Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)

Brittany MullinsUpdated Dec 18, 2023

717 Comments

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Learn more about the health benefits of apple cider vinegar including blood sugar control, lowering cholesterol and weight loss. Plus tips for how to incorporate apple cider vinegar into your diet.

It seems like everyone is talking about apple cider vinegar these days. I’m sure you’ve heard about it and are wondering if it really lives up to the hype…

So I’m going to break down the facts for you!

Spoiler alert: I’ve been using apple cider vinegar for years and love it! It’s such an easy thing to add to your daily routine and the health benefits are amazing. Read on to learn more.

A bottle of Bragg Organic Vinegar.

What is Apple Cider Vinegar

First, let’s start with the basics! Apple cider vinegar is a vinegar made from fermented apple juice. The process starts by adding yeast to crushed apples.

The yeast ferments the sugars and turns them into alcohol. At this point, bacteria is added which further ferments the alcohol and turns it into acetic acid… the main active compound found in most vinegar.

Acetic acid gives vinegar its pungent smell and flavor and is also responsible for many of ACV’s health benefits.

ACV in a tablespoon over a glass cup.

Apple Cider Vinegar Nutrients

ACV contains similar nutrients to apple juice and apple cider: pectin; vitamins B1, B2, and B6 (also known as biotin; folic acid and niacin), as well as, pantothenic acid and vitamin C.

It also contains small amounts of minerals including sodium, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, iron and magnesium.

One tablespoon of apple cider vinegar has about 3 calories.

Health Benefits of ACV

The health benefits of apple cider vinegar aren’t something we just discovered. For centuries people have known about its antimicrobial and antioxidant effects and generations have used it in both cooking and medicine.

That said, recent research has brought many health benefits of ACV to light so let’s talk about them.

Weight Loss

Multiple studies have shown that consuming vinegar is linked to “feelings of fullness” which in turn will help manage your caloric intake. (Source)

Of course, only adding apple cider vinegar to your routine and not changing anything else about your lifestyle isn’t recommended. Still, if you’re looking for a boost to your healthy eating and exercise habits, it’s certainly worth incorporating ACV into your daily routine.

I’ve personally found ACV to help a ton with feeling full. Whenever I’m drinking 1-2 Tablespoons of ACV a day I don’t have intense cravings for food or find myself snacking mindlessly.

Blood Sugar

This one is huge because studies have shown that apple cider vinegar improves insulin sensitivity and reduces blood sugar after meals. (Source)

Researchers are excited about what this could mean for people with Type 2 Diabetes, but also for the general public as high blood sugar has been linked to chronic diseases. (Source)

Heart Health

There aren’t enough studies to link apple cider vinegar and heart health in humans, but multiple studies have shown a link between the two in animals. Animal studies have shown that ACV can lower cholesterol, blood pressure and other heart disease factors. Again, more research needs to be done with humans but the studies are promising with animals! (Source)

Digestion

Apple cider vinegar is naturally acidic so for people with low stomach acidity, adding ACV into their diet may help raise stomach acid levels, which will help with digestion and overall gut health.

ACV also has antimicrobial properties, which may help kill bacteria in the stomach or intestines. Excess bacteria can lead to gas and bloating so eliminating it with ACV may help alleviate these symptoms.

I personally love drinking ACV regularly to help with my digestion! If you feel gassy or bloated after a meal or when traveling, try drinking apple cider vinegar.

I like to take it before a meal to prep my digestive tract, but I have also taken it after eating if I was in pain and my body needed a little extra support.

Improve Your Skin

While some have noted improvements in their skin by taking apple cider vinegar internally, you can also use it topically! It has been used to improve dry skin and eczema.

If you try this, be sure to dilute the ACV and spot-test a small area of your skin before applying it over a larger area. Here’s a recipe for making your own apple cider vinegar facial toner.

WATCH MY VIDEO ABOUT THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF APPLE CIDER VINEGAR:

What Type of ACV Is Best?

