7 Potential Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits for Your Gut Health

These days, there’s a lot of buzz about apple cider vinegar (ACV). And the reported benefits include everything from weight loss to clearer skin. But its reputation as a gut-friendly elixir is often the reason many people give it a try. So, let’s dig in and separate fact from fiction.

How does apple cider vinegar affect your gut bacteria?

Apple cider vinegar contains prebiotics and probiotics. Both of these can support a healthy gut microbiome. Your gut microbiome includes all the good bacteria in your gut that help with digestion and keep the rest of your body running smoothly. 

First, ACV has acetic acid, which has prebiotic properties. Prebiotics increase the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. These bacteria play many important roles in your body that go beyond digestion. (We’ll go into this a little more in the next section). For example, they strengthen your immune system and help fight bad bacteria. 

In addition to prebiotics, unpasteurized (or raw) ACV also contains probiotic bacteria. Probiotics are the actual good bacteria themselves. This means ACV can add even more of the good bacteria in your gut.

Even though prebiotics and probiotics are good for your microbiome, consuming a lot of ACV can disrupt the balance of your gut bacteria. This could lead to digestive issues like acid reflux, bloating, or diarrhea. Before we get into these potential risks, let’s review the potential benefits.

What are the reported apple cider vinegar benefits for your gut?

There’s limited research on the specific benefits of apple cider vinegar for your gut. Some studies are based on animals instead of humans. And the existing human studies have very few participants. This makes it hard to get clear answers. 

But it’s still possible that the way apple cider vinegar impacts your gut may have health benefits beyond digestion. 

1. Balancing gut bacteria

As mentioned earlier, apple cider vinegar contains prebiotics and probiotics that help good bacteria grow in your gut. These bacteria break down food into nutrients your body can use. A healthy mix of good bacteria can also strengthen your immune system. This means your body can tell the difference between bad germs and helpful ones. And this helps prevent sickness and disease like autoimmune disorders. 

2. Weight loss

Apple cider vinegar may also slow down digestion. A small study of 10 patients showed that ACV slowed the movement of food through the stomach, a process called delayed gastric emptying. This may help keep people fuller for longer. Two other small studies showed a link between consuming ACV and lower body mass index (BMI). But these studies are too small to draw any firm conclusions.

EXPERT PICKS: WHAT TO READ NEXT

• Fermented foods and gut health: Apple cider vinegar is part of a large group of fermented foods. Learn more about why these foods are good for your digestion.

• Does apple cider vinegar help with weight loss? In this article, we look beyond the impact on gut health and zero in on the research around weight loss.

• The best and worst foods for heartburn: If you drink apple cider vinegar to help with reflux or heartburn, there may be other foods to consider — or avoid.

New studies also show that gut bacteria affect how your body uses energy from food, which can impact your weight. Too much bad bacteria, or too little good bacteria, could increase your risk for metabolic syndrome. This includes things like high cholesterol, high body weight, and high blood sugar.

3. Improved blood sugar control

Apple cider vinegar’s impact on digestion may help lower blood sugar in people with Type 2 diabetes. A 2019 review of clinical trials found that ACV reduced blood sugar after meals. This helped to decrease their hemoglobin A1C levels. But the studies varied in how much vinegar people took and when they took it. This makes it hard to measure ACV’s exact impact on blood sugar.

4. Less bloating and gas

Some people report that apple cider vinegar can decrease bloating and gas. But there isn’t any scientific evidence that proves this. Because ACV improves the gut microbiome, it’s possible that it could impact bloating and gas. But remember that ACV slows down how quickly food moves through your stomach. This could lead to worse bloating for some people. This is especially true for people with gastroparesis, a common complication of diabetes.

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5. Manage acid reflux 

Apple cider vinegar is a popular home remedy for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This is when stomach acid travels up into your esophagus, often causing heartburn. 

The reported benefits of apple cider vinegar for GERD are largely based on anecdotal evidence. This means that some individuals claim it helps them, but there isn’t any scientific research supporting these claims. And most experts recommend that you avoid acidic foods, including vinegars, if you have GERD.

