Apple Cider Vinegar: Could It Be a Cure for What Ails You?

QUESTION: My neighbor swears by apple cider vinegar, and every time I complain about my health, she rants about the vinegar. I haven't tried it, but I have to say she looks fairly healthy and never gets sick. Do you think there's something to it?

ANSWER: Vinegar has been used for centuries for many purposes including cleaning, killing weeds and pickling. Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is sold as a bottled vinegar and a dietary supplement in the United States.

Apple cider vinegar is a fermentation product of pulverized apples. Its primary active ingredient is "acetic acid" and many holistic practitioners believe that a little acid can relieve symptoms of reflux disease and heartburn. Nevertheless, I wouldn't take ACV without your doctor's approval because it could damage the delicate lining of your digestive tract.

Here are some other sweet uses for the vinegar:

• High cholesterol: An animal study published in the British Journal of Nutrition (2006) showed evidence that vinegar could lower cholesterol. The scientists gave rats some acetic acid, and their cholesterol ratio improved. But they had permanent puckers on their face afterwards, go figure.
• Arthritis: ACV is derived from apples which give us "malic acid." This substance helps fight infections and also relieves pain. Malic acid may ease joint pain, fibromyalgia and gouty arthritis by dissolving uric acid deposits that form around joints. 
• Diabetes: This is ACV's most promising effect. Several studies have concluded that it may help control blood glucose. A 2007 study published in Diabetes Care concluded that people with type 2 diabetes experienced about a 5 percent reduction in morning blood glucose levels.

To use ACV, just add 2 teaspoons to water each day and drink it or use it as salad dressing. Look for organic; I prefer "raw and unfiltered."