It's Safer To Try Real Apple Cider Vinegar Rather Than The Pills For Weight Loss
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As far as diet trends go, the fascination with apple cider vinegar (ACV) seems to be one that isn’t going out of style any time soon. It makes sense—after all, some of the supposed benefits include helping with weight loss and digestive health.
In addition to not being the tastiest ingredient in the world, some people don’t tolerate ACV well because of its acidity. Enter: ACV gummies and pills.
But the truth is there is very little scientific evidence to support the benefits of ACV, and research backing the pills is, well, nonexistent. So, if you are wondering whether apple cider vinegar pills are effective for weight loss and about their safety, here are the answers from health experts.
Meet the experts: Marissa Meshulam, RD, CDN, is a registered dietitian nutritionist and the founder of MPM Nutrition.
Sonya Angelone, RDN, is a former spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Ayesha Cheema, MD, is a primary care physician with Mercy Personal Physicians at Columbia.
Amy Roskin, MD, JD, is an ob-gyn and the chief medical officer at Seven Starling.
Marisa Garshick, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology in New York City.
Vanessa Rissetto, RDN, is a registered dietician nutritionist and co-founder of Culina Health.
Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, is the author of Eating in Color.
What are apple cider vinegar pills, exactly?
“Apple cider vinegar is made by fermenting apple juice through a two-step fermentation process,” says Marissa Meshulam, RD, CDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist and the founder of MPM Nutrition. The juice is squeezed out of the apples, fermented to convert the sugars into alcohol, then, the alcohols are converted to vinegar, she explains.
With ACV pills, the vinegar is dehydrated and put into a capsule or tablet.
What are the potential benefits of apple cider vinegar?
The vinegar has plenty of supposed health benefits, which is why ACV pills were created. However, note that the benefits below are tied *only* to the vinegar, and haven't been linked to the pills. Here are a few to consider:
ACV may help balance blood sugar.
“There's some research showing that if you take apple cider vinegar before a meal, it'll actually decrease your glucose response after the meal,” Meshulam says, adding that’s often why people take it.
After you eat, your blood sugar rises to some degree, depending on how much sugar or carbohydrates are in the meal. “When you spike your blood sugar really high after a meal, that can actually cause some negative health consequences,” Meshulam explains, such as promoting inflammation which, over the long-term, is associated with autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and digestive issues.
ACV can possibly assist with weight loss.
Spiking your blood sugar can also lead to excess insulin being released in your body, which can then “signal to us to store more fat,” Meshulam says. By helping to keep your blood sugar steady, ACV may help you avoid excess insulin being released and therefore assist in weight loss and maintenance over time.
Note, however, that ACV is no substitute for best practices such as focusing on your overall nutrition and exercise.
ACV may help with digestion.
Acid helps break down food, so apple cider vinegar may help people with lower stomach acid levels digest, says Sonya Angelone, RDN, a former spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “Someone with low stomach acid will feel like the food stays in their stomachs longer or they feel bloated after eating,” she says.
“Taking a little bit of apple cider vinegar before a meal promotes an acidic environment,” and our bodies break down proteins in our food better in an acidic environment, helping digestion, Meshulam adds.
ACV can possibly help combat a sore throat.
Some people claim ACV can help combat a sore throat, but this one is a little less direct. Apple cider vinegar “has good bacteria that are thought to enhance the immune system and help with allergies,” says Ayesha Cheema, MD, a primary care physician with Mercy Personal Physicians at Columbia.
So, if you’re prone to getting seasonal throat pain, this might help — although probably not as well as following good hand hygiene and taking allergy medication as prescribed by your doctor.
ACV might be able to help with yeast infections.
If you have heard the rumor that apple cider vinegar can help with yeast infections, you should understand the full story. “While some research has shown that apple cider vinegar can inhibit the growth of Candida in a laboratory setting, there is no firm evidence to show that apple cider vinegar is effective at combating yeast overgrowth in the human body,” says Amy Roskin, MD, JD, an ob-gyn and the chief medical officer at Seven Starling.
For this reason, it's important to not rely on DIY remedies, like ACV, to treat a yeast infection, Dr. Roskin stresses. “You should especially avoid any topical use of apple cider vinegar in the vaginal area, such as adding it in a bath, as this can cause burning and irritation,” she says.
ACV can help fight acne.
