The exact origin of apple cider vinegar (ACV) is unclear, but it has been widely used in various cultures like ancient Egypt, Babylon, and Greece. ACV has been used for centuries as a health tonic for treating different ailments and as a food preservative.
Apple Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)?
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is obtained when the liquid extracted from apple fruits is placed in a jar and allowed to be fermented by some yeast and bacteria at a room temperature for several weeks until it becomes acidic and forms the vinegar aroma.
On the other hand, when the whole apple fruit is chopped and fermented using water mixed with sugar, without extracting the juice, the final product is called apple vinegar.
The two forms of vinegar are similar in taste and function. You can choose any one of them.
But in this write-up, we will use ACV to represent both apple cider vinegar and apple vinegar.
Recipe for Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar
Ingredients and other materials
- 5-6 apples (organic, if possible)
- 1-2 tablespoons sugar or honey
- Water (filtered or spring water is best)
- A large glass jar
- Cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel
- A rubber band
Instructions
Prepare the Apples: Wash the apples thoroughly and cut them into small pieces, including the cores.
To be on a safe side, you might need to remove the seeds which contain amygdalin, a chemical compound that contains cyanide, which can be converted to poisonous hydrogen cyanide in the body. Although, the cyanide in apple seeds might not be high enough to cause health problems.
Pack the cut-apples: Tightly place the apple pieces in the large glass jar.
Make a sugar solution: Add sugar or honey to the chopped apples in the jar and fill the jar with water, leaving about an inch of space at the top to allow for fermentation.
Cover and Store: Cover the jar with a breathable cloth such as cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel and secure it with a rubber band. This allows the mixture to breathe while keeping out contaminants.
Store the jar in a dark, warm place of about 16-27°C for about 3-4 weeks.
Stir Occasionally: Stir the mixture once a day to submerge the floating apple pieces in sugar solution and to aid fermentation.
If you see any scum forming on the top, carefully skim it off. The scum usually forms on the top when the fermenting apples are left for days without stirring.
Strain the Liquid: After 3-4 weeks, strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a clean jar. Discard the apple solids.
At this point, you have more alcohol than acetic acid in the jar.
Ferment the Liquid: Cover the jar with the cheesecloth again and let it sit for another 3-4 weeks. This is when the acetic acid bacteria will convert the alcohol into vinegar.
Taste it periodically to see if it has reached your desired level of acidity.
Store the Vinegar: Once the fermenting liquid has reached your desired acidity, transfer the vinegar to a clean glass bottle with a lid and store it in a cool, dark place.
Mother Development: Raw, unfiltered ACV will continue to develop “the mother” over time. “The mother” is the slimy particles that form at the bottom of the stored ACV, which are believed to be good microorganisms.
You don’t need to remove “the mother” when you are consuming the ACV.
How to Use Apple Cider Vinegar
Food Preparation: Use ACV in salad dressings, marinades, and sauces for a tangy taste.
As a Drink: Dilute 1-2 tablespoons of ACV in a glass of water and drink it before meals to aid digestion. You can add honey or lemon for taste.
Topically: Dilute ACV with water (1:1 ratio) and use it as a skin toner or hair rinse.
Nutritional Values for ACV
The United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) gave the following nutrient specifications per 100 ml of Bragg organic apple cider vinegar with added honey.
- Energy: 133 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 33.33 g
- Potassium: 73 mg
- Other nutrients and minerals: 0 g
Apart from these specified nutrients on Bragg organic ACV and acetic acid, apple vinegar is rich in polyphenols like catechin and pyrogallol, as well as other organic acids like ascorbic, citric, oxalic, succinic, and formic acid.
Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
Now that you have gone through the basic information about ACV, the next thing you need to know is the health benefits of this wonder drink which have been scientifically researched.
Insulin sensitivity: ACV may lead to insulin sensitivity after meal1. The reduction in insulin spike after a meal taking with ACV is due to the acetic acid content of ACV. The acetic acid gives ACV its low pH (about 2 to 3) characteristic.
