Apple cider vinegar is a popular alternative medicine remedy. It is believed that vinegar heals many ailments in the body, including weight loss. New scientific research claims that vinegar helps with fat loss.
Types
There are many different types of vinegar, but apple cider vinegar has been singled out for weight loss. This is due in part to apple cider vinegar being mentioned specifically in Dr. D.C. Jarvis's best-selling book, Folk Medicine, published in 1958. The refinement process used in other types of vinegar, such as white vinegar, rob the vinegar of essential minerals. Apple cider vinegar can be found in capsule form at many natural food stores.
Theories/Speculation
Even those who are staunch supporters of using apple cider vinegar as a weight loss tool have problems explaining exactly why it works. The primary avenue of thought is that it boosts the body's metabolism rate, which in turn burns calories.
Effects
Another belief is that apple cider vinegar curbs the appetite when taken shortly before mealtime. One of the more popular methods is to take 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with water shortly before eating. Adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of raw honey to the juice or water helps combat the taste.
Expert Insight
Proponents of vinegar as a weight loss aid received a huge boost when Japanese scientist Tomoo Kondo published "Acetic Acid Upregulates the Expression of Genes for Fatty Acid Oxidation Enzymes in Liver To Suppress Body Fat Accumulation" in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry issue of July 8, 2009. Kondo's research involved mice being fed a high-fat diet and showed those mice that received vinegar gained less body fat than those that did not.
Previous Studies
Prior to Kondo's study, supporters of vinegar as a weight loss supplement had little to support their claims, other than a small 2005 study by Sweden's Lund University, which showed people eating bread with vinegar felt more full for a longer period of time than those who ate bread alone.
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