When You Drink Vinegar Every Day This Is What Happens

The decision to drink vinegar every day may have started because people are constantly looking for the next big thing that will help them with their health goals. Between social media influencers who use their platforms to constantly promote different products that they claim will change your life and so many different diet and wellness trends, it can be hard to keep up with the health industry. Still, one trend that's been popular for a while now is drinking vinegar for health purposes.

People have been touting the benefits of vinegar for decades, now, but the particular kind of vinegar people are currently obsessing over is apple cider vinegar. The product is made "by combining apples with yeast," according to Healthline. "The yeast then converts the sugar in the apples into alcohol. Bacteria are then added to the mixture, which ferments the alcohol into acetic acid." Because of good bacteria in apple cider vinegar, as well as the other nutrients found in the product, it's thought to be quite healthy to consume on a daily basis. However, that isn't to say that it will fix all your health issues, and, if you drink vinegar every day, there are definitely some side effects you'll want to be aware of.

Perhaps one of the biggest perks to consuming apple cider vinegar is that people have the impression it will help them lose weight. And for the most part, that's true. However, that isn't to say that it will help you drop ten pounds in one week. But, because of apple cider vinegar's many healthy minerals and bacteria, it does aid in weight loss.

One study from Japan's Central Research Institute reported, "Body weight, BMI, visceral fat area, waist circumference, and serum triglyceride levels were significantly lower in both vinegar intake groups than in the placebo group." As such, the study reported that "daily intake of vinegar might be useful in the prevention of metabolic syndrome by reducing obesity." Another study from Japan's Department of Nutritional Science concluded that the acetic acids in vinegar could help prevent obesity. Making the choice to drink vinegar every day isn't going to melt all the fat off your body, but it may cause some weight loss.

For people with diabetes, a blood sugar spike can be dangerous. And, in fact, everyone can experience blood sugar spikes, which occur when glucose builds up in your body. Those sugar spikes can eventually lead to more health complications, including diabetes. But fortunately, it seems that committing to the decision to drink vinegar every day, specifically apple cider vinegar, can help your blood sugar go down.

Healthline reported, "Apple cider vinegar helps prevent blood sugar spikes by reducing the rate at which food leaves the stomach and enters the lower digestive tract." Additionally, a study from Japan's Department of Nutritional Science at Okayama Prefectural University found that "treatment with acetate showed a marked reduction in lipid accumulation in the adipose tissue, protection against accumulation of fat in the liver, and improved glucose tolerance." Acetate is found in apple cider vinegar, so it's clear that drinking the beverage every day can help with blood sugar levels, which is always good.

Diabetes is a very common disease in America. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported, "More than 30 million Americans have diabetes (about 1 in 10), and 90% to 95% of them have type 2 diabetes." Type 2 diabetes is difficult to deal with due to many reasons, one of which is insulin sensitivity. "In the most common form of diabetes, type 2, cells lose their sensitivity to insulin," explained the National Institutes of Health.

Fortunately, drinking vinegar has been shown to "increase insulin sensitivity," according to Healthline. As one study conducted by Arizona State University found, "vinegar can significantly improve postprandial insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant subjects." Again, that isn't to say that choosing to drink vinegar every day — even apple cider vinegar — will cure your diabetes, but it might offer some relief for those who suffer from type 2 diabetes and have a hard time with insulin sensitivity.

For women who have periods, one of the most common disorders you can develop is PCOS, or polycystic ovary syndrome. According to Mayo Clinic, PCOS "is a hormonal disorder common among women of reproductive age." Women who have PCOS may "have infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods or excess male hormone (androgen) levels." Additionally, WomensHealth.gov reported that PCOS affects every one in ten women who are "of childbearing age." It's a devastating disorder that has been linked to infertility, diabetes, and obesity.

Fortunately, a study from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Japan's Shiga University of Medical Science discovered that you could help ease PCOS symptoms if you drink vinegar every day. As the study reported, there is a "possibility of vinegar to restore ovulatory function through improving insulin sensitivity in PCOS patients, thus, avoiding pharmacological treatment." Additionally, "Intake of vinegar might reduce medical cost and treatment time for insulin resistance, anovulation, and infertility in patients with PCOS." 