And studies have shown that acetic acid reduces insulin spike by slowing down gastric emptying2, blocking the complete digestion of starch molecules into simple sugar molecules3, or promoting the uptake of glucose by muscles4.
It’s therefore advised that taking diluted ACV with your meal will help lower the insulin spike that comes with every calorie you take. And it’s currently believed that insulin spike plays a role in many health challenges.
Antidiabetic: Insulin insensitivity is often associated with type 2 diabetes. So, if ACV can increase insulin sensitivity, it could also help to manage type 2 diabetes caused by high blood sugar level and insulin resistance. A meta-analysis showed that ACV reduces glucose and insulin levels in several primary studies, and it suggested that ACV should be incorporated as an adjuvant in the management of diabetes mellitus5.
Another study revealed that high blood sugar level promotes the production of reactive oxygen species, which increases oxidative stress and decreases the defense capacity of antioxidants in the body6. This study found that ACV reduced both oxidative stress and blood sugar level in diabetic mellitus induced rats6.
Cholesterol level modulation: The reduction of serum lipid has also been reported for ACV in rats with high cholesterol levels7. Another study showed a reduction in serum biomarkers associated with bad cholesterol, the low-density lipoprotein (LDL)8.
Weight loss: ACV have also been associated with weight loss, reduction in visceral and subcutaneous fat, and serum triglyceride levels in obese people due to its acetic acid content9,10. One of these studies showed that people taking a higher dose of ACV lost more weight than those taking a lower dose. It causes the breakdown of fat in adipose tissue and will reduce the accumulation of body fat8.
People have also alluded that taking dilute ACV make them feel less hungry and eat less. And the less calories you take, the less body fat you’ll gain.
Antibacterial effect: The antimicrobial property of ACV is ascribed to the 5% acetic acid it contains. The low pH of ACV due to its acetic acid composition gives it the antibacterial properties it possesses. The use of acetic acid as anti-infective agent could be traced back to Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, who prepared and used an ancient medicine called Oxymel (a mixture of vinegar and pure honey) in treating sores and cough.
ACV has been shown to inhibit the growth of various microbes including resistant Escherichia coli, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans11,12.
Another study showed that the topical application of dilute ACV had no effect on skin-colonizing staphylococcus aureus but helped improve the skin microbiome of atopic dermatitis patients13.
Reversal of PCOS Symptoms: A study showed that ACV could restore the ovulation in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) by improving their insulin sensitivity14. Although the study was in small scale, there was a significant effect of ingesting ACV on reversing some PCOS symptoms.
Gut microbiome: ACV may be good for the gut microbiome. A study shows that ACV improves the intestinal microbiome of shrimps15, which in turn improved the growth of the shrimps16. Although these studies were in animal, the result of animal studies are often extrapolated to humans.
Skin Tags and Warts Removal: Dilute ACV is used topically to remove skin tags and warts. This could be achieved by applying dilute ACV on the tag or wart and cover with a plaster for a few hours. Repeat application for several days or weeks will remove the tags and warts.
Side Effects of ACV to Bear in Mind
ACV seems to be generally safe when taken at right amount. However, there are some avoidable side effects associated with it, which you need to pay attention to.
Teeth wear: The low pH of ACV may result in dental erosion, which is the irreversible loss of hard tissues (enamel and dentin) of the teeth17. To protect your teeth from this corrosive effect of vinegar in ACV, always dilute the ACV and take the diluted solution with a straw.
Low blood potassium: Excessive intake of ACV (about 250 mL/day) for a long period of time could lead to loss of potassium in the urine which would result in hypokalemia18. Hypokalemia is low serum potassium level which could lead to muscle cramp, constipation, tiredness, and even a risk of abnormal heart rhythm.
Osteoporosis: When ACV is taking for a long period of time and in excess, it could also lead to low bone turnover and osteoporosis18.
Summary
Although ACV has many benefits, it should be taken in moderation to avoid any potential side effects. Remember to always dilute your ACV, one tablespoon to a glass of water, to avoid burning your throat.
