cooking and dressing salads, and it can be handy for bakery items as well. Sometimes it’ll be used as a preservative, such as when pickling. People don’t usually drink it neat, but they’ll throw a couple of teaspoons into tea or water.

Kim's favorite

Among those who talk up ACV is Kim Kardashian. The superstar posted about her love of the liquid on Instagram in May 2019. She wrote about an unfiltered and organic product called Bragg’s ACV and a book that the firm had published. Kim told her fans, “My grandma sent me this book, and this is her little health trick, so I’m going to start drinking it.”

Sticking with the routine

Kim isn’t the only Kardashian who swears by ACV, either. No, sister Kourtney also indulges by having a tablespoon full as the day begins. She wrote on her website in 2018, “These habits have a ton of health benefits that affect everything from your skin to the way your body processes nutrients.” So much so that Kourtney has a further dose of ACV prior to dinner.

Adult sippy cup

Actress Kate Walsh is another who enjoys ACV, as she told Us magazine in November 2018. She said, “I put lemon in it and apple cider vinegar in it. I have literally a half gallon jug sippy cup thing that has a built-in straw that I bring everywhere, and it’s my adult sippy cup.”

Morning shot

Diluting it with water doesn’t appeal to Hilary Duff, though. The former Disney star shared with the Well+Good website that she just whacks the stuff back neat. “I’ll just shoot it straight in the morning. People think it’s gross,” she admitted. “But I kind of like the taste.”

ACV smoothies

Neat ACV might appeal to Duff, but Bachelor in Paradise star Ashley Iaconetti likes its flavor to be somewhat masked. In October 2018 she informed Us, “I’ve been really trying to incorporate a lot more apple cider vinegar in smoothies.” And model Miranda Kerr said to Vogue magazine in 2016 that her favorite salad comes dressed with ACV.

Taste doesn't always matter

Kerr seems to thrive on her ACV-doused salad, and Katy Perry’s another who puts her wellbeing down to the sour stuff. “I was drinking strange green juices and apple cider vinegar my whole childhood,” she informed the Self website in 2016. “My mom made sure that whatever was put into my body was good for my body. I really am glad for that, even though it was disgusting.”

Effective skin control

And celebs don’t just swig the vinegar. Scarlett Johansson smears it on her face, as she discussed with Elle UK magazine in 2013. She said, “If your skin is problematic or you’re having a lot of breakouts, it’s really healing. It’s a little bit stinky but if you’re not sleeping over at your boyfriend’s, it’s really effective!”

Healing effects

ScarJo isn’t alone in thinking that ACV makes for a great skincare product. Some use it to battle acne. That’s because the acid in the vinegar might be effective in tackling Propionobacterium acnes – the microbe that causes the skin complaint. There could be something in it, too. Healthline referenced research in 2016 showing that another acidic lotion helped cut acne for most participants.

Foot cleanse

And it isn’t just faces that can benefit. Dipping your feet in a bowlful of water with a healthy sploosh of vinegar may be effective. Because it’s good at killing off microbes, the vinegar can rid feet of warts and help them smell sweeter. It can even help with athlete’s foot, since it offs fungi too. Take care, though: you don’t want to get acid into any cuts that you might have.

Pre-shampoo

Health-food booster Paul Bragg claims there’s a use for ACV at the other end of your body, too. He says that it can keep your hair on! Yes, it’s supposed to contain enzymes and acids that are fatal to bottle bacillus. This tiny villain makes our hair too thin. If you want to give it a try, water it down to half-strength first, and use before shampooing.

Anti-microbial

With feet and head cared for, next up’s the rest of your body. Yes, you can use ACV as a deodorant, as it’ll kill the microbes that cause the pong. And if you have any left over after bathing yourself in the delicious scent of sour apples, you can also use it to wash your fruit in, ridding it of nasties. The same principle makes pickling a good way to keep veggies edible long after they would’ve turned bad if left alone.

Vegan egg substitute

The website Madhuram’s Eggless Cooking has an intriguing use for ACV. It claims that one tablespoon of the vinegar plus another of baking soda produce the same results as a single egg – meaning you can bake without restraint even if you’re vegan. And if you do eat eggs, ACV helps their shells stay uncracked if you boil them.

Around-the-house uses

Outside of cooking, there are plenty of other ways to use ACV. You can replace some of the chemicals you might use in cleaning with it, for instance. It’ll take on the toughest of tasks, even ridding your tables of those white marks that can be so frustrating. And, of course, it’s perfect for cleaning your windows.

Potent herbicide

And if you are looking at cutting down on potentially harmful chemicals, weed killers might well be on the “to be replaced” list. You’re in luck here, too: ACV makes a potent herbicide. Simply blend a couple of cups of it with a half-cup of Epsom salt, and voila. Look out weeds! Be a little cautious, though: it’s powerful enough to take out the plants you actually want to grow as well.

