For centuries, vinegar has been used for cooking and has been touted as bringing healthy benefits with it. One variety in particular — apple cider vinegar — also has been known for thousands of years as helping to contribute toward a healthier body. Today its benefits are being increasingly understood and once more becoming recognized as a significant addition to a sound nutritional program.
Studies have found that apple cider vinegar brings with it a wide variety of benefits that can improve our general health on a daily basis. From regulating our blood sugar levels to lowering cholesterol and reducing blood pressure, it aids our body to function more efficiently, thereby adding to general enjoyment of life and potentially enabling you to live longer and healthier.
Apple cider vinegar is made by fermenting apple cider, which produces healthful properties, including enzymes and probiotics. The sugar is less than that found in apple cider itself.
The recommended dosage is between two teaspoons and two tablespoons in a glass of water taken daily. It is important to realize that going above the higher level can cause damage and should be guarded against. Certainly, apple cider vinegar should never be consumed on its own without dilution. Some grocery stores sell diluted apple cider vinegar that is drinkable.
Here’s a look at some of the significant health benefits that apple cider vinegar can provide.
1. Regulates Blood Sugar Levels
Among the major advantages of apple cider vinegar is that it can control levels of glucose in the blood.
For people who have elevated blood-sugar levels or whose body isn’t able to maintain a healthy glucose level, it has been shown to be effective in lowering blood sugar levels. It also has been found to be particularly beneficial for those who have type 2 diabetes or are considered pre-diabetic.
It is also a help to those people who are not necessarily yet diabetic, but tend to display higher blood sugar due to aging or illness.
Among the advantages are that apple cider vinegar improves the body’s ability to maintain a healthy blood sugar level during the consumption of a meal that is high in carbohydrates.
Studies also have shown that apple cider vinegar regulates blood sugar levels more effectively when taken before bedtime. Doing so has been found to reduce and even prevent sharp increases in blood sugar levels in the morning. The reason is that the vinegar assists in the way in which the liver processes starch.
It is important to check with your doctor before taking apple cider vinegar, however, if you are already taking medication that lowers your blood sugar.
2. Lowers Cholesterol
Studies show that apple cider vinegar can reduce levels of the so-called “bad” cholesterol while, at the same time, it raises the levels of the “good” kind of cholesterol.
The benefits of increasing the “good” cholesterol can be significant. Your circulation can be improved and it can reduce your chances of heart disease and stroke, which are leading causes of death in the United States. Lowering your cholesterol levels is important as the plaque can build up in your arteries and place a strain on your heart.
Anything that lowers cholesterol is of benefit to the millions of Americans who have inherited a tendency to suffer from high levels of “bad” cholesterol as well as those who have been experiencing problems in lowering their cholesterol through diet.
3. Improves Skin Health
One of the benefits of apple cider vinegar is in the way it can treat not only the inside but also the outside of your body. The reason it improves skin health lies in the antibacterial components that enable the vinegar to improve internal health. Those components have been shown to be effective in fighting bacteria that can be harmful to the body.
By acting against these bacterial strains, for example, apple cider vinegar can reduce acne and, over time, can help to lessen the scars that can result from severe cases of acne.
Studies have shown that it also improves the overall appearance of the skin.
4. Reduces Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is a major cause of heart disease and strokes among Americans, resulting in many preventable deaths. Studies have shown that apple cider vinegar can assist in lowering blood pressure and therefore can be of help in preventing many of these deaths.
Apple cider vinegar reduces blood pressure not only by lowering the bad cholesterol in the blood stream, but also by boosting circulation. In these ways, the pressure on the heart to pump blood through the body is reduced so that it is able to operate closer to normal levels, thereby enabling the heart to function more efficiently.
5. Relieves Symptoms of Acid Reflux
Acid reflux, commonly referred to as heartburn, is a common complaint among many people, particularly after eating certain foods. Part of the reason is that western meals tend to be more acidic than others. The alkaline level in apple cider vinegar relieves symptoms of acid reflux by countering the acidity and, in doing so, balancing the pH levels in the stomach.
Authorities suggest, therefore, that drinking apple cider vinegar diluted in water before each meal can help to relieve the symptoms of heartburn.
6. Boosts Gut Health
Not all bacteria are bad. On the contrary. Good bacteria are essential to ensure that your body’s internal system is working correctly. A healthy stomach, therefore, works on a balance between good bacteria and bad bacteria. Because apple cider vinegar is a source of good bacteria, it helps to create a healthy bacterial balance in your stomach.
This balance boosts gut health by assisting in the digestion of our food.
Apple cider vinegar also boosts gut health by assisting the stomach to absorb the nutrients that we need to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
7. Soothes Sunburns
Another way in which apple cider vinegar can help toward general skin health is in alleviating the results of sunburn. When we suffer sunburn, our skin becomes red and painful, not only preventing us from enjoying the sun for a few days, but also causing potential damage to our skin.
The vinegar not only soothes sunburns, it also aids our skin to heal. The best way to apply the vinegar is to add about a cup to a warm bath and to soak in it. Some suggest that the addition of a quarter cup of coconut oil and lavender can also help to relieve the sunburn.
