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A quick internet search might lead you to believe that apple cider vinegar is the ultimate panacea.
From celebs and influencers to scientific studies, word has spread that the acidic liquid, which costs as little as £2.50 in health food shops, can do everything from helping you shed a few extra pounds to curing cancer.
But is apple cider vinegar really a cure-all? Or just overhyped?
While it’s tempting to trust these fantastic health claims, experts caution that many of these benefits have only been recorded in petri dishes, not humans.
Here, MailOnline breaks down some of the biggest health claims to find out if any of them are true.
It’s claimed that apple cider vinegar, which costs as little as £2.50 in health food shops, can do everything from helping you shed a few extra pounds to curing cancer
It CAN help lower blood sugar
One of the most frequent health claims about apple cider vinegar is that it can help manage blood sugar levels.
A 2004 examination published in the Journal of the American Association of Diabetes suggested that consuming vinegar as part of a meal that contains carbohydrates, such as potatoes or rice, can improve glucose and insulin levels after you eat.
This, in theory, helps fight the high blood sugar levels that can lead to problems like diabetes.
Researchers gave participants a meal of a bagel with butter and a glass of orange juice.
After the meal, participants were then given 20 grams of apple cider vinegar or a placebo.
The blood sugar levels of all participants were then checked 30 minutes and again one hour after the meal.
This showed that those who had vinegar had lower blood sugar levels.
Other studies that used humans and not just test tubes also drew similar conclusions.
But researchers in a 2016 examination found that vinegar is more effective in healthy individuals rather than diabetics.
However, drinking a shot of apple cider vinegar after a meal will not take the place of diabetes medication.
Although many studies suggest a beneficial effect on blood sugar, many of these are ‘very brief and often not blind’, said Professor Gunter Kuhnle, an industry-recognised food scientist at the University of Reading.
A study that is blinded means that the participants are not aware of which drug they are taking as part of the experiment.
“I don’t think they are sufficient to confirm an effect,” Professor Kuhnle added.
It does NOT cure cancer
Despite studies that claim otherwise, consuming apple cider vinegar will not ‘cure’ cancer.
Most studies looking at the link between apple cider vinegar and cancer have been done in test tubes and not humans.
An American examinationperformed in 1996, suggested cancer cells grow more aggressively in an acidic environment.
Because once digested by the body, apple cider vinegar becomes alkaline, the opposite of acidic, others have theorized that it could help fight cancer.
But there is no evidence that cancer cells do not grow in an alkaline environment.
And another one, this time in 2014 examination published in the journal Gastroenterology and Hepatology, found the acetic acid in apple cider vinegar could kill gastric cancer cells from rats and humans in a test tube.
Researchers also suggested that it showed potential to treat some stomach cancers.
However, this is not proof that drinking apple cider vinegar will fight cancer in a human body.
“This is based on an observation about the metabolism of cancer cells in the laboratory and other experimental models and not in humans,” said Dr. Duane Mellor, Registered Dietitian based at Aston University in Birmingham.
In fact, he explained that it is actually illegal in the UK to advertise treatments like this to people living with cancer under the Cancer Act 1939.
“It has been linked to the scientifically discredited theory of alkaline foods like apple cider vinegar and lemon water,” he added.
Experts say many of the claims made about apple cider vinegar have only been shown to work in test-tube and animal studies, not in humans
Celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Victoria Beckham and Jennifer Aniston swear by the tip for its fat-busting properties.
A 2018 examination published in the Journal of Functional Foods, showed that drinking 15 ml (2 tablespoons) of apple cider vinegar with lunch can help people lose weight.
Participants in the experiment ate a diet that contained 250 calories less than their daily estimated needs.
The group who drank apple cider vinegar lost an average of 1.3 kg more than those who just ate the calorie deficit diet.
Now, new research from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik also suggests that the vinegar can help shed up to 8kg in just three months after drinking a single 15ml measure before breakfast.
But not everyone is convinced.
Critics have ripped apart the recent study of just 120 people, claiming it was severely flawed and proved nothing.
With the length of the 12 week study and the fact that the participants were not ‘weight stable’ at the start of the study among the criticisms.
The Lebanese researchers also admitted that they did not know why apple cider vinegar could have a slimming effect.
But they claimed that animal studies have shown that it improves insulin sensitivity and energy levels.
Dr. Mellor explained that the weight loss benefits may not be unique to apple cider vinegar.
He said: ‘any vinegar added to a meal slows down how quickly our stomach empties after we eat a meal, so this is not unique to apple cider vinegar.’
So while apple cider vinegar may have some modest effects on weight loss, there isn’t enough research to prove that you should ditch diets and the gym.
Celebrities including Kim Kardashian (pictured left) swear by the tipple. Celebrity attorney Jennifer Aniston (pictured right) also drinks vinegar as part of her health regimen
It does NOT control high blood pressure
Another claim made online is that apple cider vinegar can control high blood pressure and cholesterol.
But a lack of evidence suggests that this is just another popular myth.
Although studies show some improvement in blood pressure, this is only in animal studies.
Only one 2006 study by researchers at Arizona State University, which tested the theory in rats, showed a decrease in systolic blood pressure in rodents fed a diet containing acetic acid compared to those not fed the substance.
However, there are no studies sufficiently replicating this in humans to support the recommendation.
It CAN kill bacteria
Vinegar has traditionally been used for cleaning and preserving food for centuries.
But one examination in 2005 it also suggested that it could be used to reduce the risk of salmonella, a type of bacteria that can cause food poisoning.
Researchers treated spotted rocket leaves with either vinegar, lemon juice, or a mixture of the two. They found that mixing lemon juice and vinegar reduced the growth of salmonella.
But it is not recommended to rely on this to avoid salmonella poisoning.
Professor Kuhnle said: ‘It’s probably antimicrobial, but it has that in common with other vinegars in that the acetic acid will kill many (but not all) insects – I’m a bit skeptical though as to whether it has any effect in the human body as it will be buffered fairly quickly and used for energy (or something else).’
Dr. Mellor also said that any vinegar is likely to reduce bacterial growth, but stressed that this is seen in petri dishes rather than in the internal environment of human bodies.