We explore the health claims and scientific evidence surrounding this tangy trend

Like a wedding DJ, I take requests, so when a longtime friend and reader asked me my opinion about the purported benefits of apple cider vinegar, I felt obligated to address it.

The use of vinegar as a remedy for various ailments is not new. In fact, it’s been written that Hippocrates and the ancient Greeks used it to wash wounds or treat coughs when mixed with honey. More recently, apple cider vinegar has been distilled into supplements and has become the centrepiece of a diet. Yup, that’s right, the apple cider vinegar diet (ugh).

What is Apple Cider Vinegar?

Like other forms of vinegar, apple cider vinegar is the product of a two-step fermentation process that ultimately produces bacteria and acetic acid. But unlike many other forms of commercially sold vinegars, apple cider vinegar is often left unpasteurized to maintain its content of gut friendly bacteria that can be helpful in restoring and/or maintaining a healthy microbiome.

Labels clearly identify pasteurized versus unpasteurized, but another way to distinguish them is by looking right at them: unpasteurized apple cider vinegar contains solids that fall to the bottom of the bottle.

Apple Cider Vinegar Health Claims

The health claims made by proponents of apple cider vinegar include:

  • Weight reduction
  • Lower blood sugar
  • Lower cholesterol
  • Appetite suppression
  • Improved immune function
  • Reduction of acid reflux symptoms

What Does the Science Say About Apple Cider Vinegar?

There has been a proliferation of studies on the effects of apple cider vinegar over the last decade, and while there has been some evidence of a beneficial impact, those studies have been small, poorly designed with confounding variables, and often conducted by those with a financial interest in the sale of apple cider vinegar products. So the scientific case is not as compelling as it is often presented.

Apple Cider Vinegar: The Take-Aways

Circling back to our old friend, Hippocrates, who said the first rule of medicine is to do no harm. Using apple cider vinegar within recommended parameters may help with certain ailments, specifically related to the gut as its “good bacteria” acts as a probiotic to kill “bad bacteria” and improve your gut microbiome.

But that comes with caveats: vinegar is 5-6% acid, which can be harmful to tooth enamel and upsetting to your stomach when taken in an undiluted form. Therefore, if you want to try apple cider vinegar, it is highly recommended you take it in small doses (1-2 teaspoons) in a diluted form, like in water or tea, or as the acidic element in salad dressings. Invoking the wisdom of another ancient Greek physician (Paracelsus) “the dose makes the poison.”

In other words, even things with potentially beneficial effects have an effective limit. I use apple cider vinegar in salad dressings and occasionally add a teaspoon to a cup of herbal tea, but I’m not going out of my way to integrate it into my daily routine.