Does Vinegar Cleanse Help in Losing Weight?

Nowadays, apple cider vinegar cleanses have become very popular. Vinegar cleanse, which combines apple cider vinegar with spices and juices like cinnamon, honey, ginger, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice, has been making its way around the internet as a miraculous solution for everything from weight loss and improved cardiovascular health to diabetes management, immune system strengthening, constipation relief, and the maintenance of a healthy skin pH.

Before you hop on the vinegar cleanse bandwagon, it's worth checking out what research has to say about these purported health benefits.

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Can Vinegar Cleanse Really Help You Lose Weight?

The kidneys and liver are two of the body's natural detoxification organs that do a great job of clearing out toxins. What people eat and drink can either aid or hinder the body's inherent detoxification mechanisms. Some studies on vinegar cleanses are described here for you to understand more about them.

Check out these benefits of apple cider vinegar for your health.

1) Weight Loss

This claim is predicated on a 2009 study conducted by Japanese researchers, who randomly assigned 155 participants to receive either one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar per day, two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar per day, or a placebo in their daily drink.

Both groups continued their normal eating habits throughout the study, but those given vinegar lost an average of 2.4 pounds after 12 weeks, while the comparison group gained 0.5 pounds. Although this isn't a huge amount of weight loss in such a short period of time, the authors hypothesize that the acetic acid present in apple cider vinegar (formed when apple sugar ferments) may be suppressing enzymes that harbor fat.

Apple cider vinegar may be able to increase your feeling of satiety ( Image via Unsplash @Towfiqu Barbhuiya)

A potential benefit of apple cider vinegar cleanses for weight loss is that they are often reported to increase satiety. The ingestion of this acidic beverage may delay gastric emptying, according to previous studies (the speed at which food moves from the stomach to the small intestine during digestion).

The acidity of the vinegar, the researchers say, could set off low-pH sensors in the intestine that halt the movement of food from the stomach. According to Rahaf Al Bochi, R.D.N., L.D.N., owner of Olive Tree Nutrition and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics,

"slowing down digestion could mean feeling full, faster because there won't be as much room to store incoming food in the stomach."

However, to the best of our knowledge, only one study, conducted in 2007 and published by Swedish researchers, provides up-to-date support for this long-standing assertion. Ten people with type 1 diabetes were given either a cup or two of water or a cup of water plus two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to mix with a large serving of rice pudding.

Using ultrasound technology, the researchers found that the participants who underwent the vinegar cleanse had significantly slower gastric emptying rates compared to the participants who drank water alone. It remains to be seen, though, if that result leads to diminished body fat.

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2) Blood Sugar Regulation

Managing blood sugar levels is vital for more than just avoiding complications from type 2 diabetes. New evidence suggests that extreme swings in blood sugar levels contribute to chronic inflammation that can eventually lead to serious health problems like cardiovascular disease and cancer. Interestingly, apple cider vinegar cleanse appears to be a useful tool in the fight against hyperglycemia and chronic illness.

Evidence from in-vitro and animal studies suggests that acetic acid can block the absorption of carbohydrates by decreasing their breakdown during digestion, and it can also increase the uptake of glucose in the body, taking it out of the blood.

If you don't want to go for a complete vinegar cleanse, you can opt for salads that contain vinaigrette (Image via Unsplash @Tania Melnyczuk)

However, human evidence for these mechanisms is scant. Although a few studies suggest vinegar helps with insulin sensitivity or lowers post-meal blood sugar, these studies have very small sample sizes. It's challenging to advocate for their widespread use for this reason. Therefore, the effect of vinegar cleanses on blood sugar remains debatable.

We also know that maintaining stable blood sugar levels is extremely important for those looking to lose weight.

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3) Cholesterol Regulation

Cholesterol and triglyceride levels were also monitored in the aforementioned 2009 study. Our blood contains triglycerides, a type of fatty acid. In the fourth week of the study, the animals showed lower triglyceride levels, though this may have been a side effect of weight loss itself.

Human studies of the effects of vinegar cleanse on cholesterol levels are extremely scarce. A study conducted in Iran found that ACV was effective in lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides in those with high cholesterol. While promising, these results should first be confirmed in larger samples of the population.

Following a balanced diet along with regular exercise is a proven way to lose weight (Image via Pexels @The Castlebar)

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Although apple cider vinegar has been around for a while, the sour beverage has recently been repackaged as a vinegar cleanse to give the old trend a new identity and make it more palatable. However, research into the health benefits of ingesting apple cider vinegar is still in its infancy, and any potential benefits may be outweighed by the risks.

Consider replacing processed foods and foods containing simple sugars (like chips, cookies, and white bread) with a nutrient-dense, well-rounded plate of whole grains, lean meats, and lots of vegetables if weight loss and blood sugar control are your top priorities. Read if apple cider vinegar is effective for weight loss.