There are several types of apple cider vinegar on the market! You want to look for one that is labeled organic apple cider vinegar with the ‘mother’ or unpasteurized. The ‘mother’ is made up of strand-like enzymes of connected protein molecules with living nutrients and bacteria, similar to the ‘mother’ that’s in Kombucha.

Clear vinegar is processed and doesn’t have any of the benefits that raw apple cider vinegar has. There are different brands out there but I use Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar which you can find at most grocery stores and on Amazon.

How to Drink

Now that you know all the benefits I’m sure you’re wondering how to incorporate ACV into your daily routine. You can totally just dilute it with water and drink it that way, but if you’ve tasted ACV diluted with water you’ll know that it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s pretty pungent and doesn’t taste all that pleasant on its own.

Lucky for you, I have a ton of drink recipes to share!

A glass of an apple pie vinegar drink with salt around the rim.

These recipes make drinking ACV enjoyable and delicious!

More ACV Recipes

Of course, you don’t have to drink your apple cider vinegar! There are a ton of other ways to incorporate it into your diet. I love adding it to my salad dressings or using it as a marinade for protein. Here are some of my favorite recipes with ACV.

How Much Should You Drink Daily? 

I drink 2 Tablespoons a day, in the morning, and I usually make one of those drinks that I linked above. I also incorporate ACV in a variety of recipes, which I shared above.

What Happens When You Take ACV Daily?

It’s hard for me to tell if the habit of adding in ACV daily is working wonders on my body and helping in ALL the ways I mentioned above, however I do know that my complexion has been really clear since I’ve started taking it and I crave my apple cider vinegar drink every day now.

In the morning I make my drink in a large mason jar. I’ll sip on it throughout the morning or have it after lunch with my afternoon snack. The biggest thing I’ve noticed is that it helps to keep me feeling full and less hungry, which is huge for me because I tend to have a habit of mindless snacking!

Disclaimer – Due to the lack of supporting research, apple cider vinegar cannot be recommended for treatment or prevention of any health problems. Also, please consult with your physician, pharmacist, or healthcare provider before taking any home remedies or supplements. I’m just sharing my experience and what works for one person doesn’t always work for another. 🙂

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About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

More about Brittany

717 Comments

  1. I started using ACV three years ago after several decades of digestive issues and numerous, varied prescription drugs. After reading an article written by a pharmacist that suggested doctors prescribe meds to cure our symptoms and not our problems and that acid reflux can often be fixed using ACV rather than Nexium, etc. I gave it a try. I feel like I could be the poster child ( ahem, middle- aged poster adult!) for Bragg’s! Not only do I no longer take any medications for acid reflux I do not take medications for digestion or high cholesterol. I truly believe it has also helped me reduce the amount of belly fat that I have too. I feel better now than I did taking any of the drugs I took for 3 decades!

      1. One tablespoon in a cup of water before breakfast and supper. I started out doing it before each meal but find twice a day still does the trick!

  2. Dear Brittany

    Pls adv if ACV helps people with eczema conditions?

    Best regards

    Edward Yap
    Singapore

    1. i just started using apple cider vinegar on my son’s head….he has psorisis on his scalp…I had heard it helps with the flaking… i will post again to let you know how it worked

  3. Hi Tracy you don’t have to refrigerate acv it’s better to digest room temperature or warm it is so good with cranberry juice & it is also great in Apple cider warm I uses it as a toner after I wash my face & b4 I put my collagen serum on makes my skin tighter

    1. Hi Kimmie,

      How old are you and what is your skin type/color if you don’t mind sharing? I mean are you caucasian or latina or? I am trying to collect data on ACV and the different skin types and age. Thank you!

      2. Does my skin justice I exfoliate mildly then I cotton ball it with acv let dry then I uses an moisturizing collagen serum morning & before bed

        1. Thank you for your reply!!! I have actually started to do that myself… can’t quite tell if it helps yet. I’m 36/yo, caucasian but italian descent.. you get the idea. Thanks again!

