Apple cider vinegar is used for a lot of different purposes – people use it to wash their hair, aid digestion, ease heartburn and nausea and smoothing out wrinkles in the skin. Many studies have also found that apple cider vinegar may help individuals regulate their blood sugar levels.
The studies on the efficacy and safety of apple cider vinegar as a means of helping to regulate blood sugar are numerous. Here are the details behind three recent studies, which show that apple cider vinegar can have a real impact on blood sugar levels.
Taking Vinegar At Bedtime
A study from the Department of Nutrition at Arizona State University, measured the effects of taking a relatively small amount of apple cider vinegar (2 Tbsp) before bedtime could have on the blood sugar levels of adults with type 2 diabetes. At the conclusion of the study, researches stated that apple cider vinegar may be a useful adjunct therapy for individuals with diabetes.
“Investigations are needed to study the mechanisms by which vinegar alters postprandial glycemia and fasting glucose and to examine the efficacy of vinegar ingestion in individuals with adequately controlled diabetes,” the researchers wrote, calling for more investigation into the use of apple cider vinegar as a means of aiding the regulation of blood sugar levels in diabetic individuals(1).
Apple Cider Vinegar And Insulin Sensitivity
A second study from the Department of Nutrition at Arizona State University further explored the mechanisms by which apple cider vinegar can help regulate blood sugar levels in diabetic individuals.
Their data indicated that “vinegar can significantly improve postprandial insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant subjects” – something the earlier study had suggested but not confirmed (2).
Exploring How It Works
A study in the Journal of Nutrition in the year 2000 explored the mechanisms by which apple cider vinegar can lower blood glucose levels. “To understand how blood glucose level is lowered (sic) by oral administration of vinegar, we examined the effects of acetic acid on glucose transport and disaccharidase activity in Caco-2 cells,” the study authors explained.
They found that the anti-hyperglycemic effect of acetic acid, which is found in apple cider vinegar, may be partially due to the suppression of disaccharidase activity in these cells. (3)
All of which is a fairly complex way of saying that the contents of apple cider vinegar work on a cellular level to regulate blood sugar levels in the body.
Choosing An Apple Cider Vinegar
When you’re picking out a bottle of apple cider vinegar, it’s important to select a brand that is organic and unpasteurized. The pasteurization process of apple cider vinegar may destroy many of its beneficial nutrients. You can tell which apple cider vinegars are unpasteurized by the cobweb-like solid matter floating in side the bottle; this harmless natural cellulose is produced by the vinegar bacteria, and is known as mother of vinegar.
Apple cider vinegar has a place in many recipes and is easy to incorporate into your daily diet – some people even drink it “straight up” for the health benefits it is believed to offer.
sources:
[1]https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/30/11/2814.full
[2]https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/1/281.full
[3]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10702577