Apple Cider Vinegar - Health Hero or Hype?
If you aware of wellness trends, you’ve probably seen apple cider vinegar (ACV) praised for everything from boosting digestion to reducing fat.
I haven’t been immune from jumping on this band wagon, but thankfully I didn’t stay on it too long! I can’t even remember what I thought the benefit of adding it to water was now. But I do know drinking ACV is pretty awful!
It must have been about 13 years ago that I went out on my lunch break, specifically looking for ACV that contained the all important “mother!”. This was before I became a personal trainer, know what I know now + when I was living a life a little bit out of balance + looking for the hacks to counter it.
What I now know, is that we cannot hack our health. And we must look to the science behind these claims; who is pushing these products, who is investing in them + what do they personally have to gain. Admittedly the science can sometimes lag, but I wanted you to know about this recent scientific U-Turn, so you can use it as you feel fit.
The fall of ACV?
Recently, the BMJ Group, which is one of the world’s leading medical publishers, retracted a 2024 study that claimed ACV could help people lose up to 9% of their body weight in 12 weeks. The retraction cited “concerns about the quality of the work,” and many nutrition experts weren’t surprised.
The study’s results had gone viral, suggesting ACV might rival metabolic medications, now being used as weight-loss medications. But soon after publication, scientists pointed out serious flaws. Eric Trexler of Duke University noted that “the magnitude of effect for weight loss seemed implausible.” After a year of debate, the journal has finally pulled the paper.
So, what do we actually know about ACV?
There’s some limited evidence that it might:
Help fight certain bacteria (in lab tests).
Modestly lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels, especially in people with type 2 diabetes.
But there’s no solid proof it helps with weight loss, cures infections, or tackles chronic disease. Experts also warn against drinking it neat, as it can erode tooth enamel or irritate the tissues in your mouth throat.
The takeaway:
It’s important to question, if you are consuming it - why you are + what you hope it will achieve. ACV isn’t a miracle remedy, but it is a good way to add flavour + acidity to meals, to use in salad dressing, soups, chutneys or pickled veg.
And as for those bold health claims? It’s probably a good idea to take them with a pinch of salt (which I do recommend - especially Maldon sea salt flakes - but that’s for another blog!).