A life-giving essence, a miraculous elixir, a magical remedy for preserving beauty and health, which Cleopatra herself used, an excellent dietary dressing for salads and other dishes - it turns out that we are not talking about some outlandish and expensive liquid, but about simple apple cider vinegar , which has become especially popular these days.
Deceptive benefits and real harm
Blocks carbohydrates
Myth: The acids contained in vinegar slow down the absorption of fast carbohydrates and minimize their harm to the body.
Why: you should have seen how our eyes rolled back now! Well, first of all: they tried to prove this theory, but they couldn’t. Secondly: we declare 100 times - there are no right or wrong products, all prohibitions in the 40 kg public and in your heads!
You can’t assume that “slow” carbohydrates are good and wonderful, and fast ones are terrible crap that makes us fat. Both are sugars (more details: which carbohydrates are best to eat for weight loss? ). It is the quantity of food that makes us fat, not its quality!
And in general, do not think that by washing down the cake with a spoon of vinegar, you will neutralize the calories - nothing but heartburn awaits you.
Lowers cholesterol levels
Myth: A number of studies have shown that acetic acid can reduce fat production in the liver and lower the amount of cholesterol in the blood overall.
Why: this hypothesis, again, has not been proven. Those. All statements about this are unfounded and have no evidence base! We personally do not advise you to experiment.
Cholesterol and atherosclerosis or why a low-cholesterol diet will kill you
Rich in Antioxidants
Myth: Vinegar, a product of fermentation of fruit acids, contains antioxidants that have a beneficial effect on intestinal microflora. And since it contains up to 70% of immune cells, vinegar is good for the immune system!
Why: Overall, there's no denying that fermented foods are actually good for your immune system. But the distributors of this lie forget to mention an important point: scientists have not been able to accurately determine the amount of antioxidants in vinegar.
Their number is influenced by manufacturing processes (some products may have more antioxidants, others may have fewer) and the degree to which they are absorbed by the body.
For the sake of antioxidants, there is no point in drinking vinegar in its pure form - it is better to prepare a salad and add 1 tbsp to it. apple cider vinegar.
Why antioxidant supplements are dangerous and not beneficial: 6 scientifically proven facts of their harm (including for cancer prevention)
Reduces blood sugar
Myth: It is theorized that the acid in vinegar reduces the activity of carbohydrate enzymes.
Why: in general, in one study conducted on mice, these effects were confirmed, but our opinion is this: no one has officially confirmed the benefits of vinegar in this situation .
We do not recommend that diabetics “play” with vinegar: it can have an unpredictable effect on insulin production. For everyone else, nutritionists advise maintaining stable blood sugar levels with a balanced diet and regular exercise, especially since this has been proven more than once by experts and actually works.
Helps reduce appetite
Myth: almost every article about the benefits of vinegar mentions this “fact” - they say, thanks to the large amount of chromium in the essence, you will not want to eat and, accordingly, you will lose weight.
Why: So, we couldn’t even find out how much chromium is in vinegar! Agree, it's strange? If all the authors of sites in the “lose weight quickly and fun” style know that there is an unrealistically high amount of chromium in vinegar, then why is there no information about this in the public domain?
And so, by the way: people tend to overestimate their “inadequacy” in chrome. I wanted chocolate - oh, that’s it, I need a lame woman urgently! In fact, only 0.5-1% of the pure substance and 20-30% of chromium are absorbed through food if it comes in the form of organic compounds.
In order to maintain optimal levels of chromium, 50-200 mcg per day is sufficient. For most people with sedentary work and average physical activity, 25-35 mcg per day is enough.
A person who is not involved in sports (professional sports, not 3 times a week in the gym) or heavy physical work does not need to take chromium preparations; the daily need for chromium will be satisfied , because it is found in: potatoes, beef liver, cheese, milk, herring , fish, shrimp, brewer's yeast, sea fish.
Those. the fact that you drink your teaspoon of vinegar a day in terms of chromium does not matter much - with a 90% probability you are fine with chromium!
As a means for losing weight
Myth: Vinegar interferes with the absorption of fats and carbohydrates, breaks down fat, helps you lose weight and fly into space.
Why: this is partly true, but the changes that vinegar brings to the digestive processes are extremely small and do not play any role in the context of weight loss. There was a study in which people followed a diet, drank vinegar and at the same time lost weight, but it is absolutely unclear why this happened exactly: the calories were limited!
Losing weight with vinegar again has no proven effect: all the evidence boils down to an argument in the style of “my friend told me about it.” By the way, if you have already decided to go on a diet with apple cider vinegar, then know that the daily amount safe for the body is no more than 5 ml (a teaspoon).
In addition, vinegar is hard on tooth enamel, so after drinking a cocktail with it, it’s better to rinse your mouth with clean water!
So is it possible to drink vinegar for weight loss? You can if you want problems with the gastrointestinal tract and teeth. How does it affect weight loss?
