8 Ways Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits Your Health

8 Ways Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits Your Health

Everyone’s probably heard about the wonders of apple cider vinegar (ACV) at this point. After all, ACV benefits have been championed by the natural health community since what feels like forever—and for good reason. Apple cider vinegar is known to provide a bunch of promising health benefits—from lower blood sugar levels to weight loss to reduced cholesterol. Its popularity has steadily climbed to majestic proportions because of its versatility, accessibility, and wide variety of health effects. Aside from being an ancient folk remedy, apple cider vinegar can also be used for cooking and cleaning purposes.

More on apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is the product of apple fermentation using bacteria and yeast. In spite of its status in the natural wellness community, many people still find the idea of ingesting or drinking ACV off-putting. Natural ACV has a strong taste and aroma, which makes it quite challenging to consume. This explains why apple cider vinegar supplements—usually in the form of capsules or tablets—have gotten so popular in the last couple of years. ACV supplements contain a dehydrated form of the usual liquid ACV that you can find in supermarkets.

The benefits of ACV

Here are the eight ways apple cider vinegar benefits your health.

1. Apple cider vinegar kills harmful bacteria.

Vinegar is a natural antimicrobial agent. This explains why it is usually used as a component in DIY disinfectant solutions for the home. Traditionally, vinegar has also been used to treat infections, fungus, and lice. Even our ancestors from thousands of years ago used vinegar as a cleaning agent for wounds. That said, ACV has natural properties which allow it to kill harmful pathogens. It can act as an antimicrobial agent to help fight bacteria that can potentially harm your health, such as E. coli.

2. It can help you lose weight and target belly fat.

Do you feel dissatisfied with your weight loss results? If you’re looking for a natural supplement that can help you lose weight a bit faster, apple cider vinegar may help. ACV promotes weight loss in three ways:
  • It reduces weight gain from a high-calorie
  • It helps you feel fuller.
  • It helps reduce body fat.
In a study that used male Wistar rats as subjects, regular vinegar supplementation helped reduce total weight gain among both healthy and obese subjects after they were fed high-calorie diets. A similar effect was observed in a human study involving obese Japanese subjects. After 12 weeks, the group that took vinegar daily ended up with lower body weight and BMI, less visceral fat (belly fat), and smaller waist circumference. Apple cider vinegar also increases satiety. In one study, vinegar increased the subjective rating of fullness among the test subjects. This benefit of ACV can boost your weight loss journey by helping you eat fewer calories. Now, it’s important to note that ACV won’t make miracles happen on its own. If you want to enjoy significant, long-lasting results, you have to make sure that your diet is at least mostly health and that you are physically active several times a week. Apple cider vinegar’s weight loss benefits are promising, but know that they are meant to simply boost the effects of your existing weight loss routine.

3. Apple cider vinegar supports heart health.

No one wants the burden of struggling with heart disease. But as one of the leading causes of premature deaths in the world, it might not be totally avoidable. Still, heart disease is something that you can try to prevent—or at the very least, delay—by looking after your health and wellbeing. Heart health is an important subject knowing that you can adopt habits to lower your risk of heart disease. Aside from regular exercise and a healthy diet, taking apple cider vinegar regularly can be one of those heart-friendly habits. An observational study from Harvard’s Department of Nutrition showed that women with a higher intake of vinegar had a lower risk of developing heart disease. Meanwhile, ACV’s ability to reduce the risk of obesity and obesity-associated diseases was illustrated in an animal study involving rats. In the same study, it was found that ACV can also help lower the risk of fatty plaque formation in the arteries. In addition, the fact that vinegar helps improve insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels (which will be discussed in more detail below) is a contributing factor to its role in reducing the risk of heart disease.

