What is Apple cider Vinegar?
Apple cider vinegar is made from the fermented juice of crushed apples. It is high in acetic acid and it is believed that this is where most of its health benefits lie.
How Can Apple Cider Vinegar Help Me to Lose Weight?
Apple cider vinegar is widely used for many reasons. The most popular and widely known benefit of apple cider vinegar is its effect on blood sugar and weight loss. Several studies have shown that apple cider vinegar can help lower blood glucose levels and can be helpful in lowering blood sugar in people with diabetes and hyperglycemia. Because of this stabilisation in blood glucose levels apple cider vinegar can also be used as a weight loss aid by regulating appetite and fat storage. Another follow up study was conducted over four weeks to see if apple cider vinegar helped with weight loss and found an average of a two pound weight loss between the groups without changing any other factors.
What Research has been carried out on Apple Cider Vinegar?
Some animal studies have been carried out on the acetic acid in apple cider vinegar and have found it may promote weight loss in several ways:
Lowers blood sugar levels: In one rat study, acetic acid in apple cider vinegar improved the ability of the liver and muscles to take sugar up from the blood.
Decreases insulin levels: In the exact same rat study, acetic acid reduced the ratio of insulin to glucagon, which may favor fat burning.
Improves metabolism: Another study carried out in rats exposed to acetic acid showed an increase in the enzyme AMPK, which is responsible for fat burning helps to decrease sugar and fat production in the liver.
Reduces fat storage: Treating obese, diabetic rats with acetic acid or acetate protected them from weight gain and increased the expression of genes that reduced belly fat storage and liver fat.
Burns fat: A study in mice fed a high-fat diet supplemented with acetic acid in apple cider vinegar found a significant increase in the genes responsible for fat burning, which led to less body fat build up.
Suppresses appetite: Another study suggests that acetate may suppress areas in your brain that control appetite, which can lead to reduced food intake.