Change Your Life For Good – Drink Apple Cider Vinegar Before Bed
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In the past few years, our Pinterest feeds have been flooded with apple cider vinegar concoctions that all claim to be veritable health elixirs. Health bloggers, beauty gurus, and online fitness experts have all been so very gung-ho over apple cider vinegar that it has me wondering… is there an actual fire behind all this smoke?
Their fantastic claims about the oh-so-many splendors of apple cider vinegar don’t exactly spring from pure imagination. For close to centuries, this vinegar has been utilized as a powerful ancient folk remedy for all sorts of health ailments. In the recent years, science has caught up with these old wives tales and has assessed the validity of some of these ‘miraculous benefits’.
The results are in and OMG, talk about the gift that keeps on giving! Here is a list of scientifically proven benefits of drinking apple cider vinegar that should make this your daily evening go-to drink:
1. Can Help You Lose Weight- For Real.
Uh-huh. It can help you shed those pounds by making you feel full! According to research, those who consumed the vinegar along with their high-carb meal actually saw an increase in satiety, which led them to eat 200-275 lesser calories by the day’s end (1).
2. Lower Your Risk For Heart Disease
Currently the world’s number #1 killer isn’t cancer—it’s cardiovascular disease (2). And apple cider vinegar consumption has been found to improve several of its notoriously dangerous risk factors.
For example, studies conducted on rats have found the vinegar to successfully decrease triglyceride and cholesterol levels (3). There have also been other studies that have proved vinegar could help decrease blood pressure—a leadingcardiovascular risk factor (4, 5).
3. Clear Your Sinuses & Relieve Headaches
Since apple cider vinegar is abundant in vitamin A, vitamin E, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins B1 and B2, it can help your body in the elimination of mucus, thereby clearing up clogged sinuses. For nearly instantaneous relief, add 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar to a cup of warm water and consume before you head to bed.
4. Treats Acid Reflux
Suffering from a horrible bout of acid reflux? Research indicates that apple cider vinegar could improve acid reflux in those individuals who aren’t on any medication and possess minimal risk. Another study showed that unfiltered or raw vinegar could prevent heartburn (6).
5. Lowers Blood Sugar & Fights Diabetes
Probably the most successful and scientifically proven use for apple cider vinegar today is as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is characterized by high blood sugar and insulin resistance. It is important to note, however, that high blood sugar levels aren’t only a worry for diabetes patients; it is also considered to be a contributor to several chronic diseases as well as being a leading reason for aging.
Hence, it’s probably best to keep those blood sugar levels stable.
Apple cider vinegar has been found to provide a multitude of benefits in stabilizing blood sugar levels and improving insulin function. When eating white bread, it was found subsequently to decrease blood sugar levels by a whopping 34% (7).
Several other studies have proven apple cider vinegar to boost insulin sensitivity during meals (8, 9,10, 11).
Caution: If you’re a diabetes mellitus patient currently taking any blood sugar lowering medication then consult your doctor before starting on apple cider vinegar.
6. Reduces Nocturnal Leg Cramping
Apple cider vinegar has been used as a folk remedy to treat nocturnal leg cramping for ages. Since it is hypothesized that one of the reasons behind leg pain is a lack of potassium, apple cider vinegar’s high potassium content may explain it’s therapeutic effects. Simply mix 2 tbsp. of this awesome vinegar with warm water before you sleep.
7. Can Protect Against Cancer?
Cancer is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of our cells. Online, one can find plenty of hype surrounding apple cider vinegar’s alleged anti-cancer effects, however, is there any validity to these claims?
According to some studies, consumption of vinegar has shown to shrink tumors and kill cancerous cells (12, 13, 14). But it is important to note that these weren’t human studies but were instead conducted on rats or in isolated test tubes. Also, most of these studies were done on rice vinegar and not apple cider vinegar.
But, on the other hand, some observational studies have also shown a link between vinegar consumption and a fall in esophageal cancer in China (15). Interestingly, vinegar consumption in Serbia showed an inverse increase in bladder cancer (16). Oh well, the jury’s still out on this one.
Apple cider vinegar is truly versatile. Incorporate this magical boon by nature into your night time routine and reap the oh-so-many health benefits that will transform your daily life. This is one gift that truly keeps on giving!
