Apple cider vinegar is made by crushing apples and squeezing out the liquid. The fermentation process begins by adding sugar and yeast. The yeast turns the sugars into alcohol. Later, the alcohol is converted by acetic acid-forming bacteria into vinegar. Acetic acid gives vinegar its sour taste.
   Apple cider vinegar products are advertised in the popular press and over the Internet for treatment of a variety of conditions or various health benefits. However, I am not able to find human research regarding the health benefit of apple cider vinegar. At this time I cannot recommend an apple cider vinegar diet for weight loss since I have not seen any research to support the relationship between ingestion of apple cider vinegar and weight loss. However, even though there has not been much human research, it is possible that apple cider vinegar has health benefits that we are not aware of yet.
   Apple cider has been touted for acne, candida, arthritis, skin health, hair, cholesterol, blood pressure, weight loss, yeast infections, and many other conditions... with little or no research to back these claims. If you have an interest in losing weight, consider an appetite suppression product that I have formulated called Diet Rx.

Apple Cider Vinegar pill, Club Natural, 500 mg

Apple Cider Vinegar has been recognized as a versatile folk remedy used traditionally for many years. It is believed to help regulate the body's acid/alkaline balance.

Apple Cider Vinegar Supplement Facts:
Apple Cider Vinegar - 500 mg *
   (concentrated to 35% acetic acid)

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Suggested Use: Take one apple cider vinegar capsule before both lunch and dinner each day, or as recommended by your health care professional. Each capsule contains the equivalent of 2 tsp. of liquid apple cider vinegar.

* Apple Cider Vinegar daily value not established

Quality of Apple Cider Vinegar
In one study, eight apple cider vinegar tablet products were tested for pH, component acid content, and microbial growth. Considerable variability was found between the brands in tablet size, pH, component acid content, and label claims.

Benefit of Apple Cider Vinegar
No proven health benefits can be said about apple cider vinegar in liquid or as supplements since little human research appears to have been published. However, there are many users of apple cider vinegar who are satisfied and rave about it.

Role in patients with diabetes
It does not appear that apple cider vinegar is helpful in those with diabetes type I.

Effect of apple cider vinegar on delayed gastric emptying in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus: a pilot study.
BMC Gastroenterol. 2007 Dec 20; Hlebowicz J, Darwiche G, Björgell O, Almér LO. Department of Medicine, University of Lund, Malmö University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden.
Previous studies on healthy people show that vinegar delays gastric emptying and lowers postprandial blood glucose and insulin levels. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of apple cider vinegar on delayed gastric emptying rate on diabetes mellitus patients. Ten patients with type 1 diabetes and diabetic gastroparesis, including one patient who had undergone vagotomy drank 200 ml water daily before breakfast one week. The same subjects drank 200 ml water with 30 ml vinegar daily before breakfast for two weeks. The effect of vinegar on the rate of gastric emptying was statistically significant. This study shows that vinegar affects insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients with diabetic gastroparesis by reducing the gastric emptying rate even further, and this might be a disadvantage regarding to their glycemic control.

Availability of Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is available as a drink, tablet, or capsules. You can find this product sold online or in various health food stores.

Drink cloudy apple juice
Cloudy apple juice has more health benefits than clear apple juice. In a head-to-head comparison of apple juices, Polish researchers found that pulpy, non-clarified juice carried more antioxidants than clear apple juice. Unlike cloudy apple juice, the much more common clear variety undergoes additional processing to remove any apple solids. Manufacturers typically think the public will favor the more attractive, clear juice over its cloudy cousin, and retailers prefer the clear variety for its longer shelf life. Dr. Jan Oszmianski, at the Agricultural University of Wroclaw, found, cloudy apple juice had four times the level of polyphenols, a group of antioxidant plant compounds. And in experiments, cloudy juice was the more effective free radical scavenger. The findings are based on four juices that the study authors prepared themselves, using two varieties of apple -- Champion and Idared. Cloudy apple juice from Champion apples turned out to be the most antioxidant-rich, but clarification of either juice cut their antioxidant levels significantly. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, online January 15, 2005.

