Apple Cider Vinegar weight loss: Is it safe to drink Apple Cider Vinegar to lose weight?

Vinegar products have been used in health and wellness for thousands of years in relation to weight loss, reducing cholesterol and lowering blood sugar levels and more. Conditions like Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), diabetes and digestive issues are said to benefit from ingesting certain types of vinegar. But is it safe to drink Apple Cider Vinegar to help lose weight? 

Apple cider vinegar is made from crushed or cut apples which are combined with yeast to turn their natural sugar into alcohol. 

Then bacteria is added to the mixture, to ferment the alcohol into acetic acid. 

This can take up to one month but some manufacturers can drastically speed up to process and make it one day. 

Celebrities have touted the benefits of drinking apple cider vinegar, including Victoria Beckham and Katy Perry. 

Read more: Johnny Vegas weight loss: Comedian’s lost five stone with this change

Kay Ali registered nutritional therapist and a senior associate member of The Royal Society of Medicine told Women’s Health: “The idea of drinking vinegar for its medicinal properties isn’t new.

“In ancient Greece, Hippocrates prescribed vinegar mixed with honey for a variety of symptoms, including coughs and colds. 

“And more recently, as we’re starting to understand more about the effect fermented foods have on the gut and how important gut flora is to a whole range of processes in the body, drinking vinegars have returned to the spotlight.”

Drinking apple cider vinegar can have impacts on your teeth, mouth, throat or oesophagus – so diluting the vinegar or rinsing your mouth out afterwards is recommended. 

There is also the chance that long-term apple cider vinegar can lower your potassium levels – leading to weakening bones. 

Just one tablespoon a day, diluted with water is recommended according to Ms Ali. 

The nutritional therapist also told Women’s Health: “If you’re taking medication for diabetes, blood sugar or digestive issues, then speak to your GP before you start drinking any vinegars as they can have a powerful effect.”

The link between apple cider vinegar and weight loss has not been fully proven.

However, Ms Ali says: “It’s thought that the acetic acid in vinegar might slow the breakdown of starches into sugars or increase the body’s sensitivity to glucose.

“Fluctuating blood sugar affects how hungry you feel, so stabilising it could lead to feelings of satiety.”

If drinking a shot of apple cider vinegar is not for you, you can buy a pre-mixed Comvita Manuka Honey Apple Cider Drinking Vinegar bottles or even apple cider vinegar tablets – both from Holland and Barratt.

Swapping regular vinegar in your salad dressings or marinades to apple cider vinegar can also be another way to get the benefits.

source: express.co.uk