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Can Apple Cider Vinegar Help You Lose Weight? One Editor Finds Out

Celebs and apple cider vinegar diets go together like The Bachelor and helicopter dates: Kourtney Kardashian reportedly drinks ACV twice a day, Victoria Beckham has two tablespoons on an empty stomach in the a.m., and Hilary Duff swears by a morning shot

'I Drank Apple Cider Vinegar For A Month'

Tbh, as a health writer, my b.s. radar goes off when I see these types of claims, but I was still curious, so I set to find out: Is the hype surrounding "ACV diets" legit?

Let's just be clear about one thing: There's no specific "apple cider vinegar diet" to follow. Apple cider vinegar itself (or ACV, as the kids call it), comes from apples that have been crushed, distilled, and then fermented. And FYI: The apples are really only secondary in any ACV trends-the main component of the "diet" is ACV's presence of acetic acid-the vinegar that comes from the fermentation process.

As far as "dosing" recommendations go, ACV doses differ between sources, but the general thought is that you take one to two teaspoons before or with meals, according to Harvard Health . This method can, apparently, help reduce your appetite and aid in digestion, leading to weight loss over time.

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It may help control your cholesterol. One animal study published in The British Journal of Nutrition found that rats that had acetic acid, the main component of vinegar, in their diets lowered their LDL, or bad, cholesterol and raised their HDL (good) cholesterol. It's hard to extrapolate that the results from an animal study would apply to humans though. Sigh.

It's possible that ACV could boost your digestion, since acid breaks down food, meaning the drink may be particularly helpful for people with low stomach acid. In addition, it could lower blood sugar. A very small study found that vinegars (not just ACV) may help lower glucose in people with diabetes. ACV could also reduce your chances of developing heart disease by lowering triglycerides levels, according to a Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry study. It can also be used for all kinds of at-home beauty treatments.

All in all, ACV does seem to have some benefits, but it's still unlikely it'll help much with weight loss. The research on that topic is pretty spotty.

Most of the studies about ACV have been done on animals-or in really small groups of people, explains Eliza Whetzel-Savage, R.D., a registered dietitian at Middleburg Nutrition in New York City. There is one study of people that showed ACV may slow digestion of food and liquid, which may help stabilize blood sugar, she says. But overall, there is not much science to support many of the claims.

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Still, she says, ACV is fermented-and fermented foods can increase the good bacteria in the gut that are linked to healthier weights.

So it makes sense that ACV could promote weight loss, she says. Its just not proven yet? And, Whetzel-Savage reassured me, apple cider vinegar is, in fact, safe to drink, so there's not really any reason not to try it.

I vowed to mix a couple of tablespoons of ACV into a glass of water (this makes it a little easier on your stomach) and drink it every morning for a month, as well as throughout the day when I could. I bought a big bottle of unpasteurized ACV (with the mother, a.k.a. the colony of beneficial bacteria, left inside), and set it front and center on my tiny kitchen counter to remind me to drink it every morning.

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I really like sour things, and ACV is extremely sour, so I loved the taste of some ACV diluted in water-it tasted like a sour apple juice mixed with kombucha. It has that pungent smell and taste of something fermented, which I also like (it was similar to the funk of foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles).

ACV made plain water a little more interesting and refreshing. I even started to look forward to my ACV ritual, and throughout the month, I added it to my water all throughout the day.

The fact that ACV-water tasted better to me than plain ol' H2O made getting enough fluids much easier. I was much more hydrated than I normally am, and yes, I was peeing more than usual.

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People say ACV can act as an appetite suppressant, so I tried to drink it before eating anything-but that was hard. Sometimes I finished my ACV drink while also throwing back coffee or nibbling on breakfast. Even if the ACV didn't directly slash my appetite, I hoped the extra hydration would make me a little less hungry. Unfortunately, though, I didnt notice any difference in my hunger levels or how much food I was eating. Oh, well.

On the weekends, I often wake up and work out before doing much else. That occasionally led to my chugging my ACV drink and then running immediately afterward. Do. Not. Do. This.

ACV is obviously really acidic (thats why you have to dilute it), and drinking it fast then running made me feel like my esophagus was on fire. Lesson learned: Dont drink ACV right before working out.

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I was skeptical that adding ACV to my diet-even for a month-would lead to weight loss, especially since my appetite didn't change. And...I was right. When I weighed myself throughout the experiment, the number on the scale stayed the same. Womp womp.

During the month-long experiment, I was (TMI warning) pooping less frequently than normal. And my B.M.s were, err, bigger and more solid than I was used to.

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I had no idea what was going on there, so I checked in with Whetzel-Savage. She said that ACV shouldn't cause constipation , but she reminded me that, even though I was drinking more water, I was also drinking less caffeine because I was often swapping coffee for my ACV drink. So I probably just had fewer coffee poops. #LessonLearned

Its been five months since I finished my ACV experiment, and Ive stopped drinking it every day. (And, because you're all wondering, yes, my bathroom habits are back to normal.)

As much as I liked the tart taste, I didnt like pushing back my coffee time or replacing it with a giant bottle of water and ACV. I rely on coffee to wake me up and keep me regular (I'm a creature of habit, what can I say?). It's also nice not to have to worry about heartburn during my morning runs, too.

That said, I do still mix ACV into smoothies, cocktails, and occasionally water when Im feeling fancy. It adds a fresh, bright flavor to drinks that I really enjoy. I've also started using ACV in salad dressings and meat and veggie marinades, which I highly recommend-if for nothing but the taste alone.

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For me, ACV didnt make a big difference in how I felt or looked-I didn't lose weight or feel healthier going on it, or coming off it-so it didnt make sense to force myself to keep drinking it every day. But I am glad I tried itits become a great addition to my some of my go-to dishes.

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