Apple Cider Vinegar & Diabetes Control
Apple cider vinegar can help lower fasting, postprandial glucose level and A1C. You already know an apple a day will keep the doctors away.
What is Apple cider Vinegar?
Apple cider vinegar is a fermentation product; sugars in the apple are broken down by yeast into alcohol is further fermented into vinegar. Vinegar is the word from the French, meaning "sour wine." Vinegar can make from fruits, vegetables, and grains; however, apple cider vinegar comes from pulverized apples.
The major ingredient of apple cider vinegar is acetic acid. It also has other acids, vitamins, mineral salts, and amino acids. It contains many vital minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, chlorine, sodium, sulfur, copper, iron, silicon and fluorine that are required for a healthy body.
Here we like to remember the ancient saying:
“An Apple a Day will keep the Doctor Away” has a lot of truth in it.
It is also suitable for apple cider vinegar (fermented apples juice); however, two teaspoons per day.
History of apple cider vinegar
Vinegar means sour wine, has been used for over 10,000 years as a condiment, preservative, flavoring, deodorant, youth tonic, and especially as healing agent.
The father of medicine “Hippocrates” was endorsed apple cider vinegar (ACV) as a healing elixir and cleansing agent in 400 BC. Hippocrates used ACV both as an antibiotic and as antiseptic to treat his patients.
Warriors for their strength and power have used Apple cider vinegar. During war, they used ACV to disinfect and heal wounds.
Recently, apple cider vinegar has found improving insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetics. As well as ACV has, found effective in controlling postprandial and fasting blood glucose.
Vinegar in diabetes treatment (lower sugar level)
The effect of apple cider vinegar on blood-glucose levels is perhaps the most promising. Several studies show’s vinegars help lower glucose levels. A study on 2007 with 11 type 2 diabetes people shows taking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before bedtime lowered glucose levels during the morning by 4% to 6%. ACV may possibly modify the glycolysis/gluconeogenic cycle in liver and benefits diabetic with metabolic disturbances contributing to a pre-breakfast rise in fasting glucose (called the “dawn phenomenon”). Reference: Diabetes Care November 2007 vol. 30 no. 11 2814-2815.
Apple cider vinegar improves insulin sensitivity in patients with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes for a high-carb diet. Reference: Diabetes Care January 2004 vol. 27 no. 1 281-282. These data show’s vinegar can significantly improve postprandial insulin sensitivity. Acetic acid has shown to suppress disaccharidase activity and to raise glucose-6-phosphate concentrations in skeletal muscle. Thus, vinegar may possess property similar to diabetes drug acarbose or metformin.
ACV has acetic acid, other nutrients and microbes (digestive friendly bacteria and enzymes) that could provide benefits of the three different classes of diabetes drugs. It is most likely beneficial for type 2 and type 1 diabetes, fasting glucose and especially lower postprandial glucose; it contributes for 30% to 70% of the A1C value; thus, ACV also lowers your A1C.
Vinegar lower heart attack and strokes risks
Apple cider vinegar has proven to be useful in diabetes, high blood pressure and high-cholesterol control. These conditions are considering being the major contributor for heart attack and stroke.
Medicinal uses of Vinegar
Here is a partial list of the numerous health benefits of apple cider vinegar:
- Fasting blood-glucose – lowers your fasting sugar level, even for people with dawn phenomena ACV help achieved their target fasting sugar level.
- Postprandial glucose – reduces insulin resistance and improves the postprandial sugar level, helpful for people with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes.
- A1C percentage - it improves both postprandial and fasting sugar level, thus you can easily achieve your target A1C level.
- Improved Insulin Sensitivity – by detoxifying your body, eliminate fat storage, promote digestion and thus your insulin resistance vanishes or insulin sensitivity improves.
- Regulate blood pressure – ACV helps both people with low blood pressure and high blood pressure to achieve normal blood pressure.
- Lower cholesterol levels – ACV can lower cholesterol level, specifically triglycerides.
- Promote heart health – it normalizes blood pressure, lower sugar level and reduces bad cholesterol; thus support your heart health.
- Regulate weight gain - Aid weight loss when you add one teaspoon ACV into 200ml of water and drink twice per day can significant decline in body weight, abdominal fat and waist circumference if you are obese or overweight. However, in case of lean underweight people, their digestion improves and aid weight gain.
