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Industry: Email Alert RSS FeedThe sour truth about apple cider vinegar - evaluation of therapeutic use
Nutrition Forum, Nov-Dec, 1997 by Beth Fontenot
Apple cider vinegar is an old folk remedy claimed to be beneficial in treating a long list of ailments. Proponents say that it can cure arthritis, guard against osteoporosis, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, prevent cancer, destroy infection, assist in digestion and weight control, maintain memory, and protect the mind from aging.
Vinegar is said to have been used for medical ailments for at least 10,000 years. The Babylonians first converted wine into vinegar in 5000 BCE using date palms, grapes, and figs, and believed vinegar had exceptional healing properties. Hippocrates is said to have used vinegar as an antibiotic. Samurai warriors supposedly used a vinegar tonic for strength and power. During the U.S. Civil War, soldiers used vinegar to prevent gastric upset and as a treatment for various ailments including pneumonia and scurvy. It was used to treat wounds during World War I.
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The name vinegar comes from a French word meaning "sour wine." It is produced by the action of yeast and bacteria on grains or fruit juices. Vinegars take their name from the material used to make the vinegar, i.e., apple cider vinegar comes from apples, wine vinegar comes from grapes.
Apple cider vinegar is made by crushing apples and squeezing out the liquid. Sugar and yeast are added to the liquid to start the fermentation process, which turns the sugars into alcohol. In a second fermentation process, the alcohol is converted by acetic acid-forming bacteria into vinegar. Acetic acid gives vinegar its sour taste.
"Mother of vinegar" is a term used to refer to the mass of scum that forms on top of cider when alcohol turns into vinegar, or to the cloudy substance that sometimes develops in stored vinegar. It is actually bacteria and yeast cells that have died.
Folk Claims
In 1958 Dr. D. C. Jarvis, a "noted Vermont country doctor," wrote a book entitled Folk Medicine in which he extolled the virtues of vinegar. He claimed that Vermonters knew how to cure migraine headaches, diabetes, chronic fatigue, arthritis, and a variety of other ailments. They used apple cider vinegar.
Among Dr. Jarvis's many tenets about apple cider vinegar was his advice to pregnant women to drink an apple cider vinegar tonic daily to assure that the infant is born with "an excellent chemical pattern with which to meet its new environment." He recommended the same tonic for those suffering from arthritis. Believing that apple cider vinegar would destroy bacteria in the digestive tract, he advised those with GI problems to consume a tonic with each meal. He also declared that the regular consumption of an apple cider vinegar tonic would make body fat disappear because the vinegar would cause the fat to be burned instead of stored.
His book quickly sold 500,000 copies and is still in print. Apple cider vinegar is still promoted as one of the chief "natural" remedies for arthritis.
Those who believe that apple cider vinegar has miraculous properties attribute its powers to an abundance of nutrients in the liquid. One company's sales pitch states, "Each golden drop is a natural storehouse of vitamins and minerals." Marketers point to the trace minerals, bacteria,. and enzymes present in their product as the ingredients that give apple cider vinegar its curative characteristics. Another company suggests that their apple cider vinegar is superior because it contains pectin, beta-carotene, and potassium in addition to enzymes and amino acids. Apple cider vinegar is also said to contain an abundance of complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber. Dr. Jarvis believed that the healing properties of apple cider vinegar were due in large part to its rich potassium content.
Some New Twists
Apple cider vinegar is sold today by "health food" companies and others who claim it has remedial properties. The claims are similar to those in the past, but some have taken on a modem twist based on more recent medical research.
Marketers contend that the beta-carotene in apple cider vinegar destroys free radicals in the body which are involved in the aging and mutation of tissues and in destroying the immune system. Apple cider vinegar's beta-carotene is said to be in a "natural, easy to digest form."
Its use as a remedy for arthritis is based on the notion that acid crystals harden in the joints and tissues which cause the joints to become stiff and the tissues to harden. These acid crystals also cause the body to age prematurely, so the ads state. Apple cider vinegar is supposed is put these acid crystals in solution so they can be flushed from the body.
Producers also claim that apple cider vinegar can lower cholesterol and blood pressure. These assertions are based on the assumption that people naturally crave acids when eating animal proteins in order to lessen the thickening influence of "heavy proteins and fat." Apple cider vinegar supposedly thins the blood so it can circulate. more freely. Thick blood, they say, puts a strain on the heart and up goes the blood pressure. Another source states that the pectin present in apple cider vinegar works its way through the digestive system, binding to cholesterol and removing it from the body.
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1
WendyOhio
RE: The sour truth about apple cider vinegar - evaluation of t ...
Apple cider vinegar is definitely a cure-all. Mix a 3 to 1 ratio of water to apple cider vinegar and then put in a spray bottle and spray on rose leafs. This will help get rid of rose rust. Another tip: if you have cooked stinky fish in your kitchen, put some apple cider vinegar in a bowel to absorb the odor.