    2. What kind of Measurement for the ACV skin regiment. .I really need this I wait till I get 64 and start having skin problem.

  4. Should you refrigerate the Briggs vinegar after you open it? Thanks for the great tips on vinegar.

    1. Hi Tracy – You can refrigerate it if you’d like, but I don’t think you have to. It doesn’t say anything about refrigeration on the bottle.

        2. hello. vinegar has a virtually indefinite shelf life. the acidity prevents bacteria and/or mold from growing (hence why white vinegar is used to kill bacteria in showers!). you don’t need to refrigerate it. I’d say if you’ve had it for years and years and it begins to smell funny, throw it away.

  5. Hello there, I love apple cider vinegar, I dont add anything in it but water & that. I was coming down with a cold, & I would drink this. My cold was gone in a few days honestly. I really hope it works with hair growth, and other things. I kinda gotta a vitamin deficiency, hope it gives me something. At first i was just drinking it once, but im going to try to drink it like 3 times a day. I’ll report what it has done in the future, Thanks

  7. Also, to add to my previous comment, I take one tablespoon with a drop of iodine and one ounce of liquid glucosamine. That’s my concoction.

  8. I have used ACV quite often over the years. I noticed it helped mitigate acid reflux symptoms (heartburn, whatever you want to call it); whenever I take it regularly, I find I am less likely to catch colds; it’s crazy, but it helps with, how do I say this, generally speaking, “bedroom stuff.” Those are my observations.

  9. I had never heard of ACV until I read Sylvester Stallone’s training and diet book Sly Moves. He describes how he had a bad case of food poisoning when he was younger and as he had no money for meds his friend suggested he take 2 tablespoons of ACV. Within a few hours his symptons had gone and he felt back to his normal self again. I therefor take it whenever I start to feel a bit of upset stomach coming on.

    Anyone else find it helps with this?

    1. When the flo went around, my daughter and I usually get it, while others in the family do not. This time we took ACV and we did not and they did. Yes it very much helps most every thing. I am diabetic and my legd itch a lot. Rub them with vinegar and the itch is gone.

  10. For all of you skeptics here is something to think about ACV….I orginally begin using Bragg ACV in the summer for hair growth. One day I was listening to a show on TV and they discussed the importance of vinegar and blood pressure. So I started with the red wine vinegar and one day ran out of the red…so I decided to try the Bragg with mother ACV and much to my surprise adding pure honey to the mixture was an unbelievable drink! I cautiously begain drinking this mixture hoping that the effects on my blood pressure would beneficial. It seemed to have helped but now I drink this AVC mixture 3x’s a day…and I’m totally hooked…but now I just noticed something else! My hair…it’s growing even faster. As I mentioned at the beginning, I orginally began using ACV for hair growth. I read where using Bragg w/mother was the best in helping with hair growth, but this was using it externally as a pre-rinse. After applying to hair I massage into my scalp and my hair has truly grown. But now my body is receiving the benefits from the inside out and the outside in using the Bragg ACV!
    Now I could be wrong, but I really don’t think I am…All I know now is that I’m really loving the results I’m obtaining using the Bragg ACV!!! If you’re not sure just try it for a week and you will see what all the buzz is about! This is the best possible thing I have done for myself in a really long time!!!

      1. Hi Ria,
        yes the ratio is easy…1 cup of water..best to use boiled, pure water..1 or 2 tsps of Bragg ACV w/ 1 or 2 tsps of honey. Really I use 1 tsp of honey..just love the taste..I take this drink 3x’s per day! It really makes me feel great! Enjoy!

    2. Hi Sharon, I’ve been using ACV internally for years. It is great to use during cold and flu seasons, I rarely get sick. I’ve not heard of it as a pre-rinse for hair. What ratio do you use? Thank you!