From celebrities swearing by a morning shot of apple cider vinegar (ACV) to wellness influencers hailing it as the ultimate detox elixir, this tangy tonic has secured its place in the ever-expanding world of health trends. Across cultures, ACV has long been revered for its supposed cleansing and healing properties, from aiding digestion to boosting metabolism. But is it truly the all-in-one remedy it’s made out to be, or just another wellness fad that’s been riding the wave of hype for far too long? We turn to experts to separate fact from fiction.
“Apple cider vinegar is a mildly acidic acetic acid with a pH between 2-3. It has multiple health benefits, including controlling blood sugar levels and helping people with diabetes. It also helps in weight loss, keeps cholesterol and triglyceride levels under check and improves cardiovascular health. In addition, it can treat a sore throat, reduce bloating and gut-related issues and remove toxins from your body,” lists Dr. Anjali Hooda, MBBS, MD and CMD, LiveNutriFit. ACV, it turns out, is far more effective than having the milder lemon in water remedy with its citric acid content to treat bloating and other digestive issues.
Munmun Ganeriwal, author of Yuktahaar: The Belly And Brain Diet, advises having unfiltered, unpasteurised ACV, which contains the mother, the starter culture of beneficial bacteria that floats or settles in at the bottom. “When filtered, the mother goes away, and only the juice is left, which doesn’t have as great benefits. But because unfiltered ACV with the mother is teeming with live microbes, very young children, pregnant women, infants, those with compromised immune systems or the seriously ill may need to exercise caution before taking this,” she says. As for the filtered variety, Dr Eileen Canday, Head Of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, says, “Pregnant and lactating women can consume ACV but are more prone to suffer from digestive issues like acidity and constipation; hence, high consumption of ACV can aggravate this further. Children below the age of 8 should not be given ACV, and people with certain digestive issues such as ulcers, hiatal hernia and Barrett’s oesophagus may need to avoid it.”
