5 Best Ways To Use Apple Cider Vinegar For Diabetes
Written by , Professional Certificate In Food, Nutrition & Health
There are several advantages of using apple cider vinegar for diabetes management. In the United States, diabetes affects more than 30 million adults. During the past two decades, diabetes cases among adults have doubled (1).
According to some studies, apple cider vinegar can treat diabetes (2). Vinegar may promote blood sugar control by enhancing carbohydrate metabolism. Managing diabetes symptoms may become easier with ACV since it promotes blood sugar metabolism.
Further research is needed to understand how ACV may contribute to diabetes treatment. This article discusses the benefits of apple cider vinegar, how to use it and side effects. Keep reading.
In This Article
What Research Says About Apple Cider Vinegar And Diabetes
An Iranian study conducted on rats stated that ACV might have positive effects on blood cholesterol levels. ACV could lower bad cholesterol levels and elevate good cholesterol levels in diabetic rats (3).
Another small study found that ACV could regulate the levels of blood sugar and insulin in the case of type 2 diabetes (4).
However, some anecdotal evidence states that ACV may actually worsen glycemic control, and this may aggravate diabetes symptoms. A few other theories suggest that ACV may slow down the rate at which food and fluids leave the stomach, making it harder for any individual to control blood sugar.
ACV may also interact with certain medications, and its strong taste may not be okay for all.
That’s a bag of mixed results. What’s the conclusion? Should you try it? ACV is not harmful, per se. It is considered safe and can be worth a try. But ensure you use organic, unfiltered, and raw ACV – because it will be higher in beneficial bacteria (and it appears cloudy too).
Here are the various ways you can use ACV to aid your diabetes treatment.
How To Use Apple Cider Vinegar For Diabetes
1. Apple Cider Vinegar And Water
What You Need
- 2 tablespoons of ACV
- 2 tablespoons of water
- 1 oz cheese
What To Do
Mix the ACV and water. Consume the mixture, along with the cheese, before bedtime.
How Often You Should Do This
Try it for a week, and consult your doctor post the results. Follow their advice.
Why This Works
ACV contains acetic acid, which is known for its antiglycemic effects. The acid can reduce starch digestion. Cheese and vinegar may have a synergistic effect. Cheese also contains amino acids that provide glucogenic substrates, which may benefit people with type 2 diabetes (these substrates, in the presence of insulin, convert to glycogen) (5).
2. Cinnamon And Apple Cider Vinegar
What You Need
- 1 teaspoon of ACV
- ¾ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of stevia
What To Do
Mix all the ingredients and take the concoction post meals.
How Often You Should Do This
Twice a day. Consult a doctor post results.
Why This Works
Cinnamon can help lower fasting blood glucose (6). Though stevia sweetens the drink, it has a glycemic index of zero and is not absorbed by the intestines.
3. Honey And Apple Cider Vinegar
What You Need
- 1 teaspoon of ACV
- 1 teaspoon of honey (or even less)
- ½ cup of water
What To Do
Mix all the ingredients and take the drink post meals.
How Often You Should Do This
Once or twice a day. Visit your doctor post the results.
Why This Works
Honey can offset the acidic taste of ACV. It may not have the same effect on blood sugar levels as sugar does and could be a healthy substitute. Some research shows that honey may also help in the management of diabetes (7).
Caution
Use honey only if your diabetes is well maintained. Otherwise, it is better to skip it or replace it with stevia.
4. Baking Soda And Apple Cider Vinegar
What You Need
- 2 tablespoons of ACV
- ½ teaspoon of baking soda
- A couple of orange wedges
What To Do
- Add one-fourth teaspoon of baking soda to a glass tumbler.
- Pour the entire ACV into the tumbler and stir thoroughly.
- Drink the mixture.
- You can eat or suck on the orange wedges. This can remove the sour taste of ACV from your mouth.
How Often You Should Do This
Thrice a day.
Why This Works
The mechanism of baking soda in diabetes treatment is anecdotal. Some animal research suggests that baking soda may help prevent an infection called mucormycosis, which is a diabetes complication (8).
Caution
In case you have a digestive condition that affects the mouth, esophagus, stomach, or intestines, talk to your doctor before using this remedy.
5. Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar
This is not a separate remedy as such. Bragg is a popular brand of apple cider vinegar that is widely known for its quality. It was founded by Paul Bragg in 1912 and claims to control weight gain that is so commonly associated with diabetes.
You can use Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar in the remedies we have discussed above. But we recommend you talk to your doctor before using the product.
Apple cider vinegar for diabetes has shown promising results. ACV reduces blood sugar levels effectively and also manages cholesterol levels. In addition, having it with cheese, cinnamon or honey helps manage blood sugar levels. However, caution is highly advised as it may also lower blood sugar levels way too much. Use organic ACV after taking advice from your doctor. To manage the sour taste of ACV, you can eat some orange wedges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you take apple cider vinegar with metformin?
Some believe taking apple cider vinegar along with metformin may lower blood sugar levels way too much. However, there is less research available. Please consult your doctor before taking ACV with the medication.
Sources
- About Diabetes, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/diabetes.html - Diabetes Control: Is Vinegar a Promising Candidate to Help Achieve Targets? Journal of evidence-based integrative medicine, US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5954571/ - Apple cider vinegar attenuates lipid profile in normal and diabetic rats, Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19630216 - Vinegar Consumption Increases Insulin-Stimulated Glucose Uptake by the Forearm Muscle in Humans with Type 2 Diabetes, Journal of Diabetes Research, US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4438142/ - Vinegar Ingestion at Bedtime Moderates Waking Glucose Concentrations in Adults With Well-Controlled Type 2 Diabetes, American Diabetes Association.
https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/30/11/2814 - Anti-diabetic and antioxidant effect of cinnamon in poorly controlled type-2 diabetic Iraqi patients: A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, Journal of intercultural ethnopharmacology, US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27104030 - Honey and Diabetes: The Importance of Natural Simple Sugars in Diet for Preventing and Treating Different Type of Diabetes, Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5817209/ - Bicarbonate correction of ketoacidosis alters host-pathogen interactions and alleviates mucormycosis, The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
https://www.jci.org/articles/view/82744
Author
