Cider vinegar, a real way to stay and look younger?
Cider vinegar is everywhere. Everyone talks
about it and everyone seems to like it. Is it just a new hype or is cider
vinegar really amazing? Does apple cider vinegar have real health benefits?
First of all, there's nothing new here. Cider vinegar has been used as a natural remedy for health problems for a very long time. Actually, it's an old medicine. It seems that we are becoming more aware of these benefits these days, but they have always been there. It's a new discovery.
More and more people are trying to improve their lives by making healthier and more natural choices these days. That's why you'll see cider vinegar everywhere where we talk about health, food and natural remedies.
1-High acetic acid content, with strong
biological effects:
Unfiltered organic apple cider vinegar also contains "mother fibres", protein strands, enzymes and friendly bacteria that give the product a cloudy appearance.
Cider vinegar contains only about three calories per tablespoon, which is very low.
It does not contain many vitamins or minerals, but it has a high content of different minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, fluorine, sulphur, silica or iron. It therefore helps to recover those lost by sweat during an effort for example. Quality cider vinegar also contains amino acids and antioxidants.
Cider vinegar is made by fermenting the sugar in apples. This transforms them into acetic acid, which is the active ingredient in vinegar.
2- Can kill many types of harmful bacteria:
Vinegar can help kill pathogens, including bacteria.
It has traditionally been used to clean and disinfect, treat nail fungus, lice, warts and ear infections.
Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, used vinegar to clean wounds more than two thousand years ago.
Vinegar has also been used as a food preservative and studies have shown that it prevents bacteria (such as E. coli) from growing in food and spoiling it.
3- Lowers blood sugar and fights diabetes:
By far the most successful vinegar application to date is for patients with type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is characterized by high blood sugar levels due to insulin resistance or inability to produce insulin.
However, high blood sugar can also be a problem in people without diabetes. It is thought to be a major cause of aging and various chronic diseases.
Almost everyone should benefit from keeping their blood sugar levels in the normal range. The most effective (and healthy) way to do this is to avoid refined carbohydrates and sugar, but cider vinegar can also have a powerful effect.
Vinegar has been shown to have many benefits for blood glucose and insulin levels:
Improves insulin sensitivity during a carbohydrate-rich meal by 19 to 34% and significantly reduces blood sugar and insulin response.
Reduces blood sugar by 34% after eating 50 grams of white bread.
2 tablespoons of cider vinegar before bedtime can reduce fasting blood sugar by 4% in the morning.
Many other studies in humans show that vinegar can improve insulin function and lower blood sugar levels after meals.
For these reasons, vinegar can be useful for people with diabetes, prediabetes or those who want to keep their blood sugar low for other reasons.
If you are currently taking hypoglycemic medications, consult your doctor before increasing your vinegar intake.
4- helps to lose weight and reduces belly
fat:
Surprisingly, studies also show that vinegar can help you lose weight.
Several human studies show that vinegar can increase satiety, help you eat fewer calories and lead to actual weight loss on the scale.
For example, if people consume vinegar with a carbohydrate-rich meal, they feel an increased sense of fullness and end up consuming 200 to 275 fewer calories for the rest of the day.
A study of 175 obese people showed that daily consumption of apple cider vinegar resulted in a reduction in stomach fat and weight loss:
15 ml (1 tablespoon): lost 2.6 kg (1.2 kg).
30 ml (2 tablespoons): lost 3.7 pounds or 1.7 kg.
However, keep in mind that this study
lasted 3 months and that the true effects on body weight therefore seem rather
modest.
However, simply adding or subtracting isolated foods or ingredients rarely has a significant effect on weight. It is the whole diet/lifestyle that counts and you need to combine several effective methods to get results.
Overall, it appears that apple cider vinegar is useful as an aid to weight loss, mainly by promoting satiety and lowering blood sugar and insulin levels.
But it will not work alone.
5- Reduces cholesterol and improves heart
health:
Heart disease is currently the most common cause of premature death in the world.
Several biological factors are known to be associated with a decreased or increased risk of heart disease.
Many of these "risk factors" can be improved by vinegar consumption, but many of the studies have been carried out.
These studies suggest that cider vinegar can reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as several other risk factors for heart disease.
Some studies also show that vinegar reduces blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease and kidney problems, these studies have also shown that apple cider vinegar can lower blood sugar levels, improve insulin sensitivity and help fight diabetes. These factors should also reduce the risk of heart disease.
6-cider vinegar can have protective effects
against cancer:
Cancer is a terrible disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth.
In fact, many studies have shown that various types of vinegar can kill cancer cells and shrink tumours
However, all studies on this subject have been conducted in isolated cells in test tubes or rats, which does not prove anything about what happens in a living and breathing human being.
However, some observational studies in humans have shown that vinegar consumption is linked to a decrease in esophageal cancer in China, but an increase in bladder cancer in Serbia.
It is possible that apple cider vinegar consumption may help prevent cancer, but more research is needed before recommendations can be made.
Webography:
- Comparison of Cultivable Acetic Acid Bacterial Microbiota in Organic and Conventional Apple Cider Vinegar https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5105631/
- Antimicrobial activity of apple cider
vinegar against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans;
downregulating cytokine and microbial protein expression.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5788933/
-Anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory effects
of synthetic acid vinegar on high-fat-diet-induced obese mice. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5532206/
