Is apple cider vinegar the "secret" of weight loss?

Apple cider vinegar has gone round the social media as a healthy weight loss cure of the day. Perhaps you've seen videos of Mr. Oz extolling the benefits of apple cider vinegar on health or randomly selected YouTubers, claiming to have lost 10 pounds of belly fat in just seven days, drinking cider vinegar cocktail before meals.

Even though we know that health claims seem too good to be true, it is tempting to try any diet that is as cheap, natural and seemingly effortless. So what's the problem – can apple cider vinegar really help you lose weight?

First, let's quickly explain apple cider vinegar versus other types of vinegar. The active ingredient in all vinegar is acetic acid. Most vinegars we eat or cook commonly – white vinegar, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and cider vinegar – contain between 5 and 6 percent acetic acid, although sweet rice vinegar can go down to 2 to 4 percent.

When people talk about the health benefits of apple cider vinegar, they are actually talking about the health benefits of the increased presence of acetic acid in your diet. You can consume any vinegar to get the same effect, but the relatively mild and sweet flavor of apple cider vinegar is more palatable (when) when mixed with a drink, which has heightened his popularity. In addition, there are several brands of raw, organic, unfiltered and unpasteurized apple cider vinegar, which have earned a reputation for their alleged health benefits.

But what does the research say?

Deborah Murphy, a licensed dietitian in Chicago, said current scientific research on the benefits of apple cider vinegar's weight loss is "limited", although a handful of small studies warranted the remedy. natural health.

First, several animal studies have shown that acetic acid doses appeared to suppress body fat accumulation in mice fed a high fat diet. Next, the largest study to date on humans (from 2014) followed the progress of 175 obese adults in Japan. Some of them received a drink containing one or two tablespoons (15 or 30 milliliters) of apple cider vinegar each day, which were not.

After 12 weeks, people who drank a little vinegar every day lost 2 to 4 pounds (1 to 2 kilograms) and reduced their body mass index from 0.4 to 0.7 point, whereas no Statistical improvement was observed in the group who did not drink vinegar. . Although losing weight is a victory, losing only 2-4 pounds in three months (one third of a pound a week) is hardly a "secret weight loss cure" as some claim.

Other, much smaller studies have associated apple cider vinegar with slowing down of "gastric emptying", which is the time required for the passage of food from the stomach to the small intestine. In an experiment involving only 10 people with type 1 diabetes, people drinking a little apple cider vinegar every day had longer foods in their stomachs and their stomachs got bigger after eating a meal. Both results support the idea that apple cider vinegar can help you feel full and stay longer, although the scientific "proof" remains modest.

"Unfortunately, there is still no food that holds the" secret "of weight loss, despite what many people on the Internet could say about vAC," said Murphy. Getting and maintaining weight loss is the same thing you've probably heard a hundred times before: eat healthy and move your body. "

Even though apple cider vinegar is not the panacea, it is sometimes part of a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle. Cynthia Sass, a high-level nutritionist based in New York City and Los Angeles, warns against the consumption of apple cider vinegar because acetic acid can use tooth enamel and even burn the skin. ;esophagus.

If you would like to try cider vinegar drinks, Sass recommends mixing two teaspoonfuls (9 ml) of organic cider vinegar and a teaspoon (4.5 ml) of honey in a cup of lukewarm water once a day. go to the sea on quantity or frequency, "says Sass.

There is also no reason for apple cider vinegar to be soaked in order to benefit from potential health benefits. Murphy suggests incorporating it into your existing recipes.

"Use apple cider vinegar to make a simple salad dressing or tart cabbage salad, add a marinade for chicken or fish, or add a dash of stir-fried vegetables," says Murphy.