Apple cider vinegar supplement questions
Q. What do you think of the apple cider vinegar diet for weight loss?
   A. I don't think focusing on a single supplement or drink such as the apple cider vinegar diet is a long term weight loss solution.

Q. What do people use apple cider vinegar for?
   A. The health benefits of apple cider vinegar drink have been touted by Patricia Bragg, the author of several books on apple cider vinegar. Patricia Bragg encourages  three organic apple cider vinegar glasses daily mixed with raw honey. She sells Bragg's apple cider vinegar.  Apple cider has been touted for acne, candida, arthritis, skin health, hair, cholesterol, blood pressure, yeast infections, and many other conditions... with little or no research to back these claims.

Q. Does an apple cider vinegar pill have the same health benefit as drinking apple cider vinegar?
   A. It's difficult to say since there are quite a number of different companies that make apple cider vinegar pills and quite a number of companies that make apple cider vinegar drinks. But, as a general rule, the pills and the drink are likely to have similar actions.

Q. Does apple cider vinegar cure any diseases? Is apple cider vinegar a remedy for any health conditions?
   A. I am not aware of apple cider vinegar as a cure for any medical conditions. There may be, I am just not aware of them.

Q. Is raw apple cider vinegar a remedy for acne?
   A. We are not aware of any research regarding apple cider vinegar and skin health or hair growth. See the link above for suggestions on how to treat or prevent acne.

Q. Q. Is raw apple cider vinegar a remedy for arthritis?
   A. We have not seen any such studies with apple cider vinegar and arthritis.

Q. How is vinegar made?
   A. Vinegar is produced by the action of yeast and bacteria on grains or fruit juices. Vinegars take their name from the material used to make the vinegar, i.e., apple cider vinegar comes from apples, wine vinegar comes from grapes.

Q. In regular apple cider vinegar, how much pectin (fiber) is there in a tablespoon of vinegar, and how much do you think is good for you in a day's time.
   A. Pectin is a fiber that is normally removed from apple cider vinegar pills. We can't say how much apple cider vinegar tablets to take, that is a personal decision.

Q. I saw your question and response listed above.  "Q. Is raw apple cider vinegar a remedy for arthritis? A. We have not seen any such studies with apple cider vinegar and arthritis."  It made me laugh right out loud. All questions and answers were similar to the above, pretty negative. I happen to use apple cider vinegar for health reasons. It has 'seemingly' prevented me from becoming ill. I take it (not the pills) whenever I feel 'something coming on' and I don't get sick. Where as in the past, when I felt that way, I did get sick. My son took apple cider vinegar every day for over a year when he was in Iraq and never got sick. If we all waited for studies to make decisions, one day we would drink coffee, the next we wouldn't because of studies. Studies are not the be all and end all for health choices. I think your attitude above is just a little hypocritical and it is the final reason I have decided to discontinue any association with you.
   A. Dr. Sahelian's research staff responds: We get hundreds of emails a month, and this one has to qualify as one of the least intelligent. Would this person have been more content if we had said instead, "Oh yes, there have been hundreds of studies with apple cider vinegar and arthritis and they have all found that apple cider vinegar cures arthritis. Not only does apple cider vinegar cure arthritis, but it cures rheumatoid arthritis, any kind of hip or knee pain, any kind of cartilage damage, and, it also cures toe nail fungus, cancer, heart disease, and thyroid problems." Some people are really strange. We know a soldier in Iraq who ate MRE (meals ready to eat) every day for a year and did not get sick. Therefore, we think eating MRE is a cure all. Right!

Q. I have read that apple cider vinegar can help acid reflux. Is this true?
   A. I have not come across research regarding the benefit of apple cider vinegar for acid reflux.

This apple cider vinegar page was last updated February 2009.