Apple Cider Vinegar: The Controversial Health Tonic.

Apple Cider Vinegar: The Controversial Health Tonic.

About

Vinegar comes from the French word meaning ‘sour wine’ and is made from a ferment-able carbohydrate in a source. When the source is a apple juice, it is known as a apple cider vinegar. Why is it called a cider vinegar? That is because it is made from the fruits.

When the vinegar is made from a distilled alcohol obtained from the grains or the starch of the cereals or a potatoes, it is called white or a distilled vinegar. The distilled vinegar has an a acidity of the 4 percent, while in the acidity of the cider vinegar ranges from 5 to 6 percent.

The acetic acid in a apple cider vinegar (A C V) is what gives it is a tanginess and tart flavor. However, diluted acetic acid and vinegar is not in the same thing.

According to the FDA, ‘Diluted acetic acid is not a vinegar and should not be a added to food products customarily expected to the contain vinegar’. Basically, apple cider vinegar or a A C V contains vitamins (B 1, B 2, B 6, and C), minerals (magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus and calcium and iron in a small amounts), nonvolatile organic acids such as a tartaric acid, citric acid, malice acid and lactic acids, and polyphonic compounds like Gallic acid, catechist, caffeine acid and ferule acid.

Medicinal Use of  the Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar (A C V) has been a used since ages in a traditional remedies as a miracle healer for a migraine headaches, hypertension, diabetes, chronic fatigue, external wounds, and even to the kill head lice and fight inflammation. It is also used as a weight loss agent. So much so, people are trying out in the Apple Cider Vinegar Diet to the shed pounds. But, are these claims true? Are there scientific evidences proving in the effectiveness of  the A C V to the treat these conditions? Here is a rundown on some of these claims.

Vinegar, cider

The nutritional values of  the "Vinegar, cider" per 100 grams are:

Nutrition Summary

Total Calories 21

Protein 0 g

Fat 0.4 g

Carbohydrate 0.9 g

Nutrients Amount %Daily Value

Calcium, Ca 7 mg 0.7 %

Copper, Cu 0.01 mg 0.4 %

Iron, Fe 0.2  mg 1.11 %

Magnesium, Mg 5 mg 1.25 %

Manganese, Mn 0.25 mg 12.45 %

Phosphorus, P 8 mg 0.8 %

Potassium, K 73  mg 2.09 %

References:

Vinegar: Medicinal Uses and Antigenicity Effect -

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P M C 1785201/)

Ostman E, Granfeldt Y, Persson L, Björck I. Vinegar supplementation lowers glucose and insulin responses and increases satiety after a bread meal in healthy subjects. Eur J Cline Nu tr. 2005 Sep;59(9):983-8. -

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub-med/16015276)

Kondo T, Kishi M, Fushimi T, Kaga T. Acetic acid up-regulates the expression of the genes for a fatty acid oxidation enzymes in a liver to the suppress body fat accumulation. J Agricola Food Chem. 2009 Jul 8;57(13):5982-6. -

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub-med/19469536)

Shishehbor F, Mansoori A, Sarkaki AR, Jalali MT, Latifi SM. Apple cider vinegar attenuates lipid profile in a normal and diabetic rats. Pak J Biol Sci. 2008 Dec 1;11(23):2634-8. -

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub-med/19630216)

Liatis S, Grammatikou S, Poulia KA, Perrea D, Makrilakis K, Diakoumopoulou E, Katsilambros N. Vinegar reduces postprandial hyperglycemia in patients with type II diabetes when added to a high, but not to a low, glycaemic index meal. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Jul;64(7):727-32. E pub 2010 May 26. -

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub-med/20502468)

Johnston CS, Steplewska I, Long CA, Harris LN, Royals RH. Examination of the antigenicity properties of vinegar in healthy adults. Ann Nu tr Me-tab. 2010;56(1):74-9. -

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub-med/20068289)

Kondo S, Tayama K, Tsukamoto Y, Ikeda K, Yamori Y. Antihypertensive effects of the acetic acid and vinegar on spontaneously hypertensive rats. Bio-sci Bio-technol Biochem. 2001 Dec;65(12):2690-4. -

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub-med/11826965)