Part of my message with this blog is to promote taking personal ownership and responsibility for your own well-being and health. If any of these benefits below are accurate (as described), then this post here will certainly tie in with that.
(This blog is not endorsed by Biona or any other company).
A close friend asked me today “What are the benefits of ACV? And does it help with weight loss?”
I will answer the second question first. Yes, (and no). Mostly yes.
To be clear, like much of these things, it works as part of a healthy lifestyle. I had a friend called Topher that used to go to the gym almost every day, yet he was always morbidly obese because the rest of his lifestyle (mainly his diet)… well… sucked. Going to the gym will help with weight loss, but as part of a healthy lifestyle. ACV is much the same in many ways, although challenging its claimed benefits can be much easier than challenging the claimed benefits of going to the gym.
Let us look at what we know.
What it is: ACV is made by a process of fermenting sugar from apples, producing an acetic acid. Vinegar (broadly speaking) is a solution of acetic acid which is produced by the fermentation of ethanol or sugars by acetic acid bacteria. The vinegar produced in ACV has a number of beneficial properties, such as antimicrobial and antioxidant effects.
Now to the benefits. This is where it gets a bit contentious (maybe simply due to a lack of widely accepted study results). So what I am laying out below is merely ‘what others have said’. So take this as you will.
It is generally claimed that ACV can:
- help weight loss.
- lower your hunger (which can also help with weight loss).
- reduce cholesterol.
- aid nutrient absorption.
- help your body break down the protein you eat into amino acids, potentially increasing their availability, which can create more growth hormone.
- lower blood sugar levels and reduce insulin levels (along with improving the symptoms of diabetes and also help weight loss, again as above).
- help kill pathogens, including bacteria.
- act as a remedy for skin conditions, e.g. dry skin or eczema – As well as being antibacterial, the acidity might help the skins natural pH balance and improving the protective skin barrier .
- be used for cleaning and disinfecting household surfaces.
- improve heart health in animals (the jury is still out for this benefit in humans).
- act as a natural food preservative, possibly inhibiting bacteria like E. coli from growing.
- treat minor ailments such as nail fungus, lice, warts, ear infections, acne (possibly even wounds).
For any of the above points, I would do some research beyond reading these on my list above. Treating anything with ACV will generally be safe I would have thought, as long as you don’t rely on it and bank on the results. For something serious such as Diabetes, I would definitely explore more obvious treatments. But taking ACV as well could also be worth a go. Maybe try it in moderation with common sense and see how useful you find it.
If you are buying ACV, make sure it is a good quality brand (as these will likely contain amino acids and antioxidants). And make sure that you buy organic.
Also make sure that it contains a substance called ‘The Mother’. It will usually state this clearly on the label, as it is an important one. This consists of strands of proteins, enzymes, and friendly bacteria. You will also find potassium in small quantities.
How to use this: I tend to use a couple of splashes of this in the bottom of a glass, say a couple of tablespoons and then fill the glass with water and then ‘chug it down’. Remember it is acidic, so it is corrosive to your teeth, so don’t drink it ‘neat’. I then rinse my mouth out with more water immediately to wash any acid out of my mouth, for that same reason.
Some of the benefits above are a no-brainer, but many are inconclusive, so don’t get too carried away. I wouldn’t say that it is ‘snake oil’ or a possible waste of money. You get a 5L jug of it, like the one pictured further above, for a little over £10 and that should last for many months, even when used twice daily.
I then decant as much as I can into a standard empty glass vinegar bottle, to make regularly pouring it into a glass easier.
Anyway, that’s my basic knowledge of ACV. I say try it. It is generally harmless when used safely and in small amounts like this.
Joseph