Does apple cider vinegar help weight loss? Spoiler – Yes it does! {and how to use it}
Does apple cider vinegar help weight loss?
Does Apple Cider Vinegar help weight loss? Yes. Scientific research has shown that adding a small amount of Apple Cider Vinegar to your diet every day can help you lose weight. Apple Cider Vinegar has also been shown to reduce body fat percentage, reduce belly fat and decrease blood triglycerides.
What is apple cider vinegar?
Apple Cider Vinegar is a tasty naturally fermented vinegar with a myriad of uses.
It’s made by a two-step process. Crushed apples are combines with yeast to create alcohol. Then good bacteria is added which converts the alcohol into acetic acid. Acetic acid is one of the active component that gives Apple Cider Vinegar it’s power as well as the Probiotic bacteria.
It’s really important to make sure you buy live apple cider vinegar. This contains what is known as “the mother”. This is a mix of bacteria and yeast which helps to improve your good gut bacteria and soothe any leaky gut issues you may have. It’s the cloudy goopy stuff that floats about in the bottom of your bottle of ACV. It may look a bit grim but it’s actually amazing for your body. Don’t throw it away when you get to the bottom of the bottle.
I also try to buy organic Apple Cider Vinegar too. That way you avoid any pesticide residues in your food.
But does it actually work to help you lose weight?
Amazingly, yes it does, and there is scientific proof too!.
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There was a large scale human experiment done in Japan. This was a 12-week study looking at 144 obese Japanese people. They were told to take either one or two tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar every day. A control group took a placebo. They were all told to restrict alcohol but nothing else. They all continued with their normal food intake.
These were the amazing results.
| This is what happened to those taking 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of vinegar per day | Weight loss: 2.6 pounds (1.2 kg) |
|---|---|
| Decrease in body fat percentage: 0.7% | |
| Decrease in waist circumference: 0.5 in (1.4 cm) {Belly Fat} | |
| Decrease in triglycerides: 26% |
| This is what happened to those consuming 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of vinegar per day | Weight loss: 3.7 pounds (1.7 kg) |
|---|---|
| Decrease in body fat percentage: 0.9% | |
| Decrease in waist circumference: 0.75 in (1.9 cm) {Belly Fat} | |
| Decrease in triglycerides: 26% |
| Placebo Group | On average the placebo group gained 0.9 lbs (0.4 kgs). |
|---|---|
| Waist circumference slightly increased. |
So this study found that adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar to your normal diet CAN help you lose weight. It can also help you lose belly fat, lower your body fat percentage and lower your triglycerides!.
Wow. Imagine how powerful that could be combined with a good diet plan.
READ THE RESEARCH >
Vinegar intake reduces body weight, body fat mass, and serum triglyceride levels in obese Japanese subjects
And there’s more evidence…
A more recent study took 39 people and ran for 12 weeks. The subjects filled a restricted-calorie diet with or without Apple Cider Vinegar.
At the end of the 12 weeks, both groups had lost weight.
However, the Apple Cider Vinegar group lost more weight.
The vinegar had given their diet plan a boost.
It also resulted in less visceral adiposity or Belly Fat.
Yes just drinking Apple Cider Vinegar can help your Belly Fat to shrink. What’s not to like!
Geeky joy!
I love all this scientific evidence [I’m a bit of a Geek about this kind of stuff]. It basically means that there is a safe and natural substance that can really help with your weight loss and belly fat whilst actively being good for you too. Amazing.
So how does Apple Cider Vinegar help you lose weight?
ACV works on your body in several different ways. Scientists are only just starting to unravel its power. Here are the main ways that it could be helping your weight loss.
Does apple cider vinegar help weight loss?
Powerful Probiotics help improve digestion.
Probiotics and your gut microbiome are the new frontiers in medicine at the moment, Doctors are just starting to understand the crucial importance of having a healthy gut microbiome.
Having a healthy balance of “good bacteria” to “bad bacteria” in your gut can help with all kinds of things including hormone regulation, immune strength and even anxiety and depression.
“Leaky gut” can mean that you don’t absorb the nutrition from food completely, leading to food allergy issues, autoimmune problems and generally poor health and digestion.
All in all, if your microbiome is out of whack it can lead to all kinds of health issues which make it harder for you to lose weight and easier for you to pack on the pounds, especially around the middle.
Unpasteurised Apple Cider Vinegar with “The Mother” is an amazing probiotic substance.
This is probably its main source of power. Each tablespoon of ACV contains millions of gut-friendly bacteria. These move through your gut and encourage the growth of more “friendly bacteria” which in turn helps support a colony of beneficial “good guys”. They tip the balance in your favour against bad bacteria giving your health and digestive system a boost.
Once everything is running smoothly its much easier for your body to lose excess weight.
ACV can act as a natural laxative
Feeling constipated and bloated is one of the worst feelings. Sadly, around menopause, you may struggle with constipation as your metabolism slows down. A sluggish Thyroid may add to the mix too.
Many people feel that staring the day with an Apple Cider Vinegar drink helps to kickstart and cleanse the digestive system ready for the day ahead.
ACV contains Pectin which is a source of soluble fibre and is itself a laxative so it may be that this helps to stimulate your intestines to detox.
ACV can help to stabilise your blood sugar and insulin levels.
If you eat a lot of sugary foods and refined carbohydrates your blood sugar can suddenly rise causing a spike in insulin. Insulin allows the glucose to be used as energy by the cells.
However, if you are having frequent blood sugar spikes and producing too much insulin this can mean that your body can become desensitised and stop recognising it. Problems producing insulin, or insulin resistance can lead to diabetes.