“Apple cider vinegar generally is thought to have some antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, which is why some people may use it for treatment of acne,” says Marisa Garshick, MD, board-certified dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology in New York City. However, she recommends other treatments with solid evidence behind them such as a retinoid, benzoyl peroxide, and salicylic acid.
Presumably, you could reap the anti-acne benefits of ACV both through the pill or when applied topically, “but how much is absorbed into the system and then able to impact the skin is what would be hard to say a hundred percent without having any kind of clinical studies,” she explains. If you’re interested in using ACV for your skin, you can dilute it with four parts water and one part ACV, then use it as a toner, spot treatment, or include it with your cleanser, per Dr. Garshick.
ACV can boost your hair health.
ACV may help with your scalp’s pH balance and combat dandruff, says Dr. Cheema. It might have exfoliating benefits because it contains malic acid, “so by gently exfoliating the scalp, it can help to reduce the dead skin buildup,” Dr. Garshick explains. It might help support the hair cuticle, and in doing that, help your overall hair health and maybe even reduce frizz, she adds.
If you’re curious about using ACV in your hair, it can be used as a rinse before you shampoo. You’d still want to dilute it and you wouldn’t want to use it every day, just a few times a week, to avoid the risk of irritation.
What are the supposed benefits of apple cider vinegar pills?
We repeat: There has been very little, if any, research conducted on the effects of apple cider vinegar pills. The supposed benefits of apple cider vinegar like the ones listed above are based on liquid apple cider vinegar and its active compound of acetic acid, not ACV pills.
So, it's difficult to say whether these supplements will have the same effects or work the same way as the liquid form. Plus, much of the evidence on the beneficial effects of ACV came from animal studies involving mice and rats. It's not clear how the findings translate to humans yet.
The one *potential* benefit of pills compared to liquid could be that they allow you to avoid acid coming in direct contact with your throat or tooth enamel, which can be harmful to tooth enamel, cause throat irritation, and indigestion in some people, says Mia Syn, MS, RDN, a nutritionist based in Charleston, South Carolina.
Okay, so ACV pills probably don't have any proven benefits at this point. But are they safe to try anyway?
Because ingesting ACV in liquid form is generally considered safe (minus irritation and even nutritional deficiencies if you take it too far), people may assume that taking ACV pills is equally harmless and simply more convenient. But none of the small, inconclusive studies that have been done on apple cider vinegar have studied the pill form—only the liquid. So, really, no one knows if they're safe for sure.
Additionally, taking any kind of supplement is considered a “buyer beware” situation—and ACV pills are no different, says Vanessa Rissetto, MS, RDN, a registered dietician nutritionist and co-founder of Culina Health. “Supplements are not regulated by the FDA, so you never actually know what you are getting in them,” she explains. “They may say there is apple cider vinegar in there, but research has shown that with supplements often it is not the exact amounts, or even what they claim to be providing.” Choosing a supp that’s been tested by a third-party is one way to get a little reassurance, though.
If you are interested in adding ACV pills to your routine, Syn offers the following advice: “The recommended dosage of apple cider vinegar pills may be similar to what appears to be safe in liquid form, which is about one to two tablespoons daily." (FYI, Bragg’s ACV supplement dosage recco is equivalent to 1 tbsp of their liquid vinegar, according to their website.)
Are there any possible side effects of ACV pills that I should be worried about?
Again, we don’t know the specific side effects of the pills, but consider these 14 side effects of ACV before giving either option a shot.
And know that there may be actual risks for certain groups of people: “Diabetics should absolutely avoid them, as they may lower their blood sugar levels, and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding — or anyone under a doctor’s supervision — should also steer clear," says Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, the author of Eating in Color. Note that Largeman-Roth wouldn’t really recommend ACV pills for anyone.
Still curious about ACV pills? *At least* keep the following advice in mind.
“If you’re a healthy individual who wants to see if apple cider vinegar helps you in any way, I’d suggest going with the actual vinegar,” says Largeman-Roth. You can use it in a salad dressing or blend it into a smoothie.” If you’re looking for a brand rec, Bragg’s is great—just look for an apple cider vinegar that says raw, and that it has the mother, a bacteria beneficial for gut health, Meshulam says. If you’re going to take it straight, be sure to dilute one tablespoon in an eight-ounce glass of water pre-meal time.
Bottom line: There is no evidence that shows ACV pills can help you lose weight or offer any real health benefits. Experts suggest giving the actual vinegar (diluted in water) a shot if you’d like to experiment with ACV.
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