PCOS and its symptoms can be difficult to deal with, but, if you drink vinegar daily, you might feel a little better.

Among all the claims that people like to make of the many health benefits that vinegar has to offer, perhaps the most forgotten is that it could improve your digestive system. Of course, it's important to take this information with a grain of salt, as no study has proven that vinegar helps with digestion, but it's still interesting. If you drink vinegar every day, then you might notice improved digestion, but it isn't a guarantee.

According to Healthline, there are people who "claim drinking one to two tablespoons (15–30 ml) of apple cider vinegar before meals can aid digestion." Additionally, the site reported that people allege vinegar produces more acid in your body, "which helps your body create more pepsin, the enzyme that breaks down protein." While one study did find that supplements like betaine HCL can increase stomach acidity, that isn't to say that vinegar would have the same effect.

It's no secret that cancer is perhaps the most devastating disease out there. According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2018 about "1,735,350 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States and 609,640 people will die from the disease." Those numbers are heartbreaking, so it's understandable that more and more people would want to know how they can reduce their risk for the disease.

As it turns out, choosing to drink vinegar every day might actually help with that, although the information out there is pretty sparse. Still, one study from the Research Center at Tamanoi Vinegar Co. Ltd. in Japan found that a certain vinegar extract "inhibits the proliferation of human cancer cells," which is a pretty big deal. Now, more research on the matter is required to actually determine whether or not those findings are accurate, and just how much vinegar is required to reduce the number of cancer cells is still unknown. However, it's possible that drinking vinegar every day might reduce your risk of cancer.

Heart disease is a huge problem among American adults, and it is one of the most deadly diseases out there. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported, "Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States." Additionally, the CDC noted that, every 37 seconds, one American passes away as a result of cardiovascular disease. Fortunately, it appears as though drinking vinegar every day might just help reduce the risk of heart disease.

As one study from the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health found, fatal ischemic heart disease (IHD) can be protected against by consuming alpha-linolenic acid, which is found in vinegar salad dressing. The study reported that "a higher intake of alpha-linolenic acid is protective against fatal IHD," noting, "Higher consumption of foods such as oil-based salad dressing that provide polyunsaturated fats, including alpha-linolenic acid, may reduce the risk of fatal IHD." Vinegar isn't the magical potion to prevent heart disease, but, if you drink vinegar every day, you may be able to reduce your risk of developing it.

Though gastroparesis isn't a super common disease, drinking vinegar every day could worsen the symptoms of it. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, "about 10 men and about 40 women have gastroparesis" out of 100,000 people. So, it's not that common. However, according to Healthline, gastroparesis is "a common condition in people with type 1 diabetes." Additionally, per Healthline, the disease is complicated. "In gastroparesis, the nerves in the stomach don't work properly, so food stays in the stomach too long and is not emptied at a normal rate," the site reported.

And if people with gastroparesis drink vinegar every day, their symptoms could get a lot worse. According to a study from the Department of Medicine at Sweden's University of Lund, "vinegar affects insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients with diabetic gastroparesis by reducing the gastric emptying rate even further, and this might be a disadvantage regarding to their glycaemic control." So, if you suffer from gastroparesis, it probably isn't a good idea to drink vinegar every day.

As many people tout the way vinegar — and apple cider vinegar especially — can allegedly help them lose weight, it's interesting to see just how that's possible. While the beverage certainly won't burn fat on its own, it has been shown to decrease appetite, which could certainly lead to weight loss. So, if you drink vinegar every day, you could be less hungry, although that's not a guarantee.

According to Healthline, "apple cider vinegar and acetic acid may decrease appetite and promote feelings of fullness, leading to a natural reduction in calorie intake." However, the website also reported that vinegar can also cause nausea because of the smell and flavor, so you have to decide whether it's worth it. Additionally, a study from the Imperial College London found that acetate, which is found in apple cider vinegar, "has a direct role in central appetite regulation." If you want to eat less, drinking vinegar every day might be the answer.