4. It can help lower cholesterol.

Apple cider vinegar isn’t only useful for preventing heart disease. It may also help lower your cholesterol levels. Animal studies have shown vinegar’s potential when it comes to lowering triglyceride and cholesterol levels in the body. This effect is attributed to acetic acid’s inhibition of lipogenesis in the liver. In other words, consuming vinegar may help prevent triglycerides from being formed. Another animal study illustrated that vinegar intake can significantly reduce LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol in rabbits.

5. It can help lower blood sugar levels.

Apple cider vinegar is known to help those who suffer from type 2 Diabetes. But whether you have diabetes, pre-diabetes, or are simply looking for a natural way to keep your blood sugar levels in check, you will stand to benefit from ACV’s blood sugar-lowering properties. After all, anyone can suffer from the unwanted consequences of high blood sugar. Such consequences include aging, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue, just to name a few. Aside from avoiding added sugar and refined carbs in your diet, regular consumption of apple cider vinegar may help. In one research, it was found that vinegar consumption increased insulin sensitivity and significantly lowered blood sugar among insulin-resistant and type 2 diabetic subjects. Another study showed that vinegar can help improve insulin function, which illustrates its potential in improving glycemic control. Adding apple cider vinegar supplements to your diet is an easy way to help regulate your blood sugar levels. If you’re already taking medications to lower your blood glucose, however, checking with your doctor beforehand is recommended.

6. ACV may contribute to cancer prevention.

Test tube and animal studies have shown that certain types of vinegar are capable of shrinking tumors and killing cancer cells. Apple cider vinegar has long been touted as a natural cancer prevention agent. While it’s true that more human studies are needed to ascertain ACV’s preventative impact on cancer development, the potential is definitely there. In fact, observational research in humans linked vinegar consumption to a decreased risk of esophageal cancer.

7. Apple Cider Vinegar can help reduce blood pressure.

To add further to apple cider vinegar’s heart-friendly benefits, this natural remedy has also been found to help lower high blood pressure in hypertensive rats. Apple cider vinegar’s antihypertensive effects are credited to acetic acid. In another study, it was found that consuming vinegar alongside the conventional antihypertensive drug nifedipine led to better results than either vinegar or nifedipine alone. More studies are needed to determine if similar results can be achieved in human subjects. However, one thing is clear: if you are looking for a natural supplement that can either help with hypertension or assist antihypertensive drugs, apple cider vinegar is one of your most promising options.

8. ACV supplements won’t damage your teeth and throat.

Bottled apple cider vinegar can easily be found in groceries and health stores. If plain ACV is so accessible, then why should you go for ACV tablets? Well, ACV supplements have several advantages over plain liquid ACV. For one, consuming ACV in tablet or capsule form is a lot better for your teeth. If you didn’t already know, bottled ACV’s high level of acidity makes it harmful for your teeth, throat, and esophagus. Every time you drink liquid apple cider vinegar, you expose your teeth to an enamel-damaging substance—which can then lead to other problems like tooth sensitivity. The same can be said about your digestive tract. Exposing them to highly-acidic conventional ACV can cause a lot of discomfort. And, of course, there’s the issue of taste and aroma. Many of us find the scent of conventional ACV unappealing. If you’ve already smelled it yourself, you wouldn’t be surprised to hear that some people would even call ACV revolting. But regardless of how you feel about ACV, we can all agree that getting your fix through easy-to-swallow supplements is a great way to enjoy ACV’s health benefits without the risk of damaging your teeth and part of your digestive tract.

Apple cider vinegar supplements in the Philippines

Experience the health benefits of apple cider vinegar through a precisely-formulated, high-quality ACV supplement courtesy of Puritan’s Pride. Known in the US as a leading manufacturer of vitamins and supplements that elevate your wellbeing and quality of life, Puritan’s Pride is committed to bringing you only the best of the best. And now, Puritan’s Pride supplements are already available in the Philippines via https://puritanspride.ph. Our Apple Cider Vinegar tablets contain 480 mg of ACV per serving—thus ensuring that you’re getting your needed dose of goodness every single day. Learn more about Puritan’s Pride ACV supplement here.