6. Lower cholesterol 

There’s a small amount of research suggesting that apple cider vinegar may help reduce cholesterol. 

One study found that people with Type 2 diabetes who drank 15 mL of ACV daily for 8 weeks had lower total cholesterol levels. Another smaller study in people with Type 2 diabetes noted similar effects. Those who ate a balanced diet and drank 30 mL of apple cider vinegar daily had reduced low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterol levels.

Another study looked at the effects in young adults diagnosed with overweight and obesity. Researchers noted that people who drank 5 mL to 15 mL of apple cider vinegar daily for 8 to 12 weeks had reduced total cholesterol. The effect was greatest in people who drank 15 mL for a total of 12 weeks.

These studies were all small and done in specific populations. So, it’s hard to know if these findings apply to the general population. 

7. Antibacterial properties

In lab experiments, apple cider vinegar has been shown to prevent growth of certain types of fungus and bacteria. So, scientists are exploring whether it can work against germs that are resistant to existing antibiotics. It may even help antibiotics work better when used together. 

But to date, the existing studies have all been done in the lab. None of the studies have been done in humans. So it’s too early to say whether drinking apple cider vinegar can help fight off certain infections.

One interesting use of ACV’s antibacterial properties is in food preparation. For example, adding lemon juice and apple cider vinegar to arugula completely killed off Salmonella bacteria. This may help prevent the risk of foodborne illness.

Can apple cider vinegar help with leaky gut?

First, let’s quickly explain leaky gut syndrome. This isn’t a specific illness or condition, and it doesn’t have a clear medical definition. It’s based on the idea that when the lining of the gut is damaged, it may allow harmful substances to “leak” into the bloodstream. 

It isn’t clear what causes leaky gut — everything from stress to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been blamed. Since the nature of leaky gut is unclear, it’s even harder to know if apple cider vinegar helps with it. Most scientific studies that look at the effect of apple cider vinegar on the gut were done in animals. 

One 2016 study described the protective effect of ACV on gastric ulcers in fish. Another study, published in 2020, found that when fish were eating ACV, their digestive enzymes were better at breaking down food. But these results can’t be applied to humans.

Are there any risks with taking apple cider vinegar for your gut?

Before you start taking ACV for gut health, it’s important to be aware of some risks: 

• Stomach irritation: Apple cider vinegar is acidic, so it might irritate your stomach lining and cause discomfort or pain.

• Tooth enamel damage: Drinking undiluted apple cider vinegar can hurt your teeth and cause sensitivity or decay.

• Digestive issues: As explained above, too much apple cider vinegar may disrupt the balance of bacteria in your gut. This can lead to digestive problems like diarrhea or gas.

• Esophageal injury: If not diluted, apple cider vinegar can be harsh on your throat and esophagus. It can damage the lining and cause pain, ulcers, bleeding, or even infections.

It’s also important to be aware of how apple cider vinegar may interact with medications:

• Lowering blood sugar: Some studies have shown that ACV can lower blood sugar. If you take medications for diabetes, it may cause your blood sugar to drop to a dangerous level. This is called hypoglycemia. 

• Decreasing potassium: ACV can also decrease potassium levels in your blood. This means it’s important to avoid ACV if you’re taking medications that also decrease potassium, like diuretics or Digoxin. If potassium gets too low, you may experience muscle cramps, weakness, fatigue, and heart palpitations.

Since ACV comes with some risks — and no firm, proven benefits — it’s important to use apple cider vinegar in moderation if you choose to try it. It’s also important to note that everyone’s gut microbiome is unique, so the effects of ACV can vary from person to person.

But the good news is that you don’t need to rely on apple cider vinegar for good gut health. Consuming a variety of prebiotic- and probiotic-rich foods can help maintain a healthy balance of gut bacteria.

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Written by:

Angela Dunn, MD, MPH

Angela Dunn, MD, MPH, is a public health physician practicing in Utah, with a focus on serving under-resourced communities.

Edited by:

Katie E. Golden, MD

Katie E. Golden, MD, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a medical editor at GoodRx.

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