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2
antifascist
RE: The sour truth about apple cider vinegar - evaluation of t ...
I know little about Apple Cider Vinegar and am in the process of seeking useful information - both for and against.
This 'report' by a Beth Fontenot, that rubbishes ACV as a bit of an old wives' tale with no evidence to support it, contains no supportive evidence itself - the very aspertion it casts upon the subject matter of the article.
Furthermore, terms like 'folksy anecdotes' and the exuberant use of "speech marks" around terms she views with suspision (they are abundant) appear to reveal the author's inability to hide her own bias.
It's disappointing that you publish an article that apparently serves as a platform on which a seemingly mal-informed individual, vents.
I'd hoped for evidence-based information in an article that was proposing a sever lack of evidence-based information for ACV. -
3
antmark
RE: The sour truth about apple cider vinegar - evaluation of t ...
I suffered from the flu two years ago and after two weeks with "the bug" was wondering if I would ever get over it. For a solid month after this flu, I had terrible cold symptoms that I just couldn't shake off and a cough that I felt like would certainly eventually kill me. I was told by a friend at work, "Gordon", how to mix up a "coctail" that used two fruit juices and "apple cider vineger"., I was skeptikal at first, but my friend had not had so much as a cold in six years which, incidentally, was the legnth of time he had been using this drink. I knew he was telling the truth because this man is never sick and is always at work. I mixed it up and sure enough in about three days I began to notice a big difference. I have not contracted the flu anymore and have not had a cold since., beside this benefit, I had spent thousands of dollars on doctors for my migraine head aches. From my earliest memory, I use to get at least two a week and sometimes they would last two or three days at the time. Doctors ran all kinds of test but could offer neither explanation nor cure for my misery. One effect which I count as a blessing from God was learning that as long as I took a shot glass full in the morning everyday, my migraines got further and further apart and were less intense and easier to manage. I went from two or three headaches a week to maybe one a month and managed it with as little as taking one excedrine. "Folks or old wives' tale?" I am so glad I got past my skepticism and tried it. I would testify in any court, the stuff works! I mix one half gallon pure apple juice and a half gallon of pure grape juice (not from concentrate) with one 32 oz bottle of "white house" brand apple cider vineger. and a half cup of "clover honey". I take a shot glass full in the morning with breakfast. If you don't have a shot glass, use the measuring cup off the bottle of Nyquil in your medicine cabinet, you wont be needing the Nyquil anymore.
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4
neworion
RE: The sour truth about apple cider vinegar - evaluation of t ...
The claims made for folk medicine should be subject to verification and validation, just as any other drug. However, this article was very poorly researched. Anyone with access to Google can find reference to published, peer-reviewed research that shows vinegar regulates blood sugar. Recent research supports claims of weight loss. This article should be removed as it fails to reflect the current research.
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5
Sylena Rai'
Sylena Rai'
I appreciate the objective side to any theory. Is allow us to view things from a different point to view....
However in this case, I'd have to disagree with the author of the artical...
To be simple...Shortly before reading this particular article, I'd eaten something that resulted in painful gas. I decided to log on the internet searching for home remedies for gas. Several sites and researches suggested apple cider vinegar. I did as recommended...while actually drinking the ACV (with water), I ran across this article...
My gas was gone by the time I finished reading...
Need I say more?
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6
hhaleyy
RE: The sour truth about apple cider vinegar - evaluation of t ...
Yeah dude, like doctors prescribing their harmful-to-the-body "remedies" could afford losing their billions by researching the real benefits of apple cider vinegar...this article is stupid and like someone said biased. I think if it was proven, all the doctors would lose their money because you can even make it at home. Keep on beleivers! I go to a kinesiologist and I have seen him work just amazing miracles on people and I would listen to his advice before ever going to a doctor. Not that he has said anything about vinegar, but he sure has told me a lot about the propaganda in the medical branch. Well not propaganda, just wrong-doing.
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7
rachaelescondido
RE: The sour truth about apple cider vinegar - evaluation of t ...
Apple cider vinegar sure has helped me with my roses. Great cure for rust when mixed one third cider vinegar and 2/3 water.
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8
Jeffrey W
RE: The sour truth about apple cider vinegar - evaluation of t ...
I would have to concur with the above comments.
Just this last weekend I was stunned to find a growth on the tip of my penis, which was aggressively growing almost before my eyes, (slight exaggeration). I Googled for help and came across a home remedy using apple cider vinegar; within 24 hours it had schriveled to nothing; to my relief!
I am going to keep the appointment with the dermatologist, just to make sure, but it is gone! This was a 1/8 to 1/4" growth in 48 hours; quite concerning! Although, I would probably dilute it (the vinegar) with water next time because it did burn skin full strength; I'll put up with that, this was scary!
Go ahead and do the clinical trials-I paid .99 cents for this cure, and I have almost a full bottle left! That is probably the issue; can't make much off of second fermentation; Yeee-Haaa!
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