8 Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
Have you ever heard about the benefits of apple cider vinegar, and drinking a tablespoon a day of it? If you haven’t, you should know that it has many more benefits than just dressing salads.
How apple cider vinegar is made
This vinegar is made through a long fermentation process of carbohydrates such as grapes, potatoes, coconut, beetroot and apples. It’s a long and slow process that seeks to conserve bioactive compounds. These include acetic acid, gallic acid, catechin, epicatechin and caffeic acid, among others.
The purpose of this is to ensure that this vinegar has antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. When the fermentation time is long, the vinegar develops a sort of “spider web” that gives it a cloudy effect. This indicates that it is of higher quality, as this is the ideal moment to consume apple cider vinegar.
However, it is normally filtered and pasteurized so that it has the crystal clear look that we are used to seeing in vinegar in the supermarket.
1. Benefits of apple cider vinegar: reduces acidity
This means that it is ideal for reducing the acidity of your body. Furthermore, drinking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar helps to prevent serious illnesses like cancer.
Don’t forget that a diet high in fats, salt and other similar foods can make the body’s pH acidic, which can promote the proliferation of toxic microorganisms.
2. It helps with digestion
Drinking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar soothes and relieves the symptoms of slow or heavy digestion, flatulence and abdominal distension. It helps to minimize the sensation of stomach acidity and heartburn.
It’s a good idea to take this remedy after eating very rich foods to avoid these symptoms appearing. However, if these problems have already appeared, you can also consume apple cider vinegar to reduce the symptoms.
3. It’s helpful for diabetes
Another one of the benefits of apple cider vinegar is that the acetic acid in the vinegar helps to reduce sugar levels in the blood. This is due to preventing the complete digestion of complex carbohydrates. Drinking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar deactivates the enzymes responsible for decomposing carbohydrates.
Thus, it prevents the accumulation of glucose in the blood and the formation of sugar peaks.
4. It prevents cardiovascular disease
Apple cider vinegar contains high levels of chlorogenic acid. This compound inhibits the oxidation of bad cholesterol (LDL), which leads to better cardiovascular health. If your doctor has told you that your cholesterol levels are too high, eliminate foods that are high in fats from your diet and try to drink a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar each day.
5. It reduces nasal congestion
Its antibiotic effect is another of the benefits of apple cider vinegar, which can help to reduce the risk of infection. In addition to this, it reduces mucus and clears the sinuses, leaving them less congested. If you don’t want to drink a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar every day, you should at least try this remedy when you have the flu.
Taking it for 10 days is normally enough see the benefits of apple cider vinegar. Also, if you already have throat pain or inflammation problems, apple cider vinegar will help to reduce and eliminate these issues.
6. It favors renewal of the intestinal flora
Do you suffer from occasional or chronic constipation? In this case, you should know that drinking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar will help to prevent this problem from continuing. Contrary to popular belief, apple cider vinegar does not cause acidity problems because it is alkaline.
7. It detoxes the kidneys
Have you suffered from kidney infections or have kidney stones become a problem for you? If so, consider drinking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in the morning. Also, don’t forget to follow your doctor’s advice to always drink enough water. If you want to drink juices, make sure they are free of sweeteners. In the same way, eliminate salt from your diet for two weeks.
8. It helps to lose weight
Together with a healthy diet and exercise, drinking two tablespoons of this vinegar will speed up your metabolism. As a result of being rich in vitamin B6 and lecithin, it burns the fat that accumulates in the body due to a poor diet.
How to drink apple cider vinegar
There are two ways to prepare and drink apple cider vinegar. The easiest option is to drink a tablespoon of the vinegar on its own. If you find the flavor very strong, the other option is to mix it with a glass of water, whether cold or tepid.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Ostman E, et al. (2005). Vinegar supplementation lowers glucose and insulin responses and increases satiety after a bread meal in healthy subjects.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16015276 - Petsiou E, et al. (2014). Effect and mechanisms of action of vinegar on glucose metabolism, lipid profile, and body weight.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nure.12125/abstract?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false - Bouderbala H, et al. (2016). Anti-obesogenic effect of apple cider vinegar in rats subjected to a high fat diet.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27209492 - Nazıroğlu M, et al. (2014). Apple cider vinegar modulates serum lipid profile, erythrocyte, kidney, and liver membrane oxidative stress in ovariectomized mice fed high cholesterol. DOI:
10.1007/s00232-014-9685-5 - Vinegar intake reduces body weight, body fat mass, and serum triglyceride levels in obese Japanese subjects. Kondo T, Kishi M, Fushimi T, Ugajin S, Kaga T.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19661687 - Reduction of poliovirus 1, bacteriophages, Salmonella montevideo, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 on strawberries by physical and disinfectant washes (2003). Lukasik J, Bradley ML, Scott TM, Dea M, Koo A, Hsu WY, Bartz JA, Farrah SR.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12597475