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References
1. Carol S. Johnson. Vinegar Improves Insulin Sensitivity to a High-Carbohydrate Meal in Subjects With Insulin Resistance or Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care 27, 281–282 (2004).
2. Liljeberg, H. & Èrck, B. Delayed gastric emptying rate may explain improved glycaemia in healthy subjects to a starchy meal with added vinegar. Eur J Clin Nutr 52, 368–371 (1998).
3. Ogawa, N. et al. Acetic Acid Suppresses the Increase in Disaccharidase Activity That Occurs during Culture of Caco-2 Cells 1,2. J. Nutr 130, 507–513 (2000).
4. Fushimi, T. et al. Nutrient Metabolism Acetic Acid Feeding Enhances Glycogen Repletion in Liver and Skeletal Muscle of Rats 1. J. Nutr 131, 1973–1977 (2001).
5. Siddiqui, F. J. et al. Diabetes Control: Is Vinegar a Promising Candidate to Help Achieve Targets? J Evid Based Integr Med 23, (2018).
6. Halima, B. H., Sarra, K., Houda, B. J., Sonia, G. & Abdallah, A. Antidiabetic and antioxidant effects of apple cider vinegar on normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research 88, 223–233 (2018).
7. Naziroǧlu, M. et al. Apple cider vinegar modulates serum lipid profile, erythrocyte, kidney, and liver membrane oxidative stress in ovariectomized mice fed high cholesterol. Journal of Membrane Biology 247, 667–673 (2014).
8. Halima, B. H. et al. Apple Cider Vinegar Attenuates Oxidative Stress and Reduces the Risk of Obesity in High-Fat-Fed Male Wistar Rats. J Med Food 21, 70–80 (2018).
9. Kondo, T., Kishi, M., Fushimi, T., Ugajin, S. & Kaga, T. Vinegar intake reduces body weight, body fat mass, and serum triglyceride levels in obese Japanese subjects. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 73, 1837–1843 (2009).
10. Khezri, S. S., Saidpour, A., Hosseinzadeh, N. & Amiri, Z. Beneficial effects of Apple Cider Vinegar on weight management, Visceral Adiposity Index and lipid profile in overweight or obese subjects receiving restricted calorie diet: A randomized clinical trial. J Funct Foods 43, 95–102 (2018).
11. Yagnik, D., Ward, M. & Shah, A. J. Antibacterial apple cider vinegar eradicates methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and resistant Escherichia coli. Sci Rep 11, (2021).
12. Yagnik, D., Serafin, V. & Shah, A. J. Antimicrobial activity of apple cider vinegar against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans; downregulating cytokine and microbial protein expression. Sci Rep 8, (2018).
13. Luu, L. A. et al. Apple cider vinegar soaks do not alter the skin bacterial microbiome in atopic dermatitis. PLoS One 16, (2021).
14. Wu, D. et al. Intake of vinegar beverage is associated with restoration of ovulatory function in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine 230, 17–23 (2013).
15. Pourmozaffar, S., Hajimoradloo, A., Paknejad, H. & Rameshi, H. Effect of dietary supplementation with apple cider vinegar and propionic acid on hemolymph chemistry, intestinal microbiota and histological structure of hepatopancreas in white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. Fish Shellfish Immunol 86, 900–905 (2019).
16. Pourmozaffar, S., Hajimoradloo, A. & Miandare, H. K. Dietary effect of apple cider vinegar and propionic acid on immune related transcriptional responses and growth performance in white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. Fish Shellfish Immunol 60, 65–71 (2017).
17. Anderson, S., Gonzalez, L. A., Jasbi, P. & Johnston, C. S. Evidence That Daily Vinegar Ingestion May Contribute to Erosive Tooth Wear in Adults. J Med Food 24, 894–896 (2021).
18. Lhotta, K., Höfle, G., Gasser, R. & Finkenstedt, G. Hypokalemia, Hyperreninemia and Osteoporosis in a Patient Ingesting Large Amounts of Cider Vinegar. Nephron vol. 80 http://karger.com/nef/article-pdf/80/2/242/3192451/000045180.pdf (1998).
