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 am so glad i found your website! I have always been told that it does help with weight loss, so I am going to try to use it and see the kind of results that I get. Thanks so much for sharing!

  2. Helped my dandruff.. After a week I no longer have dandruff and it was getting pretty bad. I didn’t wanna use shampoo with some weird chemicals so I gave it a try and it worked fast!

  3. I will start today, using morning and night .I have Braggs on hand in the cuboard. I will read and follow directions and report back weekly on results. I currently need to loose about 20 lbs, plan to eat healthy and have recently made some changes in my diet. Switching to organic milk and eggs to start. Going organic will be a gradual process for me. Portion control and controlling bad habits such as eating junk or comfort foods at night are other issues I have to conquer. I also have miscelanous aches and pains, knees and other joints ( probably from increase in weight). Look forward to incorporating this into my overall plan for improved health and well being. Thank you all for your information. Sweetpea

  4. this is my very first try of acv….will post results on 7 days… i need weight loss – indigestion – insomonia

  5. I LOVE Acv I had fibrods went to the doc for they did a ultrasound and the doc told me you don’t have fibrods any more so what ever you been taking keep on taking it. I started drinking it cause i heard it shrinks them and stops the bleeding well sure enough after bleeding for over a yr ACV final did it the doc even took the info do she said she never heard of it and was amaze…. I told her to google it a read the reviews that’s what made me start to drink it. so if you know any one with them pass the word I A LIVING TESTIMONY THAT IT WORKS!

    1. How much were you taking? This is very impressive…I used to work in a medical practice that treated fibroids. How extensive were your fibroids? It’s really hard to believe…

  6. ACV helps to alkalinize (de-acidify) your body. Too much wine, coffee, or in my case…add in a daily diet coke (I know…but I love it) and your body becomes too acidic. Also with the American diet, too much meat does that too. This alkalinization is why it helps GERD and can help with joint pain due to arthritis. I hadn’t thought about the teeth thing, but that is of concern. It’s probably no worse than diet coke for your teeth though. I will try the diluted approach. It is helpful with cardiovascular disease because it can help your body self-regulate which means lower cholesterol and improve blood pressure if it helps reverse part of the cause. It can not help hemorrhoids or varicose veins because those are the end result of poor cardiovascular health but as part of a long term plan could help reduce your risk, just like a good diet. It also helps with infection because the acidic environment (of your body) makes proper function of your immune system more difficult and applying diluted ACV to treat skin ailments can kill the fungus or bacteria because it is alkalinizing.
    It is difficult to explain why ingesting it alkalinizes your body (lemon juice is acidic but benefits you for different reasons) without a biochemistry lesion, but it is true, and a scientific fact. It’s the opposite of acid…but just as powerful. It is antimicrobial and probably has a much of micronutrients that a modern diet might lack. Explained by a scientist.

  7. Ive used for approx four months and recently ran out. After a week or soof forgetting to pick up at store, I began to notice: break outs, allergys, sneezing, yeast accumulating in mouth(ewww that thick spit) joint pains, and digestive issues. I immediately felt a difference. Thats the kicker. If you ever do start taking, you deff see a difference when you dont. Your body gets uae to having it just like anything else you put in on a regular basis. ACV is deff my “cure all”

  8. pls where can i get the bragg raw ACV vinegar in ORLANDO FLORIDA in USA…….

    1. I purchased mine in New Hampshire at my local supermarket next to regular vinegar in the same isle. I started yesterday. We will see. I put 2 teaspoons in a shot glass and chased with water. Had my second dose this morning. Didn’t wake up 20 years younger 🙁

      1. Pam. You should not be putting straight vinegar in your mouth. You’ll ruin your teeth. Please do what the instructions say and put the vinegar in at least 12oz of water.

        1. The vinegar in its natural state is no worse for you than having juice or pop in your mouth….just ask a dentist. The benefits are increased for me when I take it undiluted. Just don’t swish it around in your mouth. People don’t do that with juice or pop so…I would continue the shot glass approach personally.
          Peggy

  9. I definitely believe in ACV. It has been a tremendous help with my body. It is good for killing bad bacteria, improving blemishes on my skin and weight loss. I use to only drink ACV during the day, but then I read about drinking it at night for insomnia and burning fat while you sleep. So, I tried this and it did help with both. I have lost ten pounds in the last four weeks. I do believe though that it is important to maintain an organic diet to maximize the full benefits of ACV.

  10. Greetings all. In 1998 I moved to Sydney to work and a women who worked with me was 65 yrs old and had the body of a 25 year old, I who have never had problems with my body asked her what was her secret and she mentioned apple cider vinger and I started drinking it in the mornings, afternoon and evenings. Within a month I had beautiful skin, a body of a 20 year old and mind you at that stage I was 38. My doctor told me to stop due to the fact that I had lost too much weight and I did, years later at 51 I have started the apple cider again at yhis point of my life I look 35 but I started again and I know that within afew months I will look like a 21 year old. Trustme it works!

    2. I’ve been taking ACV for two months now and I didn’t get the same results as you did. Do you maintain an organic diet? Is there something else your doing along with taking ACV, that is helping you with your results? I too find it a bit hard to believe that in a month you looked younger and have a body of a 20 year old. I will keep you posted if I start to look younger, that would be great! I can not lie I am hopeful but still in disbelief.