

Acetic acid is found in most fruits, which are also key sources of vitamins, minerals and fibre – unlike apple cider vinegar.” “Some believe this plays a key part in the health claims. Some people believe that this is responsible for the health benefits of consuming apple cider vinegar, although there are no studies documenting this.”ĪCV also contains 5% to 6% acetic acid, says Ludlam-Raine. This, she says, “includes different proteins, enzymes and bacteria. However, organic, unfiltered ACV is probiotic, she points out, as long as there is a brown, blobby fog called “the mother” floating around in it. Nichola Ludlam-Raine, a registered dietitian, says that while ACV has a reputation for aiding digestion, “there is no evidence supporting that”. Nevertheless, research into some of the health claims made for the fermented apple juice is promising, but without large, robust clinical trials, medical staff can’t countenance recommending the stuff. A few swigs of vinegar can’t counter a sedentary lifestyle spent munching ultra-processed foods. Photograph: Stephanie Frey/Getty Images/iStockphotoĭeep down, of course, we all know that there are no quick fixes when it comes to health. However, it is not clear how this would translate to the human body.ĪCV has a reputation for aiding digestion, but ‘there is no evidence supporting that’, says the dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine.

Let me test it in the laboratory.” She went on to do “a multitude of experiments” throughout the pandemic, resulting in a 2021 paper demonstrating that ACV kills E coli and MRSA in petri dishes almost as effectively as common antibiotics.

“I was thinking: what is going on with this apple cider vinegar? This is possibly having an effect on E coli. After about half an hour or an hour, I felt much better.”Īt that moment, she realised she was using her own body for research. “My stomach was gurgling and after about 10 minutes it started feeling soothed. “Immediately, I felt like there was something going on, combating the bacteria,” she says. Desperate to avoid food poisoning, she racked her brains for something that might help – and remembered the bottle of apple cider vinegar (ACV) in the cupboard. She soon regretted it and started feeling queasy. F eeling peckish one day in 2017, Darshna Yagnik, an immunologist and lecturer in biomedical science at Middlesex University, took a punt on something that had been lurking at the back of the fridge.
