Its healing powers may be more than a folk remedy.
You know the apple cider vinegar sitting on your pantry shelf is useful for cooking, but did you know it can be used for cleaning, gardening, personal hygiene, and curing a wide range of health conditions? For centuries, apple cider vinegar has been used to treat everything from poison ivy to stomach bugs to bad breath. Made from fermented apples, cider vinegar is rich in bioactive ingredients that provide powerful antioxidants, antimicrobial properties, and other health benefits.
While unproven by science, many health experts agree the sour liquid may offer an inexpensive, accessible, and simple remedy for diabetes, weight control, infections, and heart health. Read on to find out if it could lend you a healthy hand.
Lower Your Blood Sugar
People with type 2 diabetes suffer from high blood sugar, either because of insulin resistance or because their bodies don’t produce enough insulin. Studies have shown apple cider vinegar helps control blood sugar levels by reducing the amount of starch and complex carbohydrates your body is able to digest, thus preventing dangerous spikes in blood sugar.
One study showed that two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar taken by individuals with diabetes before bed reduced their blood sugar levels by six percent the next morning.
Not to be seen as a cure or treatment for diabetes, cider vinegar could be an important part of a healthy diet plan that works to manage blood sugar levels. Diabetics currently taking medications should check with their physician before attempting to manage blood sugar with the consumption of cider vinegar.
Control Your Weight
A second way apple cider vinegar may be your new best friend is its ability to aid in weight loss. Several studies have shown that when eaten with carbohydrates, the acetic acid in vinegar helps increase satiety—the feeling you get when your belly is good and full. A feeling of fullness means you eat fewer calories and therefore lose more weight. A few tablespoons of cider vinegar, however, are not a quick fix for weight loss, but can be a small part of the weight-loss puzzle.
Strengthen Yourself with a Natural Antibiotic
Vinegar can be used to disinfect your home without the use of harmful chemicals and is a way to keep your food from spoiling due to its antimicrobial properties.
For your health, cider vinegar may be helpful in treating certain bacterial infections, with the acetic acid acting as a natural antibiotic. So the next time your child has an ear infection, research the benefits of using cider vinegar. Have a small cut on your skin? Perhaps cider vinegar can do the trick of cleaning the wound.
Also, bacteria that causes that embarrassing body odor. Fight it off by rubbing a little cider vinegar in your armpits or on your stinky feet for an all-natural deodorant. The next time you have a sore throat, try gargling with apple cider vinegar mixed with warm water to kill any harmful bacteria in your throat. Need a home remedy for bad breath? Banish the bacteria that are lurking in your mouth by swishing around a teaspoon of cider vinegar. It may not taste good, but the results just may!
Help Your Heart
Animal studies have shown apple cider vinegar to have the effect of lowering cholesterol, blood pressure, and triglyceride levels, all major risk factors for cardiovascular disease—the leading cause of death worldwide. Though what works in animals doesn’t always work in humans, it does show promise. More studies are needed to prove a connection between cider vinegar consumption and heart health benefit, so keep your eyes out for the latest scoop!
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