You need to wade through the quick fixes and miracle fat loss programs to find what diets work. One such fad in fat loss is apple cider vinegar. While consuming the product is generally safe for most people, it may not be the quick cure for obesity you've been looking for.
The Vinegar Diet
The vinegar diet, purportedly popularized by Lord Byron in 1820, claimsthat drinking a small amount of apple cider vinegar before meals can help to burn fat and suppress your appetite. Some proponents claim that only organic vinegar that still has a "mother," the live and actively fermenting cells that are removed in the pasteurization of non-organic vinegars, offers the supposed benefits.
Acetic Acid and Fat Loss
In theory, the acetic acid in vinegar inhibits the accumulation of body fat, even if you don't change your diet, and one study of the effects of acetic acid on mice fed with a high fat content supports these claims. Further study is needed, and experts from Health Services at Columbia University warn that while the acetic acid in vinegar may have a diuretic effect and cause a temporary loss of water weight, it has no effect on fat.
Side Effects
While the effects of apple cider vinegar on fat loss are inconclusive, consumption of vinegar does have several known side effects. The acidity can cause throat and stomach irritation, tooth enamel erosion and may inhibit the effects of certain medications, such as insulin and diuretics. People taking blood-thinning medications should avoid consuming vinegar, as it also thins the blood.
Proven Alternatives
Apple cider vinegar is not a proven remedy for fat loss, and there is no known quick fix for losing weight. Instead of relying on a potentially ineffective or dangerous solution, Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D., recommends a reduced calorie diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, lean protein and whole grains, paired with daily physical activity, to lose weight and keep it off.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Apple Cider Vinegar for Weight Loss -- Effective?
- University of Florida Student Health Care Center: Diets
- Diet Spotlight: Apple Cider Vinegar Diet
- "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry"; Acetic Acid Upregulates the Expression of Genes for Fatty Acid Oxidation Enzymes in Liver To Suppress Body Fat Accumulation; Tomoo Kondo and collegues; May 2009
- Go Ask Alice!: Apple Cider Vinegar
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