Image By Madeleine Steinbach
Can apple cider vinegar improve your health? Many people swear by apple cider vinegar for a whole range of health benefits. While more research is needed to investigate some of these claims, there are quite a few that show promise!
ACV
Before we dive into the potential benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar or ACV, let’s talk about what exactly this magical elixir is.
Apple cider vinegar is the product of fermented apple juice. It all comes together using three main components: apples, sugar, and yeast. Over time, yeast eats away the natural sugars in the apples, turning apple juice into cider. Now if you love apple cider, you may want to stop the process here. However, if you keep the process going, growing bacteria will convert the cider into acetic acid, at which point it becomes vinegar.
Benefits
ACV may help improve insulin resistance in prediabetic individuals and increase satiety after a meal. During trials, test subjects ingested vinegar before eating a meal. 30 minutes after eating, measurements of blood glucose and insulin sensitivity were taken. Subjects with type 2 diabetes did not see a huge decrease in blood sugar, however, there was an improvement in insulin sensitivity following the meal. The best results were observed in healthy individuals and those with insulin resistance (high risk for developing type 2 diabetes). Insulin-resistant individuals experienced a 64% reduction in blood sugar and a 34% improvement in insulin sensitivity following their meal when compared to the placebo group. Healthy individuals also experienced significant results. Because of these outcomes, some experts predict that acetic acid may one day be used to help prevent and slow the development of type 2 diabetes in high-risk individuals.
Satiety following a meal also showed a clear connection to vinegar consumption. Participants in multiple studies reported feeling fuller and more satisfied following a meal with vinegar. Total calories consumed during the day were subsequentially reduced because of this.
Further evidence, collected in trials on rodents, suggests that it may slow the growth of tumors and improve blood pressure. However, further investigation via human trials will be necessary to determine if ACV provides these same benefits in people.
Ways to Consume
A quick search online will produce many easy recipes to help you incorporate ACV into your diet. Take a look at some of the common uses below:
- Salad dressings and marinades with ACV are both delicious and easy to quickly throw together.
- The easiest way to consume ACV is to mix it into water and drink it. You should not consume it straight out of the bottle as the acidity can damage your teeth and oral tissues. Dilute it with water and stir together thoroughly before drinking. Adding citrus, like lemon, to the mix may help improve the flavor.
- For a more ambitious approach, try using ACV to make your own pickled vegetables.
As with anything, if you are wanting to incorporate ACV into your diet for regular medicinal use, make sure that it is a safe option for you. Because some medications may be impacted by apple cider vinegar, it’s important to consult with your doctor before starting a regimen.
Agents
We hope that this information on the benefits of apple cider vinegar is useful to you.
Empower Brokerage is dedicated to helping you make informed decisions about your health and finances. Whether it’s through webinar training, one-on-one calls, seminars, or marketing plans, we want you to be successful!
Give us a call at 888-539-1633 or leave a comment below if you have any questions.
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Cali Naughton graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington. She joined the marketing team at Empower Brokerage in the spring of 2021 as a marketing specialist and the department photographer.