Insulin, as a hormone, holds the key to the balance of all your hormones. If your insulin goes out of whack this will have a knock-on effect on your other hormones too and can lead to a worsening of Menopause symptoms.
As well as the hormone destabilisation, blood sugar spikes and the following drop of blood sugar levels can lead to hunger and feelings of cravings too. Exactly the things that ruin your weight loss efforts and undermine your whole diet.
Studies have shown that the acetic acid in Apple Cider Vinegar can help to avoid these rapid rises in blood sugar levels.
Volunteers ate bread with and without high acetic acid vinegar. Those who ate the bread with the vinegar were found to have significantly lower blood glucose and insulin responses.
Apple Cider Vinegar can help your body to improve your insulin response and recognise insulin. This means that you process food better, avoid cravings and are less likely to develop diabetes. Together, these effects can help your weight loss efforts to be more successful.
{I have created a tailored weight loss plan for a woman around the Menopause years when losing weight is tougher, especially from the belly area. It works well with the addition of Apple Cider Vinegar to your daily routine. You can read more about it here.}
Apple Cider Vinegar can help control your appetite and suppress cravings.
Researches found that Acetate, which is a key component of Acetic Acid in ACV played a central role in appetite regulation.
Scientists found
“… acetate beneficially affects host energy and substrate metabolism via secretion of the gut hormones like glucagon-like peptide-1 and peptide YY, which, thereby, affects appetite,”
READ THE RESEARCH >
The Short-Chain Fatty Acid Acetate in Body Weight Control and Insulin Sensitivity
Basically, that means that the addition of Apple Cider Vinegar into your diet can help to stop some of the sabotaging appetite issues that derail your weight loss journey.
Apple Cider Vinegar can help you feel fuller for longer.
It is thought that ACV can slow stomach emptying meaning that you can feel satisfied for longer after eating.
This can be another great help to stop the snacking and overeating that can sabotage your weight loss efforts.
Studies have shown that taking vinegar just before a high carbohydrate meal of bread increased satiety after eating.
Anything that stops snacking between and after meals has got to help with weight loss.
how to use apple cider vinegar to lose belly fat.
Perhaps one of the most useful aspects of Apple Cider Vinegar is the ability to help with reducing Belly Fat.
Belly Fat is one of the most frustrating aspects of Menopausal weight gain. Weight seems to target the belly area and is often incredibly hard to shift. Apple Cider Vinegar can help.
The research that we discussed at the beginning of this post resulted in a loss of 1.9cm of belly circumference, from simply adding in 2 tablespoons of ACV with no other changes to the diet.
The positive changes to the digestion that the probiotics in ACV can cause can also help to reduce bloating.
Together, these effects can help to reduce Belly Fat, especially when combined with a special diet such as The Belly Fat Solution.
Are there any problems with trying Apple Cider Vinegar for weight loss?
Apple Cider Vinegar is a healthy and natural product which is a good addition to your diet. However, there are a few things to bear in mind for some people.
- Vinegar should be diluted. There is a trend for drinking Apple Cider Vinegar straight as a “shot”. The vinegar is pretty strong and drinking it straight like this can be hard on the stomach. The acidity can also be damaging to your teeth in straight shots.
- Due to this acidity, it’s best to drink Apple Cider Vinegar diluted and through a straw to avoid damaging the enamel of your teeth.
How to make an apple cider vinegar weight loss drink.
Some people don’t like the taste of Apple Cider Vinegar but it can be made into a refreshing drink. I enjoy the taste of Apple Cider Vinegar and sip on it during the day to stay hydrated and make sure I drink 2 tablespoons a day.
The way I prepare my Apple Cider Vinegar weight loss drink is as follows.
- I use a lidded mason jar glass with a straw lid to keep the ACV away from my teeth.
- I add around 1 tablespoon of ACV to a glass of sparkling spring water.
- You will want to drink at least 2 glasses of this mix to ensure you take at least 2 tablespoons of ACV per day.
- I add herbs from my garden to give flavour.
- My favourites are Apple Mint & Ginger.
- Make sure you use live non-pasteurised Apple Cider Vinegar to make sure you get the full probiotic benefits.
- Buy organic vinegar if you can.
Apple Cider Vinegar prepared in this way makes a delicious drink. I started drinking this as an alternative to alcoholic drinks. It has a refreshing grown-up tang which I love.
Yes. Apple Cider Vinegar can help weight loss but you need a plan…
So the wealth of scientific evidence points strongly towards the fact that Apple Cider Vinegar CAN help you lose weight and improve your health too.
However, on its own, Apple Cider vinegar will only make a small difference if you don’t make any other changes to diet or lifestyle. The key is to pair the vinegar with a diet plan to maximise the weight and belly fat that you can lose.
My weight loss plan, The Belly Fat Solution, is created specifically for women around Menopause. It’s a 14-day holistic plan which helps you lose belly fat and weight quickly and pairs perfectly with the addition of Apple Cider Vinegar. You can find out more here.
Adding Apple Cider Vinegar into your life is a cheap, easy and tasty way to lose weight, trim Belly Fat and improve your health. Try it and see how it changes your life.
You can read more about my Belly Fat Solution Weight Loss Plan here
Love and light
The Belly Fat Solution – 14 Day Menopause Weight Loss Plan
The Holistic Way To Balance your Hormones, Lose Weight & Feel Great – in 14 days
If you need a holistic and structured weight loss plan that walks you through losing your Menopause Belly Fat this may help you. It’s designed specifically for women struggling with their weight at midlife… and exercise is optional!
You can read more about my Belly Fat Weight Loss Plan here
Helen
