410 Apple Cider Vinegar – Hype & Science [6 March 2017]

This morning as I was searching for a topic for this week’s column I found two emails in my inbox relating to apple cider vinegar (ACV). One, from the Institute for Natural Healing (INH), linked to an article which describes apple cider vinegar as “no doubt the most beneficial natural health tonic ever known to man”.

The other was the Nutrition Action newsletter published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) which said the only thing “special” about apple cider vinegar is “good marketing”.

First, the hype. The INH article claims that.apple cider vinegar: promotes weight loss; kills cancer cells; alkalizes the body; balances blood sugar; supports the heart and other organs; builds strong bones and teeth; improves digestion; eases nausea; cures heartburn; relieves nerve and joint pain; flushes out toxins; and boosts immunity.

The INH article also said that research is starting to validate the “mounds of anecdotal evidence that ACV is … effective”. But does it? According to Nutrition Action, the studies, what few there are, don’t hold up to the claims. It concedes that there is some evidence that ACV could help lower blood sugar in prediabetes. But in the Japanese study quoted by INH on weight loss, obese adults lost only four pounds in three months taking ACV. There are no ACV studies on cancer.

So what conclusions can we draw from these opposing views? First don’t believe everything you read, especially on the internet. Someone trying to sell you something is unlikely to provide a balanced view of the research. Second, just because there are no studies doesn’t mean that something doesn’t work, just that it hasn’t been proven yet (but still should not be used in advertising!).

Apple cider vinegar was one of the first “health foods” and was popular back in the 1960s along with wheat germ, alfalfa tablets and brewer’s yeast. I suspect that the greatest benefit from ACV comes from the bacterial culture in “the mother”, the cloudy mass at the bottom of the bottle. We learn more every year about the importance of healthy gut flora. Will ACV live up to all the claims? Probably not. But it shouldn’t hurt you (just rinse your mouth with water after drinking to protect your tooth enamel). Try it if you want; if you feel better, great; if not then quit.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

202 Obesity & Food Cravings [4 February 2013]

A recent study shows that the brains of overweight people react differently to the sight of food than those of their normal weight friends.

Researchers from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine used functional MRI to observe brain activity in 5 obese and 7 normal weight adults at different blood sugar levels. The subjects were shown pictures of high calorie foods, low calorie foods, and non-food items at different glucose levels and asked to rate their hunger and desire for the food.

As would be expected, both obese and normal weight subjects reported more hunger and desire for high calorie foods at hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) than at euglycemic (normal blood sugar) levels. Correspondingly, while hypoglycemic, both groups showed higher brain activity in the hypothalamus and limbic brain (which initiates cravings for food to replenish blood sugar). When the blood sugar levels were returned to normal, the normal weight group had higher activity in the prefrontal cortex (which controls rational decision making), and the desire for food fell. This didn’t happen in the obese group – the activity remained high in the hypothalamus and hind brain and the cravings for food was not alleviated. This explains why it is harder for obese individuals to eat appropriately to lose or even maintain weight, something their normal weight friends often fail to comprehend.

Here is what I think this study means to someone who is overweight:
• there is a physiological explanation for your cravings – it’s not just a character weakness;
• eat more frequent small meals to keep your blood sugar levels even and to reduce cravings and subsequent overeating;
• avoid visual cues of food between meals (hide the cookie jar);
• once you have lost your excess fat weight it will be easier to keep it off.

Source: “Circulating glucose levels modulate neural control of desire for high caloric foods in humans”, J Clin Invest 121(10), October 2011.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.