To be clear: vinegar does not taste good. Unless vinegar is combined with some kind of oil for a salad dressing or is used in a recipe, vinegar really doesn't taste that great on its own. And, if you drink vinegar every day, you might actually get nauseous. According to Heathline, apple cider vinegar "may help reduce appetite, but may also cause feelings of nausea, particularly when consumed as part of a drink with bad flavor."

Additionally, a study from the Nutritional Sciences Department at the University of Surrey noted, "Vinegar ingestion enhances satiety whereas orosensory stimulation alone does not, and that these effects are largely due to poor tolerability following ingestion invoking feelings of nausea." Vinegar typically isn't a delectable beverage, so, when you drink it on a regular basis, it may cause a lot of nausea, which isn't exactly a desirable outcome. As the study found, vinegar might suppress your appetite, but clearly not in a good way.

Most of the purported side effects of drinking vinegar, specifically apple cider vinegar, is that it will reportedly impact your digestive system, your weight, and your risk for disease. However, one of the lesser known effects of choosing to drink vinegar every day is that it could lower your potassium levels.

While there isn't a ton of research on the matter, Healthline reported that there was one case study where a woman drank large amounts of apple cider vinegar every day, which resulted in "low blood potassium and bone loss." Specifically, the study reported, "A 28-year-old woman consumed 8 oz (250 ml) of apple cider vinegar diluted in water on a daily basis for six years," sharing, "She was admitted to the hospital with low potassium levels and other abnormalities in blood chemistry." Obviously, it's important to remember that this is just one instance and the woman was drinking vinegar for a long time, so that doesn't necessarily mean that it will happen to you. Still it's a possibility to consider.

Oral health is a huge part of overall health, and it's very important to protect your mouth. In fact, one of the most important things you can do to protect in your mouth is look after your tooth enamel. According to Colgate, drinks that have low pH levels "can cause a variety of oral health problems." However, those problems start "when [those drinks] eat away at the hard, outer layer of your teeth," noting, "Enamel erosion is a problem because enamel that becomes destroyed can't grow back." That said, if you drink vinegar every day, your teeth could get irreparably damaged.

Healthline noted, "The acetic acid in vinegar may weaken dental enamel and lead to loss of minerals and tooth decay." In fact, one study from the Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry at the Indiana University School of Dentistry found that not drinking acidic beverages might prevent tooth decay. "In addition to reducing or eliminating exposure to acidic soft drinks and juices, modified acid beverages with reduced potential to cause erosion can be recommended to patients," per the study. Because of the acidity of vinegar, it could seriously damage your teeth.

If you've ever experienced what it feels and tastes like to drink vinegar, then you know it isn't exactly pleasant. Apple cider vinegar especially can be quite hard on your throat when you swallow it, and that's not fun for anyone. If you drink vinegar every day, your throat will likely get super irritated, and you'll feel an unpleasant burning sensation. In fact, it's been proven. Healthline reported, "Apple cider vinegar has the potential to cause esophageal (throat) burns." Moreover, Healthline shared, "A review of harmful liquids accidentally swallowed by children found acetic acid from vinegar was the most common acid that caused throat burns."

Clearly, vinegar isn't good on your throat, and one study from the Department of Pediatrics at Finland's University of Oulu even found that acids like vinegar should be kept out of reach from children because of their potential to burn their throats. "Acids cause even more caustic burns than alkalies," the study stated. "Vinegar should be regarded as a potent caustic substance and distributed in baby-safe bottles with appropriate information on its caustic nature."

As with any supplement or nutritional item, vinegar does have the potential to interfere with your medications. That isn't to say that it will, but it might. So, if you are taking any prescription medications, you might want to talk to your doctor before deciding to drink vinegar every day because vinegar has a lot of side effects.

There are a few known interactions between vinegar and medications. According to Healthline, if you are on diabetes medication, vinegar might not be good for you. "People who take insulin or insulin-stimulating medications and vinegar may experience dangerously low blood sugar or potassium levels," the site reported. Additionally, Healthline also claimed that Digoxin (Lanoxin) and a few kinds of diuretic drugs negatively interact with vinegar in the body, specifically with your potassium levels. Again, vinegar can be great for your health in some ways, but it can also cause some unpleasant side effects, especially when you combine it with medication. So, be mindful of that and always consult your doctor, especially if you're on a prescription medication.