People turn to detox diets to cleanse their systems and stimulate weight loss. One popular way to help cleanse the body is with an apple cider vinegar diet. Apple cider vinegar has been used for thousands of years to detoxify the body and promote digestion. The apple cider detox diet is not really a diet per se---rather it calls for a healthy diet that includes the consumption of 3 tsp. of apple cider vinegar before meals.
History
In Eastern medicine, apple cider vinegar is used to promote circulation and help the liver detoxify the system. Anecdotal evidence shows that ancient Egyptians used apple cider vinegar for weight loss. Hippocrates lauded cider vinegar as a cure for many ailments, including joint pain, digestive woes and blood disorders. Modern interest in apple cider vinegar as a health tonic originated in the 1950s with the publication of the book "Folk Medicine" by Dr. D.C. Jarvis, who claimed that apple cider vinegar, when consumed regularly, stimulated fat burning, cured migraines, helped with chronic fatigue and alleviated arthritis.
Features
Apple cider vinegar is made by fermenting the juice of crushed apples with yeast and sugar to make an alcohol. A second fermentation process converts the alcohol to vinegar by acetic-acid-forming bacteria. The result is a very sour tasting liquid with properties such as beta carotene, malic acid and pectin that marketers claim help detoxify the body and improve overall health.
Effects
Jarvis maintained that apple cider vinegar could eliminate offensive bacteria in the digestive tract, helping make digestion more efficient and facilitating the body's ability to rid itself of waste. Jarvis also believed the vinegar could break down fat, helping the body's natural detoxifiers---the kidneys and liver---to do their jobs. Some companies say consuming their apple cider vinegar can help destroy free radicals implicated in aging and immune complications through its beta-carotene content. Proponents point to the multiple nutrients in apples, including potassium, magnesium, calcium and phosphorous, and believe these nutrients are concentrated in the vinegar.
Expert Insight
No large-scale studies support any of the claims about apple cider vinegar as a detox diet tool. One study of 12 participants in 2005 reported that the consumption of apple cider vinegar suppressed the appetite, but it has not been repeated or substantiated by further studies. An Iranian study published in the Pakistani Journal of Biological Science in 2008 indicated that apple cider vinegar has promise in managing diabetic complications, but it did not deal with any of the other purported benefits. Some advocates of apple cider vinegar as a detox tool point to an animal study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2006, that showed acetic acid (which is found in apple cider vinegar) lowers cholesterol. Nutrition Forum, a bimonthly health newsletter, notes that 1 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar contains only tiny amounts of the minerals found in apples and 15 mg of potassium. Apple cider vinegar contains no fiber, vitamins or amino acids.
Considerations
Advocates recommend using organic apple cider vinegar, which is minimally processed. Too much filtration and pasteurization destroys many of the properties that may make apple cider vinegar beneficial. Apple cider vinegar tablets are available if you hate the sour taste. Long-term consumption of acidic substances like vinegar can cause leaching of calcium from the bones, so those with osteoporosis should limit consumption.
Member Comments