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Cider vinegar vs cholesterol and blood sugar (but not so much effect on weight loss and inflammation)-

(42 Posts)
Elegran Thu 01-Sept-16 12:48:11

Very interesting and positive results from some of the tests done (though only with 30 volunteers) by Michael Mosley and Dr James Brown for a new series of Trust Me, I'm A Doctor which returns on Thursday 1 September on BBC Two at 20:00

www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-37229792

janeainsworth Thu 01-Sept-16 13:19:48

Hmmm.......
It turned out that the cider vinegar, but not the malt vinegar, had a big impact, reducing the amount of sugar in the volunteers' blood by 36% over 90 minutes.
Drinking dilute apple cider vinegar appeared to bring blood sugar levels down
This could be because the acetic acid in the cider vinegar suppresses the breakdown of starches, which means that if you consume it before a carb-rich meal, less sugar will get absorbed. We expected the malt vinegar to have a similar effect to the cider vinegar, but in our small study it didn't

So it obviously wasn't the acetic acid, was it? So it must have been something else in the cider vinegar.
I think MM's experiment might have had more value if he had carried on and tested his volunteers' response to eating their bagels after drinking diluted apple juice, diluted orange juice or even plain water.
As for the cholesterol result, reducing the levels by 13% in people whose cholesterol isn't already raised above 'normal' levels doesn't mean that the same result will be achieved in people whose cholesterol is high. If someone's level is 9, reducing it by 13% would only bring it down to around 7.8 anyway, and they would still probably be advised to take statins.

I'm not a big fan of MM as you might realise! grin

Anya Thu 01-Sept-16 13:49:23

Not a fan of MM's brand of populist science either. But in support of cider vinegar I have taken up when had a flare-up of arthritis in my hands before now. So as I'm trying to cut out painkillers for my broken arms I've been taking some at breakfast and the pain does ease up.

Hardly scientific I know but ....

Anya Thu 01-Sept-16 13:50:21

Hate to think what it's doing to my teeth enamel!

janeainsworth Thu 01-Sept-16 14:02:19

Anya re your tooth enamel. Don't brush your teeth too soon after drinking the vinegar (or orange juice). Leave some time (at least an hour) for the enamel to remineralise, which it will do, especially if you have a drink of milk or eat some cheese.
Hope your arms are healing well flowers

janeainsworth Thu 01-Sept-16 14:06:33

Does anyone really eat two bagels for breakfast and nothing else?
What if they had a cup of tea with them? Or ate an apple?

Anya Thu 01-Sept-16 14:30:27

Thanks for that advice Jane ...I think I read somewhere that the same rule applies re brushing after any meal. Is that the case?

janeainsworth Thu 01-Sept-16 17:39:56

It depends what you've eaten/drunk. Acidic things will cause calcium to be lost from the enamel, and if you brush straight away, the enamel prisms will collapse and this results in tooth wear.

The enamel will remineralise, and calcium containing things like milk, cheese and yoghurt will help.

This is a personal view, but if you've eaten something sweet which will contribute to decay as opposed to tooth wear, then brushing with a fluoride toothpaste soon afterwards is probably better on balance IMHO, rather than leaving the sticky substrate there for the bacteria to feed on, and produce acid between your teeth which would lead to cavities, and plaque which will inflame your gums.

janeainsworth Thu 01-Sept-16 17:41:06

Should have made clear that the prisms will remineralise as long as they aren't brushed away!

Stansgran Thu 01-Sept-16 20:31:44

I had my GC here this summer and was horrified to find they didn't clean their teeth at all in the morning. So the would drink some apple juice and go to school. Is apple juice the same as a cider vinegar? Not trying to derail at all.

thatbags Thu 01-Sept-16 20:55:01

One of my nephews needed dental treatment when he was very young (preschool, I think). His dentist thought the problem was the apple juice that he drank all day long from a toddler sippy cup.

merlotgran Thu 01-Sept-16 21:19:29

Poultry keepers have been giving it to chickens for years.

poultrykeeper.com/health-suppliments/apple-cider-vinegar/

janeainsworth Thu 01-Sept-16 21:56:55

Stansgran No, not the same.
When apple juice is fermented, the sugar in the apple juice turns to alcohol. That's cider.
If the fermentation process carries on, the alcohol turns to acetic acid. That's cider vinegar.

Bags I never gave my DCs undiluted fruit juice, always diluted it at least 1:4 because of the amount of sugar in it.

Izabella Thu 01-Sept-16 22:16:53

Been using this for ages since reading about it on the diabetic forums. Works for me. Also useful for killing off the sweet tooth!

PRINTMISS Fri 02-Sept-16 08:20:19

We have a bottle of cider vinegar in the cupboard, find it great if anyone has an upset stomach, settles it very quickly (as does a sharp cooking apple), also soothes a sore throat, on both occasions of course it is diluted with a some water, and sipped, rather than 'downed'.

Scooter58 Fri 02-Sept-16 08:50:30

Interested in the use of Cider Vinegar re Arthritis Anya,can I ask do you dilute it in a drink or take it neat?.

Greyduster Fri 02-Sept-16 09:09:57

I used to take cider vinegar - a tablespoon diluted in water with honey added. Don't know if it did me any good, but good things were said about it. I read that Ranulph Feinnes, the polar explorer, has been taking it for years as it is the only thing that keeps him from seizing up and he couldn't function without it. Considering how many bits of his extremities he has lost to frostbite I'm surprised he is still functioning at all, cider vinegar or not. Does anyone know how long it keeps? I've still got some in my pantry but I can't remember when I bought it.

Anya Fri 02-Sept-16 09:28:28

Never near scooter. I tried various ways, but my favourite was this...

Grate about 1" fresh ginger into a cup and add some boiling water. Leave for 5-10 minutes and strain. Add a teaspoon of honey and 1-2 teaspoons of cider vinegar to the water. Stir and enjoy.

You could skip the grated ginger and do as greyduster dies, but mine tastes good.

Scooter58 Fri 02-Sept-16 09:33:57

Ah,thanks Anya,that sounds just perfect for me as I am partial to ginger and honey(favourite cold remedy with lemon added).I will head out to shops and get some cider vinegar today,many thanks.?

Anya Fri 02-Sept-16 09:36:40

Add a slice of lemon too if you like.

Anya Fri 02-Sept-16 09:37:26

PS start with I teaspoon of cider vinegar.

Tegan Fri 02-Sept-16 09:55:57

We met a lady on holiday many many years ago who was very much into healthy eating [all I can remember about her is that she was Dick Francis's niece] and, as Anya has said, she told me the best thing to drink was root ginger infused in water, honey and lemon. Alas, lemon makes my sensitive teeth even more sensitive, so I didn't stick with it. The old saying of 'eat an apple a day, keep the doctor away' certainly seems to be true, doesn't it.

merlotgran Fri 02-Sept-16 10:07:28

What about adding it (with honey) to ginger tea? Would that work?

I'm too lazy to grate ginger every morning.

janeainsworth Fri 02-Sept-16 14:41:42

Anya It could be that it's the ginger rather than the cider vinegar that helps with your arthritis
blog.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/health-benefits-of-ginger/
"a University of Miami study concluded that ginger extract could one day be a substitute to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The study compared the effects of a highly concentrated ginger extract to placebo in 247 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. The ginger reduced pain and stiffness in knee joints by 40 percent over the placebo."

Anya Fri 02-Sept-16 22:25:43

That looks very interesting Jane I'll read the link now smile