Can the Cider Vinegar Diet help you lose weight?
A number of scientific studies have shown that weight loss can be aided by apple cider vinegar. This is because cider vinegar has been proven to make you feel fuller, effectively helping you to lose weight.
Studies involving human subjects have resulted in real weight loss on the scales, showing just how potent the vinegar can be. It’s the acetic acid in the apple cider vinegar that is supposed to help dieters feel full.
Apple cider vinegar accelerates the body’s ability to breakdown and derive nutrients from fats and protein. This means a faster metabolism and more vitality.
Both apple cider vinegar and raw apples contain the fiber pectin. There is evidence to suggest that fibers like pectin can increase a person’s sense of fullness after they eat it, which lowers their desire to overeat or compulsively snack.
How to take apple cider vinegar as part of a Cider Vinegar Diet
Only consume APPLE cider vinegar in small doses.
It can aid weight loss but should only be consumed in small amounts. Too much can produce a number of negative side effects, including throat burns.
Taking it before every meal is the most effective way to do it, and the more hardcore dieters might take a teaspoon neat.
However, you can dilute the cider in various substances.
- Dilute two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water.
- If the flavour is too unpleasant then it is possible to add a natural sweeter, and have it with warm water like a tea.
- Raw honey serves a natural sweeter, as does Stevia or maple syrup.
Experts, however, have specifically cautioned about one important aspect of taking cider vinegar. Don’t expect sudden changes, as this method will take a while to work. As a result, it’s important to take it over a long period to time to get the weight loss benefits. You need to take apple cider vinegar for at least three months to see a difference.
What do the studies say?
A lot of the research on cider vinegar’s relationship with weight loss is in animals, mainly mice and rats. Studies show that acetic acid, the main component of apple cider vinegar, can suppress body fat accumulation in obese rats.
As an example, scientists at the Department of Nutrition at Arizona State University found that after taking vinegar the dieters ate 200 to 275 calories less per day. And researchers at Lund University, in Sweden, found very similar results. The nutrition experts claimed: “The results indicate an interesting potential of fermented and pickled products containing acetic acid.”
And when 12 people were studied in 2005 it was found that they consumed less calories when cider vinegar was consumed with a bread meal.
The most cited cider vinegar diet study
The most-cited study to prove a connection to weight loss was done in 2009 with 175 “obese” Japanese subjects, aged 25 to 60, who were split into three groups. Considered “obese” by Japanese standards, each subject’s BMI was between 25 and 30. Those with high cholesterol or diabetes or using medications were excluded. Over a 12-week period, the groups consumed a drink that contained either one tablespoon of vinegar, two tablespoons of vinegar or no vinegar at all. At the end of the three months, those who consumed any amount of vinegar had a lower body weight, a smaller body mass index, less visceral fat, a smaller waist measurement and lower triglyceride levels than the placebo group that drank no vinegar.
Regulating blood sugar
Where research has shown significant benefits from vinegar, is in blood sugar control. Studies show vinegar helps control blood sugar spikes for people with type 2 diabetes and those who are pre-diabetic, also known as insulin-resistant. There’s even been a slight benefit seen for healthy control subjects.
Starch
The theory, is that acetic acid appears to interfere with enzymes that break down starch molecules. This antiglycemic response can be induced by any sort of vinegar, such as red and white wine vinegars, pomegranate vinegar or even white distilled vinegar. It’s the acetic acid in the vinegar, not the type, that produces the result.
Basically, what acetic acid is doing is blocking the absorption of starch. So if you’re having bacon and eggs, don’t bother. It only helps if you are consuming a starch. It’s possible that blocking starch absorption may help with weight loss as well, because starches cause blood sugar spikes and therefore act as an appetite stimulant.
So if acetic acid is interfering with the breakdown of starch, what that means is that starch is not being digested. If it’s not getting digested, it’s not causing the same rise in blood sugar, which can help control appetite. And if it’s not being digested, it’s not being absorbed into the bloodstream, and therefore it’s not contributing to calories.