Drinking This Fermented Fruit Juice May Reduce Your Risk of Obesity and Other Diseases

​Apple cider vinegar (ACV) has received a lot of attention over the past decade or so.  This funny tasting liquid is a type of vinegar made from cider or apple and has a pale to medium amber color.  Vinegar has been used for centuries for a multitude of household and cooking purposes.  

The process of making vinegar requires two steps.  The first step exposes crushed apples or apple cider to yeast, which ferment the sugars and turn them into alcohol.  During the second step, bacteria are added to the solution of alcohol.  The bacteria continue to ferment the alcohol and turn it into acetic acid.  Acetic acid is the main compound in vinegar. Acetic acid is the formal, chemical name for the component in vinegar that gives it the characteristically sour taste and health benefits.  It is a compound that gives a sour taste to vinegar as well as pickles and sourdough bread.

Organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar also contains "mother," strands of proteins, enzymes and healthy bacteria that give it a murky appearance. Apple cider vinegar only contains about 3 calories per tablespoon.  Good quality apple cider vinegar also contains some amino acids and antioxidants. There have been many claims of the health benefits of apple cider vinegar, from weight loss, to helping to prevent complications from diabetes.  A study from Japan showed that the acetic acid in vinegar may help control blood pressure and fat accumulation.

A recent study from the Journal of Medicinal Foods caught my attention. This study demonstrates that apple cider vinegar can be beneficial for the suppression of obesity-induced oxidative stress in rats fed a high fat diet.  !CAUTION I'm about to get really nerdy!  Rats fed a high fat diet have been shown to have a reduction in the antioxidant enzyme activities and vitamin E level, and enhanced lipid peroxidation. In this study, the anti-oxidant effects of apple cider vinegar, helped reduce the risk of obesity-associated diseases, also called metabolic syndrome, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and glucose intolerance.  

The study used a daily dosage of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) which was given to rats to see how it would affect cardiovascular risk factor associated with obesity in high-fat diet induced high cholesterol.  Obese rats showed increased serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and atherogenic index after 6 and 9 weeks of being fed a high fat diet. Importantly, ACV significantly improved all of these parameters.  Oxidative stress developed after 6 weeks of a high fat diet, was significantly reduced by daily doses of ACV. Oral administration of ACV normalized various biochemical and metabolic changes.    

In addition to helping with obesity related conditions, ACV has also been shown to have anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, promote a healthy digestive system and help strengthen your immune system.  I recommend drinking 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon two or three times daily for the full health benefits.  For daily consumption, I recommend Bragg organic, raw unfiltered ACV.  





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