Sure, You're Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar. But Is It Actually Good For You?

Feb 29, 2024

By Zak Maoui

There's an abundance of weird food hacks out there. Eat an apple if you've got bad breath. Rub strawberries on your teeth if you want them whiter. Rinse your hair with lemon juice for a quick fix to dull hair. Or drink apple cider vinegar for better skin and better health.

With many of these fads being quickly debunked as nothing but quasi-health garbage, it'd be easy to condemn the drinking of apple cider vinegar, too. Go on TikTok and you'll likely be served a short video of a self-declared health guru boasting the benefits of downing it like a shot of tequila. Some people have begun to take it in gummy form.

But does drinking apple cider vinegar actually work? We decided to get to the core of it.

“The big thing is that it helps with acid reflux,” says Andy Daly, nutritional therapy practitioner at Dr. David Jack and member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine, who has been drinking apple cider vinegar everyday day since the 1980s. She's referring to the hellish condition of ‘heartburn’. The high pH intensity of the vinegar can neutralize stomach acid, bringing balance to the levels of acid, and preventing it from flowing back up, which is the root course of acid reflux.

A 12-week clinical trial conducted by Tehran's Shahid Beheshti University found that those regularly taking apple cider vinegar had significantly reduced body weight, BMI and visceral adiposity index (a smart way to measure the accumulation and effects of internal fat).

Furthermore, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration—the good cholesterol that lowers the risk of heart attacks—significantly increased.

“Also, in my house, we have it the minute anyone feels sick or has a hint of a sore throat. We have one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar diluted in water three times a day and usually it clears up any ailments," Daly says.

Rhian Stephenson, nutritionist, ex-CEO of Psycle and founder of supplements brand Artah Health, has felt the effects herself and fully supports a daily dose of apple cider vinegar. “Personally, I find that it helps with my digestion and bloody sugar control, especially when I'm overtired. Apple cider vinegar isn't a magic bullet, but it does have proven benefits when it comes to blood sugar regulation, postprandial insulin response, appetite and satiety, and potentially, managing cholesterol levels."

A 2020 US study found that, yes, apple cider vinegar could help regulate blood glucose concentrations and be of help to those with type two diabetes. And further research found links between apple cider vinegar intake and reduced cholesterol—but take note: that was just a small study, and there's more testing to be done.

"Other studies have shown that apple cider vinegar increases the subjective rating of satiety; meaning, the participants who had the vinegar before the meal reported feeling more satisfied and 'fuller' afterwards. It's also thought to help with digestion: ACV will help acidify the lumen of the stomach, which is an important aspect of digestion.” A study conducted by Athens University in 2014 found that those who consumed vinegar before eating a meal had lower insulin and triglyceride levels after the meal than those who didn't.

Gut and skin health sort of go hand-in-hand. Researchers and dermatologists have found that when your gut health is off-center, then the balance of your microbiome also takes a hit, which results in breakouts and unevenness in tone. That said, simply taking shots of apple cider vinegar might not actually do much for your skin, as some TikTokers believe.

“I'm a big believer that a healthier gut is linked to the health of your skin, but one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar three times a day with a glass of water is not going to help what your dermis is doing, sadly,” says Daly. “A lot of gut issues are caused because of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), which is when the stomach acid is not strong enough. This is because you have an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine that feed on undigested food particles. Apple cider vinegar alone can't help with that, and so you need to deal with that first in order to then see benefits in the skin and elsewhere."

Yep, you're right in thinking it's the stuff that you might already have in the kitchen cupboard, ready to drizzle on a fairly dull salad.

Apple cider vinegar is made through a simple fermenting process and it's by no means a new thing, even if TikTok and Gwyneth Paltrow only discovered it in the past five years. It's actually been around for a long time, being used in ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Babylonia, Greece and the Roman Empire, while Hippocrates, the founding father of Greek medicine, recommended his patients drink it for quicker healing.

The fermentation process essentially turns apple juice, using yeast and bacteria, into acetic acid (a byproduct of fermentation, which gives apple cider vinegar its signature sharp scent). And that's the stuff that people are downing in shot glasses each and every morning.

“When looking to buy an apple cider vinegar, you need to get one that has ‘the mother’ in it," says Daly, by which she refers to the build-up of bacteria and yeast you'll see floating in some apple cider vinegars. “It's very important if you want the benefits of apple cider vinegar. Then you know that you're getting the fermented goodness, like Bragg's."

“You don't want to down it like a shot straight from the bottle on a regular basis,” Daly says “It's extremely acidic and over time this will actually do damage to the enamel on your teeth.” Instead, as Daly has done for many years, you should dilute concentrated vinegar from the bottle with half a cup of water and drink it that way. “It's actually a lot more palatable that way too, as let's face it: drinking vinegar isn't nice."

“I take raw, organic apple cider vinegar, pretty much daily and have done for years," says Stephenson. “I also use it for dressings and salsas; it's a nice way to include a functional food with proven health benefits to everyday meal prep.”

“I tend to recommend it for people who are struggling to get a hold of blood sugar and appetite, as well as individuals who suffer from bloating with meals,” says Stephenson.

“It's also a common biohacking tool when you know you'll be eating something that's higher in starch or sugar; combining a pre-meal dose of apple cider vinegar with a post-meal walk can make an enormous difference in postprandial glucose levels. We include it in our nutrition plans, like The Metabolic Reset, and as a functional food in many of the dressings in our program recipes.”

“Some people say it could interact with some medications, especially those used to treat diabetes. The medicine Metformin, which is used to treat type two diabetes, in particular,” Daly says. “If somebody was to come to me, I always want to know what medications they're on. And then I look at drug-nutrient interactions. So if anyone is on medication, I would suggest they consult an official health practitioner before starting to take apple cider vinegar.

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“Importantly, if you've got a bacterial infection in the small intestine—or SIBO as it's medically known—and you're on a specific protocol of medication or a strict diet, you can't have anything fermented because that encourages the growth of these bacteria. So apple cider vinegar should definitely be avoided.”

“I wouldn't take those,” Daly says. “In order to get the benefits of apple cider vinegar, with the mother, you need to take the actual stuff and you're not going to get that in gummies.”

“I haven't seen any indication that a gummy with added sugar and preservatives would have the same effect,” says Stephenson. "Also, there's the obvious link with blood sugar; if you're struggling with cravings, blood sugar control, and appetite, eating a sweetened gummy is unlikely to be supportive and can reinforce your taste and cravings for sweets.

“I've also found that the ritual of actually drinking apple cider vinegar for people is hugely beneficial; they usually increase their water intake, and generally become more mindful of what they're putting into their body. If you're doing something on a daily basis that is super easy and effective, it's easier to build on this momentum and add in other foods, practices or habits that are beneficial.”

This story originally ran on British GQ.