Praised by many stars including Victoria Beckham and Jennifer Aniston, cider vinegar would be the ideal ally for losing weight. Today, a study supports this hypothesis. Ready to replace your morning coffee with a spoonful of vinegar?
Effectiveness on weight, blood sugar, cholesterol…
As part of this study, Lebanese researchers followed 30 overweight or obese people aged 12 to 25. Everyone had to drink a spoonful of cider vinegar diluted in water every morning. The volume varied from a teaspoon to a tablespoon (5 to 15 ml) and some drank a placebo drink (which looked like apple cider vinegar) in order to give credibility to the results (double-blind, neither the patient nor the prescriber does not know whether they are drinking the active liquid or a placebo). At the same time, no dietary or physical activity changes were implemented.
After three months, participants who received the highest dose had lost 8 kg, three points on their body mass index (BMI) and had a significant reduction in their waist and hip circumference. They even showed a reduction in their blood sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride levels. No side effects were observed by the researchers. “Importantly, food diary and physical activity did not differ between the three treatment groups and placebo throughout the study, suggesting that the decrease in anthropometric and biochemical parameters was caused by consumption. apple cider vinegar” specify the researchers.
How to explain such an effect?
According to the authors, the effect could be threefold with an increase in energy expenditure, an improvement in insulin sensitivity and a regulation of appetite and satiety. Vinegar is composed of various ingredients but it is the biological action of acetic acid mediated by binding to G protein-coupled receptors (GPRs), expressed in various insulin-sensitive tissues. Animal experiments show that this ingredient improves glucose tolerance and reduces lipid accumulation in adipose tissue and the liver. Acetate may also reduce energy intake by regulating appetite and satiety through hormonal action.
Work in humans remains limited. A study showed that daily consumption of 30 ml of apple cider vinegar for 12 weeks significantly reduced body weight, BMI, hip circumference, visceral adiposity index and appetite score in obese subjects subjected to a hypocaloric diet, compared to the control group (hypocaloric diet without cider vinegar). Plasma levels of triglycerides and total cholesterol even decreased significantly and good cholesterol increased significantly. Results partly confirmed by other work which showed that daily consumption of 15 or 30 ml of ACV for 12 weeks reduced body weight, BMI and serum triglycerides in a sample of the Japanese population.
Are all vinegars the same?
If acetic acid is present in all vinegars, are all these products the same? Not according to another study which focused on the daily consumption of 200 ml of pomegranate vinegar for 8 weeks had led to the reduction of total fat mass in overweight or obese subjects but without affecting body weight and BMI. Different results which could be explained by the difference in percentage of acetate and other compounds (such as flavonoids and other phenolic compounds) in the different types of vinegar.
Should we adopt it in the morning?
Does this new study make it possible to definitively rule on the benefits of cider vinegar? We can say that it constitutes an additional index of the benefits linked to a modest consumption of cider vinegar, even if certain data are lacking concerning the diet of the participants (calorie intake, consumption of fruits, vegetables, ultra-processed foods …).
Be careful, however, to keep in mind that vinegar consumed over the long term can cause heartburn (it is therefore not recommended to use it in the event of stomach problems or ulcers) and damage to the body. tooth enamel. This latter risk can be limited by using a straw to limit contact with the teeth and rinsing your mouth with clean water afterwards.
Finally, we must keep in mind that weight loss cannot be reduced to a miracle ingredient, it must be based on a balanced diet, physical activity and in certain cases the use of drug treatment or surgery. . If you have weight problems, talk to your doctor.