Not necessarily backed by science

But you might be asking yourself: “If this stuff can kill off bugs, can it really be all that healthy?” Well, science has some answers for us. Health guru Rachel Berman shared her view with Us magazine in May 2019, stating, “There aren’t any clear studies to substantiate these claims.” It’s not all negative, though.

Potential cancer prevention

ACV does have plenty of nutrients, generally the ones you’ll find in apple cider. Among them are vitamins, particularly B and C. Importantly, they also include polyphenols, which make your cells more durable. Damaged cells are a cause of cancer, so at a stretch you might even consider that this helps prevent cancer.

Lower rates

It’s a stretch, though. As we noted, vinegar can destroy cancer cells, but it isn’t possible to just soak tumors in ACV. A Chinese research project did show that esophageal cancer was lower in those who enjoyed a lot of vinegar. Mind you, that was vinegar made from rice, and doctors don’t advise you to try warding off cancer by gargling ACV.

Weight loss link?

Slightly more secure is ACV’s relationship with weight loss. Research conducted in 2012 discovered that women who enjoyed a cup of the sour stuff every day dropped more pounds than those who didn’t. Further studies have shown that ACV might diminish hunger. But the science may a bit too scanty to say definitively that the vinegar will lead to you dropping pounds.

Cholesterol destroyer

Even so, a 2018 study showed the same kind of results. Those who drank ACV lost more weight on a calorie-restricted diet than people who didn’t. The amount consumed was a couple of tablespoons with dinner and lunch. They managed to cut their cholesterol as well. So perhaps there’s something in ACV as a weight-loss aid.

Better than dressing

One way that ACV can certainly help cut the calories is if you use it instead of some of the less healthy dressings that we put on salads. Berman told Us, “[If] it replaces salad dressing that is high in artificial or highly processed ingredients, great!” And she suggested that diluted and flavored with the likes of cayenne pepper or lemon, you could very well drink it.

Bacteria killer

And if you’re putting it on your salad, you might well be getting any germs under control. A 2005 study concluded that when ACV and lemon juice together were added to lettuce that’d been contaminated with salmonella, the bacteria was cut to nothing. Mind you, while it might help with dodgy romaine, we wouldn’t advise trying it with raw chicken.

Packed full of vitamin C

Berman agreed that ACV has more to offer. She said, “ACV does contain antioxidants and probiotics.” And it has plenty of vitamin C, which will boost your immune system and give blood vessels more durability. Research has even shown that it might assist some bacteria-beating cells. Yet dietician Samantha Cassetty noted on Today’s website in June 2020 that immune systems are too complex to have simple fixes.

Vinegar's effect on the stomach

Another area that ACV’s helpful in is controlling blood sugar. Multiple research projects have shown that it can cut blood sugar after you eat a lot of carbs. It achieves this by slowing the gut’s intake of the carbs. Berman cautions that this is true of “any kind of vinegar,” though, and that it “may interact with medications.”

Caution advised

This ability to lower blood sugar might make it useful in treating diabetes. But it isn’t enough simply to swig vinegar, and then you can bin your meds. It might help as an addition to your treatment, but not as a replacement. And it isn’t advised at all if you suffer from kidney problems.

Not enough evidence

So there do seem to be some real health benefits – but that doesn’t mean every claim is true. For instance, ACV isn’t any good at cutting high blood pressure. There’s a research project showing that vinegar-guzzling rats had lower blood pressure than rats who’d consumed none. Rats aren’t human beings, though, and that’s way too little evidence to throw away the blood pressure meds.

Keep the mother

And if you do want to get some good out of ACV, you probably need the cloudy stuff. If it’s been filtered, it won’t have any of the “mother.” That’s the stuff that has most of the goodness in it, packed as it is with bacteria and enzymes. Plus filtering often involves pasteurization, which rids the vinegar of bacteria, good or bad.

Not for those with kidney problems

There’s a downside to ACV, too. If you drink it neat, you’re risking the teeth’s enamel, which is liable to dissolve in the vinegar’s acid. That same acid makes it something to be avoided by those suffering from kidney conditions, since the damaged organs mightn’t cope well with the vinegar.

Not a meal replacement

As we’ve mentioned, ACV isn’t a replacement for meds. And it also may interfere with some of them. For instance, drugs for cardiac conditions or diabetes may be affected. The same goes for laxatives or medication that reduces the amount of water in your body. There’s the potential for it to lower potassium, too, which is vital for the functioning of nerves and muscles.

Products can't detox

It’s also not necessarily a good thing to try to use ACV to flush out toxins. As Berman explained to Us, “There’s a big red flag whenever a product claims to ‘detox’ your body – that’s what your organs like your liver and kidneys are for!” The message is that it’s a help to your body, not a replacement for the systems that work within it.

Benefits outweigh the negative

And that’s the answer to our question. Yes, ACV actually does have some benefits to your health. It also tastes good! At least, when you don’t drink it neat. It also has no calories, so it fits in any diet. As long as you don’t have kidney disease, it’ll probably do you some good – though it clearly isn’t a magical elixir after all.