- Balance inner body – apple cider vinegar will balance your whole-body system. It helps the body to maintain a healthy pH level of alkaline. Acidic pH leads to lack of energy and high rate of infection.
- Detoxify – ACV not only alkalinize your body, it can also detoxify your body. Research indicates ACV can stimulate cardiovascular circulation and detoxify the liver.
- Strengthen lymphatic system – help breaks down mucous throughout the body and cleanses the lymph nodes. Research shows ACV can relieve allergies by reduce mucous/sinus congestion and relieve infections, sore throats and headaches.
- Destroys harmful microbes – ACV’s natural enzymes remove bad microbes in the intestine, and at the same time it helps beneficial microbes. These harming microbes can create the symptoms of fatigue, poor memory, sugar cravings and yeast infection. Thus, you feel more energetic, alert, and free from infection.
- Help digestion and reduce heartburn - research shows apple cider vinegar corrects low stomach acid and hence reducing heartburn and hiccups. Many people have been experiencing relief immediately after they had taken a teaspoon of ACV diluted by a glass of water, also helps indigestion. However, it will not help if you have an ulcer.
- Relieve stomach problems – it poses antibiotic properties; taking apple cider vinegar diluted with water remove bacterial infection the root cause of diarrhea. Additionally, pectin present in ACV help soothes intestinal spasms and calms your stomach.
- Beats exhaustion or chronic fatigue – exercise and stress can cause lactic acid build-up in the body leads to fatigue. Interestingly apple cider vinegar modifies body pH. Additionally, it contains potassium and enzymes help relieve tired feeling.
- Relieve bedtime leg cramps – not only apple cider vinegar eases leg cramps, additionally it supports sound restful sleep.
- Shiny Hair – rinsing your hair (after shampooing) with apple cider vinegar (1/2 a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a cup of cold water) can be useful and will boost your hair's body and shine. Spray or pour the diluted ACV solution through your hair after shampooing several times a week for dramatic results.
- Regulate skin pH – dilute ACV with two parts of water, soak a cotton ball gently wipes over the face after night face wash. This helps re-establish the skin pH and fade off age spots or acne scars.
- Remove warts – soak a cotton ball in apple cider vinegar and keep securely over the wart with Band-Aid overnight. The skin may swell when contact with ACV and will fall-off in few days. Still you need to continue for some more days to make sure the wart will not return. ACV can also combat calluses, corns and warts.
- Remove teeth strains – add a teaspoon ACV into 200ml of water and rinse your mouth with this diluted vinegar help remove teeth strains.
- Soothe sun burnt skin – add a cup of ACV to bath and soak for 10 minutes to heal sunburn.
- Natural aftershave – dilutes apple cider vinegar with equal parts of water and applies as aftershave. It helps heal skin scars and disinfect.
- Relieves arthritis pain
- Help osteoporosis
- Prevents food poisoning
- Fight’s infection, destroys bacteria, germs, mold and viruses
There is no specific dosage suggested for apple cider vinegar. However, many people are benefiting by internally taking two to three teaspoons of ACV per day for adults.
For external use, dilute ACV with equal part of water and use for skin care, aftershave, etc. For a wart, straight away use the undiluted vinegar for a better result.
How do you take Vinegar?
Traditionally, people have been taking one-teaspoon apple cider vinegar diluted with 200ml water and sweeten it with original honey early in the morning in an empty stomach.
Additionally, you can take vinegar after or preferably, before food; one-teaspoon diluted with 200ml warm water.
Bioactive constituents of Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar contains 5% acetic acid. Additionally, it has high levels of potassium and small quantities of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium and zinc.
Bragg’s apple cider vinegar is from organic apples and is not pasteurize; it contains the "mother" (cloudy deposits in the bottom) which contains digestive friendly bacteria and enzymes.
Possible side effects of Vinegar
Consuming apple cider vinegar is generally safe for most adults when used for medical purposes.
However, consuming excess of apple cider vinegar might not be safe for some individuals. Consuming 8 ounces (237 mL) of apple cider vinegar per day for long-term might lead to low potassium and weak bones (osteoporosis) for six years. People taking apple cider vinegar tablet accidentally stock in the throat may develop tenderness and pain in the esophagus.