Apple cider vinegar could boost weight loss

Apple cider vinegar, the fermented drink loved by a host of A-list celebrities, could significantly boost weight loss, a BMJ study suggests.

Elizabeth Hurley, Jennifer Aniston and Victoria Beckham are among those who claim the drink is part of their health regime.

Devotees have long claimed that it has benefits in boosting the immune system, balancing blood sugar and supporting digestion, with claims that it could suppress the appetite or improve the metabolism. But the evidence has been limited, and the potential mechanisms are unclear.

Now a study published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health has linked a daily drink of apple cider vinegar to significant weight loss.

The study, which tracked clinically overweight and obese participants for 12 weeks, found that those consuming at least 10 ml of the drink daily saw an average weight loss of 15 pounds.

Those consuming the drink also saw their Body Mass Index (BMI) fall by three points, with a drop in blood sugar and cholesterol.

Participants who drank smaller amounts also saw a fall in their weight, blood sugar, BMI and cholesterol, though to a lesser degree.

The Lebanese trial of 120 young people who were overweight or obese found little change among the group given a dummy drink, with BMI reducing by just 0.1 of a point and weight changing by less than two pounds.

Researchers said: “These results suggest that apple cider might have potential benefits in improving metabolic parameters related to obesity and metabolic disorders in obese individuals.”

The scientists from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, in Lebanon, conclude: “The results might contribute to evidence-based recommendations for the use of [apple cider vinegar] as a dietary intervention in the management of obesity.

“The study could stimulate further research in the field, prompting scientists to explore the underlying mechanisms and conduct similar studies in other populations.”

Other scientists expressed caution, saying the study was small and relied on self-reporting on diet and activity by those taking part in it.

Shane McAuliffe, the senior visiting academic associate of NNEdPro Global Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health, which co-owns BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health with BMJ, said: “Whilst in this study design the intervention has demonstrated feasibility and effectiveness serving to encourage further trials designed to assess scalability and wider applications, at this stage caution should be exercised regarding the generalisability of the conclusions drawn on the independent effects of apple cider vinegar on the outcomes observed.”

Further research would need to include more detailed reports of participants’ diets and should explore the mechanisms at play, she said.

Not generalised to everyone

Dr Evangeline Mantzioris, the programme director of nutrition and food sciences at the University of South Australia, said the study findings were “promising” but also expressed some concerns.

She said: “This study was undertaken in people between the ages of 12-25 years, so the results can not be generalised to everyone. Additionally, from the statistical analyses that were done we can’t be confident that everyone who tried this would lose this average amount of weight.”

She said the lack of detail about diet and exercise made it hard to see the impact it had.

She also suggested that although the trial was blinded, participants may have been able to guess correctly which group they were in.

Dr Mantzioris said: “This study provides some good evidence for future larger and longer studies to be conducted across a range of ages to provide more robust evidence to see if apple cider vinegar could be a useful aid for weight loss.”

Dr Daisy Coyle, the research fellow at the George Institute for Global Health said: “While findings showed apple cider vinegar may offer some benefits for weight loss and for lowering blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglycerides, it is unlikely to be a silver bullet for health.”

She said more information was needed about the diet of those in the trials.

Prof Helen Truby, the professorial research fellow (nutrition and dietetics) at the University of Queensland, said that while the results appeared “remarkable” the design of the study made its conclusions questionable.

She said: “The subjects were not weight stable at the beginning of the study, so may have been on a weight loss journey before they began taking the vinegar, diet and activity were self-reported so we cannot be sure that these large weight losses were not due to lifestyle changes, plus the use of weight loss medications has not been reported.”

She said she would want to see the results reproduced in a more rigorously controlled environment before any confidence could be placed in their conclusions.

“It would be wonderful if a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar caused substantial weight loss, but with the complexity of obesity and its management that we grapple with, sometimes if something seems too good to be true – it often is,” she said.