Several home remedies have become popular in the health industry with time. These remedies are derived from traditional medicinal methods, and people have been practising them for decades. They include vitamins, natural medicines, and herbs, also known as alternative medicines.
With so many alternative medicines on the market, you will find apple cider vinegar on the shelf, which helps cure many health-related issues. Not to mention, its uses and effects are backed by science.
Apple Cider Vinegar is not a magical potion but a remedy that you can incorporate into your diet to make your weight loss journey smooth and convenient. Besides weight loss, research shows other benefits of consuming this vinegar, i-e. It helps boost the immune system, fight against infections, control blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, overcome heart disease, and improve digestion. Before we dig deep into its benefits, let's talk about the preparation of apple cider vinegar.
It's the fermentation of apples that occurs at two stages. The apples are chopped, crushed, put into a wooden barrel, and exposed to yeast. Wooden barrels are efficient at boosting the fermentation process. Further, natural sugar from apples begins to ferment and turns into alcoholic cider. Then the alcoholic cider is exposed to oxygen, thus converting acetic acid to cider, i-e, vinegar.
This article will talk about the possible health benefits of apple cider vinegar, its uses and dosage.
Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
Let’s dig into some of the effective benefits of apple cider vinegar.
1. It Supports Gut Health
Apple cider vinegar is a proven remedy for curing digestive and bloating issues. It helps to increase the acidity of the stomach. Furthermore, taking apple cider vinegar creates a digestive enzyme, i-e, pepsin, which handles the breakdown of protein in the digestive tract. Increased production of acid in the stomach aids in keeping the gut healthy. It also prevents you from facing upset stomach issues and bloating.
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2. It Can Kill the Harmful Bacteria
Did you know apple cider vinegar is a powerful pathogen killer, including bacteria? In the old days, the role of ACV was to treat and clean wounds, warts, and infections. It's still one of the best remedies to kill bacteria.
Moreover, you can also use this vinegar as a food preservative. Research supports the ability of ACV to inhibit the growth of bacteria, i-e, E.coli, and prevent them from spoiling the food. So, if you want to protect your food naturally from the invasion of bacteria, treat it with apple cider vinegar.
3. It Aids in Weight Loss
Apple cider vinegar is a terrific tool for weight loss. It has natural enzymes that aid in regulating digestion, suppressing appetite, and giving you a feeling of fullness. According to research, those who had apple cider vinegar with a carb meal experienced feelings of fullness and consumed 200–275 calories a day.
Not only this, but ACV also helps to reduce belly fat, as shown in the research. To sum up, enjoying ACV with a healthy meal and exercise can give you more prominent results.
4. Improves Health of the Skin
Who doesn't want healthy skin? For everyone who wants happy, glowing skin - apple, cider vinegar is for them. It's excellent at treating dry skin, eczema, and acne. Since human skin is slightly acidic, topical ACV will help maintain the skin's pH balance, enhance the protective barriers, and lock in some moisture. All-in-all, ACV aids in treating the infection or pimples caused due to eczema or dryness.
5. It Supports Heart Health
The heart is the main part of the body and has many risk factors associated with it. Apple cider vinegar helps to enhance heart health. Several studies on animals consuming ACV showed reduced triglyceride levels, blood pressure, and cholesterol. It contains polyphenolic compounds, such as chlorogenic acid, which help prevent heart-related risk factors. Yet, researchers need to work more on gaining ACV results on humans before they jump to any conclusion.
Related Article: 5 Risk Factors of Cardiovascular Diseases & How to Prevent It
6. Manages Diabetes & Lowers Blood Sugar Levels
High blood sugar levels are the major cause of type 2 diabetes, ageing, and other chronic diseases. You can prevent them by avoiding refined carbs and sugars. Not only avoiding certain foods is beneficial, but incorporating ACV into the diet can do wonders.
ACV has convincing effects in treating type 2 diabetes as well. The causes of type 2 diabetes are high blood sugar levels and insulin resistance, and several studies support vinegar's role in improving insulin functioning and lowering blood sugar levels.
7. Enhance Natural Energy Production
Post-workout, athletes undergo severe fatigue and soreness due to the accumulation of lactic acid in the body. Apple cider vinegar plays an incredible role in distributing energy throughout the body. It contains potassium and has B vitamins i-e B6, B9, and B12.
Furthermore, the role of potassium in ACV is to treat fatigue and prevent your body from soreness and stiffness. In addition, B vitamins boost natural energy production in the body. You'll see more amazing results if you consume this vinegar with a diet containing carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
8. It Fights Cancer
Cancer is a death-causing disease. It causes abnormal growth of cells in the body that damage tissues and various organs. Patients with cancer rely on medications, but apple cider vinegar as a remedy comes to the rescue.
Luckily, it has antitumor, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties. ACV contains acetic acid, and research supports the role of acetic acid in killing tumor cells. However, ACV is not a cure for cancer. There's still no strong research supporting the effect of ACV on cancer.
9. It Fights Off Free Radicals
Since apple cider vinegar contains antioxidants, it can easily fight free radicals. It helps to keep your body healthy and free from cell damage. According to a study, other kinds of vinegar and apple cider vinegar have helpful antioxidants such as polyphenol, caffeic acid, and catechin. They prove to be effective in fighting free radicals.
10. Influence on the Liver
Did you know ACV can detoxify the liver and kidneys? Yes, you heard it right. There are many possible ways to detox your liver; apple cider vinegar is one of them. It has detoxification properties and can cut down liver fats. It's efficient at flushing out the toxins from the liver.
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Uses and Dosage of Apple Cider Vinegar
One of the exceptional ways of adding ACV into the diet is cooking. You can use it for cooking, salad dressing, and food preservatives. Also, you can't consume it directly because it can cause side effects such as affecting your tooth enamel. You can add and mix it with water to drink it for better health effects.
Furthermore, dieticians recommend using organic and unfiltered ACV. A variety of apple cider bottles of vinegar are available on the market. If you want to use this vinegar, always read the product's label to make a safe purchase.
Final Thoughts
Apple cider vinegar has exceptional positive effects on the body's organs, such as the heart, brain, stomach, and so on. It's an amazing remedy for treating several diseases and health conditions. Many researchers support its role in killing bacteria, lowering blood sugar levels, and maintaining the body's pH. Furthermore, it's safe to use if taken in moderation. Other than that, more research is still needed to support ACV's health benefits strongly.
Reading List
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