My posts usually stem from my mom's questions about fad weight loss diets. Sometimes it annoys me because how can my own mother fall into this trap? But if an intelligent woman like her can believe it, that means mostly everyone else out there is falling for it too.
Today she asked me if drinking apple cider vinegar will help someone lose weight. When I got home, I looked for evidenced based articles, research... anything that is credible. So here I attempt to debunk the Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) myth.
Myth: Apple cider vinegar helps you lose weight.
Actually, in an indirect way, it can. According to one research website, "a proposed mechanism is that it prolongs the sensation of satiety after eating." So basically, drinking ACV makes you feel full for a longer period of time. This will decrease how much you eat, which decreases your calorie intake and therefore you lose weight.
It is not a easy fix, though, as people are making it seem. You won't drop 10 pounds of body fat because you are drinking 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar every morning. It will probably be a long time before you see results. People that are "magically" losing fat are probably eating healthier overall. (That's how most fads work). Also, I'm a firm believer on the placebo effect. The brain is a powerful organ that has control over your whole body, including fat.
The most researched benefits of ACV was the effect of it on blood glucose for people with diabetes mellitus.
In 2004, a study done by the American Diabetes Foundation found that taking vinegar before meals significantly increased insulin sensitivity and dramatically reduced the insulin and glucose spikes that occur after meals.
Honestly, there just needs to be more research done on this topic. People will take a regimen and turn it into a "medicine" for everything. Just live a healthy lifestyle and stop trying to look for quick fixes. Exercise and eat a balanced meal plan... before you know it, you'll be losing weight.
Sources:
http://research.omicsgroup.org/index.php/Apple_cider_vinegar
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/06/02/apple-cider-vinegar-hype.aspx
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