Apple cider vinegar and honey are tied to numerous home remedies. A popular one is the notion you can lose weight by drinking a mixture of water, vinegar and honey. Unfortunately, this just isn't true. Only limited research exists tying vinegar to anything remotely related to weight loss and even though honey has shown promise in limited trials, it's not enough to make a solid connection.
Apple Cider Vinegar for Weight Loss
According to a study published in the "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition," in 2005, apple cider vinegar made participants feel more full when consumed prior to a meal. Plus, the participants didn't get hungry again for a greater length of time than those that didn't drink vinegar. More study is needed, and though apple cider vinegar could prove to be an appetite suppressant, it is still not connected to helping you lose weight.
Lack of Research on Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar has no affect on your ability to lose weight. In fact, the only kind of weight loss you're likely to experience drinking vinegar is the loss of water due to vinegar's acetic acid content, according to the "Go Ask Alice!" column at the "Health Services at Columbia" website. Even though the "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition" study indicates apple cider vinegar may suppress the appetite, no evidence has been found showing vinegar helps the body to burn calories, which is essential for a weight loss supplement.
Honey for Weight Loss
According to a study published in "Nutrition Research" in January 2011, honey may be an appetite suppressant as well. In the study, rats that had a diet comprised of 20 percent honey accumulated less fat and ate fewer calories per day than rats that ate 20 percent of their diet in standard table sugar. No research as been done on humans to mirror this result, making the potential appetite suppressant role of honey much like vinegar and unconfirmed as of 2011.
Promising Results for Honey
Unlike with apple cider vinegar, however, some research has shown honey to have a direct effect on weight loss. According to a study published in the "International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition" in 2009, diabetic patients that were given honey for the duration of an eight-week trial lost more weight than a group of diabetic patients that didn't consume honey. One study isn't enough to definitively say honey can help you lose weight, but with additional research, it does show promise as a potential weight loss aid.
References
- "Health Services at Columbia"; Go Ask Alice!: Apple Cider Vinegar; August 2010
- "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Vinegar Supplementation Lowers Glucose and Insulin Responses and Increases Satiety After a Bread Meal; Ostman E. et al; 2005
- "International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition"; Effects of Natural Honey Consumption in Diabetic Patients: An 8-Week Randomized Clinical Trial; M. Bahrami, et. al.; November 2009
- "Nutrition Research"; Honey Promotes Lower Weight Gain, Adiposity, and Triglycerides Than Sucrose in Rats; T.M. Nemoseck, et. al.; January 2011
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