APPLE CIDER VINEGAR:

HELP OR HYPE?
BY: MADDY MOORE
 WHY I CHOSE THIS TOPIC…
• I’ve been seeing all kinds of social media endorsements for apple
cider vinegar and its “miraculous results” for weight loss

• I wanted to look deeper into the science/nutrition behind these

claims
 QUESTIONS…

• Has anyone else heard that apple cider vinegar can

help you lose weight?

• Has anyone ever tried straight apple cider vinegar

before?
 HOW IS APPLE CIDER VINEGAR MADE?
• Fermentation of sugar from apples
• Makes an alcohol

• Add bacteria to the alcohol

• Makes acetic acid

• It’s the acetic acid that is given the credit for apple cider vinegar’s health benefits
• Lowers blood glucose, regulates lipid metabolism, weight loss
 STIPULATIONS WITH
VINEGAR USAGE
• Acidity
• Better effects associated with higher acidity
• Safest acidity to consume = 4-7%
• Timing
• Works best when ingesting prior to a meal
• Meal
• Works best when ingested before a high glycemic meal (complex carbohydrates)
• Will not be as effective with a meal of monosaccharides
• Dosage
• 10 grams of vinegar a day can have a 23-28% reduction in postprandial blood glucose
• Safest dosage = 2 Tablespoons of vinegar diluted with water per day
 GASTRIC EMPTYING RATE
• Prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 114 participants who consumed
30mL of apple cider vinegar once a day for 8 weeks
• Apple cider vinegar slows gastric emptying rate
• Inhibits stimulation of intestinal receptors which would weaken peristalsis
• Slower gastric emptying means that post-meal blood glucose levels will be lower
• Not as effective as it could be due to the release of neutralizing factors (secretin &
bicarbonates)
• Effectiveness is determined by the individualized response of the body…
• Rate of acetic acid transference from the stomach to the small intestine
• Rate of bicarbonate release
 DISACCHARIDASE ACTIVITY

• Disaccharidases – enzymes that break down disaccharides into monosaccharides

• Ex: Sucrase breaks sucrose down into glucose and fructose

• Apple cider vinegar suppresses carbohydrate absorption in the small intestine by

suppressing disaccharidase
• Causes an antiglycemic effect (lowers blood glucose)
 LIVER/SKELETAL MUSCLE GLUCOSE
PRODUCTION

• Animal study done on rats

• Apple cider vinegar enhances fatty acid utilization instead of using glucose as energy
• Promotes the conversion of glucose to glycogen in the liver and skeletal muscle
• Utilizes the AMPK Pathway
• “Mediates glucose uptake and free fatty acid oxidation in skeletal muscle and inhibits
gluconeogenesis, glycolysis, lipogenesis, and cholesterol formation in the liver” (Chen
et al., 2016)
• Decreases blood glucose and increases lipid sensitivity
AMPK PATHWAY
 TYPE 2 DIABETES

• Apple cider vinegar’s effect on Type 2 Diabetes

• Type 2 Diabetes – individuals who can produce insulin, but their body is insulin resistant; not
able to utilize the insulin properly; hyperglycemic
• Insulin – stores glucose as glycogen
• Increases insulin sensitivity; lowers insulin resistance
• Ingesting apple cider vinegar before bed can help regulate fasting plasma glucose in the morning
 LIPID METABOLISM REGULATION

• Participants ingested 30mL of apple cider vinegar twice a day for 8

weeks
• Apple cider vinegar can help heart health by…
• Lower total plasma cholesterol
• Lower triglyceride levels
• Lower LDL cholesterol
• Increase HDL cholesterol
 WEIGHT LOSS

• Double-blind, placebo-controlled study on 155 obese participants ingesting 15 mL over a 12-

week period
• Apple cider vinegar showed to influence the decrease in body weight, waist circumference, body
fat mass, and body mass index as early as week 4 of the study
• Reduces lipogenesis
• Inhibits conversion of glucose to fatty acid in the liver
• Increase lipolysis via fat oxidation
• Increase energy expenditure
• Decreases calorie intake
• Increases satiety
CHART (ARTICLE TWO)
 STIPULATIONS OF WEIGHT LOSS…

• The participants did lose weight, but it was very minimal for a 12-week span
• After completing the trials, patients quickly returned to initial values in body weight, body mass
index, waist circumference and body fat mass
• Apple cider vinegar administration would have to be continuous to keep results
 NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS OF APPLE
CIDER VINEGAR
• Reviewed 13 human clinical studies done on the “impact of vinegar on health” to find any
possible negative effects
• In one study, 50% of the participants experienced at least one of the following…
• Increased burping
• Irregular bowel movement
• Acid reflux
• Some studies showed that apple cider vinegar could cause damage to the esophagus
• Taking more than recommended amount to try to lose more weight
• Incomplete swallowing of apple cider vinegar

• Another study showed that apple cider vinegar could cause damage to teeth enamel
• Caused bleaching and hypersensitivity
• Taking more than recommended amount

• Risk of hypoglycemia
RECOMMENDATIONS TO AVOID SIDE EFFECTS

• Tablet form of apple cider vinegar is less likely to cause adverse effects
• Be sure to still consume with plenty of water

• No higher than 4-7% acidity

• 2 Tablespoons a day diluted with water can help fight against cardiovascular disease,
hyperglycemia, and obesity
 WHAT DO I RECOMMEND?

• For an athlete… I do not recommend drinking apple cider vinegar

• Limits blood glucose (main energy system for most sports)

• For those with Type 2 Diabetes… I do recommend drinking apple cider vinegar
• Increases insulin sensitivity and lowers insulin resistance
• Helps regulate fasting plasma glucose
• Fights against hyperglycemia

• Overall… larger-scale, longer-term studies need to be done to confirm health claims

MY QUESTION…
WHAT IS ONE POTENTIAL SIDE EFFECT OF
INGESTING APPLE CIDER VINEGAR?
 SOURCES

CHEN, H., CHEN, T., GIUDICI, P., & CHEN, F. (2016). VINEGAR FUNCTIONS ON HEALTH: CONSTITUENTS, SOURCES, AND
FORMATION MECHANISMS. COMPREHENSIVE REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND FOOD SAFETY, 15(6), 1124–
1138. HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.1111/1541-4337.12228
GUNNERS, KRIS. (2020). 6 PROVEN BENEFITS OF APPLE CIDER VINEGAR.
HTTPS://WWW.HEALTHLINE.COM/NUTRITION/6-PROVEN-HEALTH-BENEFITS-OF-APPLE-CIDER-VINEGAR
LAUNHOLT, T. L., KRISTIANSEN, C. B., & HJORTH, P. (2020). SAFETY AND SIDE EFFECTS OF APPLE VINEGAR INTAKE AND
ITS EFFECT ON METABOLIC PARAMETERS AND BODY WEIGHT: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. EUROPEAN JOURNAL
OF NUTRITION, 59(6), 2273–2289. HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.1007/S00394-020-02214-3
PETSIOU, E. I., MITROU, P. I., RAPTIS, S. A., & DIMITRIADIS, G. D. (2014). EFFECT AND MECHANISMS OF ACTION OF
VINEGAR ON GLUCOSE METABOLISM, LIPID PROFILE, AND BODY WEIGHT. NUTRITION REVIEWS, 72(10),
651–661. HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.1111/NURE.12125