Apple cider vinegar is a pure tonic.
It has a number of well being advantages that scientific research in people assist.
Nevertheless, folks have additionally raised issues about its security and doable unintended effects.
This text takes a have a look at apple cider vinegar’s potential unintended effects.
It additionally supplies directions on tips on how to eat apple cider vinegar safely.
What’s apple cider vinegar?
Apple cider vinegar is made by combining apples with yeast.
The yeast converts the sugar within the apples into alcohol. Micro organism are then added to the combination, which ferment the alcohol into acetic acid (1).
Acetic acid makes up about 5–6% of apple cider vinegar. It’s categorized as a “weak acid,” but it surely nonetheless has pretty robust acidic properties when it’s concentrated.
Along with acetic acid, vinegar accommodates water and hint quantities of different acids, nutritional vitamins, and minerals (1).
A number of research in animals and people have discovered that acetic acid and apple cider vinegar might promote fats burning and weight reduction, lower blood sugar ranges, improve insulin sensitivity, and enhance levels of cholesterol (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8).
7 unintended effects of apple cider vinegar
Sadly, apple cider vinegar has been reported to trigger some unintended effects.
That is significantly true in giant doses.
Though small quantities are typically nice and wholesome, consuming an excessive amount of could be dangerous and even harmful.
1. Delayed abdomen emptying
Apple cider vinegar helps forestall blood sugar spikes by lowering the speed at which meals leaves the abdomen and enters the decrease digestive tract. This slows down its absorption into the bloodstream (9).
Nevertheless, this impact might worsen signs of gastroparesis, a typical situation that impacts folks dwelling with diabetes.
In gastroparesis, the nerves within the abdomen don’t work correctly, so meals stays within the abdomen too lengthy and isn’t emptied at a traditional charge.
Signs of gastroparesis embrace heartburn, bloating and nausea. For kind 1 diabetics who’ve gastroparesis, timing insulin with meals could be very difficult as a result of it’s arduous to foretell how lengthy it should take meals to be digested and absorbed.
One managed examine checked out 10 sufferers with kind 1 diabetes and gastroparesis.
Ingesting water with 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of apple cider vinegar considerably elevated the period of time that meals stayed within the abdomen, in comparison with ingesting plain water (10).
Newer analysis is required to raised perceive the impact apple cider vinegar has on blood sugar.
2. Digestive unintended effects
Apple cider vinegar might trigger disagreeable digestive signs in some folks.
Human and animal research have discovered that apple cider vinegar and acetic acid might lower urge for food and promote emotions of fullness, resulting in a pure discount in calorie consumption (11, 12, 13).
Nevertheless, one managed examine means that in some circumstances, urge for food and meals consumption might lower on account of indigestion.
The individuals who consumed a drink containing 25 grams (0.88 ounces) of apple cider vinegar reported much less urge for food but in addition considerably higher emotions of nausea, particularly when the vinegar was a part of an unpleasant-tasting drink (14).
3. Low potassium ranges and bone loss
There aren’t any managed research on apple cider vinegar’s results on blood potassium ranges and bone well being presently.
Nevertheless, there’s one case report of low blood potassium and bone loss that was attributed to giant doses of apple cider vinegar taken over an extended time frame.
A 28-year-old girl consumed 8 ounces (250 mL) of apple cider vinegar diluted in water every day for six years.
She was admitted to the hospital with low potassium ranges and different abnormalities in blood chemistry (15).
What’s extra, the lady was recognized with osteoporosis, a situation of brittle bones that’s not often seen in younger folks.
Docs who handled the lady imagine the big every day doses of apple cider vinegar led to minerals being leached from her bones to buffer the acidity of her blood.
Additionally they famous that top acid ranges can cut back the formation of recent bone.
In fact, the quantity of apple cider vinegar on this case was far more than most individuals would eat in a single day — plus, she did this day by day for a few years.
4. Erosion of tooth enamel
Acidic meals and drinks have been proven to break tooth enamel (16).
Mushy drinks and fruit juices have been extra broadly studied, however some analysis reveals the acetic acid in vinegar might also harm tooth enamel.
In a single lab examine, enamel from knowledge tooth was immersed in several vinegars with pH ranges starting from 2.7–3.95. The vinegars led to a 1–20% lack of minerals from the tooth after 4 hours (17).
Importantly, this examine was executed in a lab and never within the mouth, the place saliva helps buffer acidity. Nonetheless, there’s some proof that giant quantities of vinegar might trigger dental erosion.
A case examine additionally concluded {that a} 15-year-old lady’s extreme dental decay was attributable to consuming 1 cup (237 mL) of undiluted apple cider vinegar per day as a weight reduction assist (18).
5. Throat burns
Apple cider vinegar has the potential to trigger esophageal (throat) burns.
A overview of dangerous liquids by accident swallowed by youngsters discovered acetic acid from vinegar was the most typical acid that precipitated throat burns.
Researchers beneficial vinegar be thought-about a “potent caustic substance” and saved in childproof containers (19).
There aren’t any revealed circumstances of throat burns from apple cider vinegar itself.
Nevertheless, one case report discovered that an apple cider vinegar pill precipitated burns after changing into lodged in a girl’s throat. The girl mentioned she skilled ache and problem swallowing for six months after the incident (20).
6. Pores and skin burns
Attributable to its strongly acidic nature, apple cider vinegar might also trigger burns when utilized to the pores and skin.
In a single case, a 14-year-old lady developed erosions on her nostril after making use of a number of drops of apple cider vinegar to take away two moles, based mostly on a protocol she’d seen on the web (21).
In one other, a 6-year-old boy with a number of well being issues developed leg burns after his mom handled his leg an infection with apple cider vinegar (22).
There are additionally a number of anecdotal reviews on-line of burns attributable to making use of apple cider vinegar to the pores and skin.
7. Drug interactions
A couple of medicines might work together with apple cider vinegar:
Learn how to eat apple cider vinegar safely
Most individuals can safely eat affordable quantities of apple cider vinegar by following these common tips:
The underside line – “drinking apple cider vinegar 3 times a day”
Apple cider vinegar can present a number of well being advantages.
Nevertheless, to remain protected and stop unintended effects, it’s vital to observe the quantity you eat and watch out with how you are taking it.
Whereas a small quantity of vinegar is sweet, extra isn’t higher and will even be dangerous.