What Are the Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar?

Apple cider vinegar (also called "cider vinegar") has been promoted as a cure for long lists of ailments, from a dandruff hair rinse to tonic with honey to relieve arthritis pain. Can one food have so many health benefits?

• Use organic apple cider vinegar for the best health results.

History

• Several types of vinegar have been used for more than 5,000 years. "The Healing Power of Food" explains, "distilled white vinegar, the most potent vinegar, is the one most often recommended for medicinal purposes, although many people prefer cider vinegar..."

Benefits

• Authors Mehmet Oz, M.D., and Michael Roizen, M.D., say apple cider vinegar can be used as a natural exfoliant to remove dead skin from your face.

  Wash fruits and vegetables in a solution of water, baking soda and apple cider vinegar to remove bacteria. (See Resources.)

Expert Insight

• A 2005 study at Arizona State University revealed that apple cider vinegar slowed the increase of blood sugar when consumed before high-carbohydrate meals, important in preventing type 2 diabetes.

  According to a 2007 study at Malmo University Hospital in Sweden, eight of 10 type 1 diabetics with clinically diagnosed diabetic gastroparesis (vomiting and abdominal distension), experienced significantly reduced gastric or stomach emptying rates of a rice pudding meal taken with apple cider vinegar.

Dosage

• Earth Clinic alternative healers suggest you add 2 tsp. of organic apple cider vinegar to 16 oz. of water and sip one to two glasses throughout the day, "for daily maintenance, weight loss and pH balancing."

Warning

• Use apple cider vinegar with caution if you have yeast allergies--you may also be sensitive to vinegar.