Can an apple cider vinegar cellulite cure succeed where other remedies fail?

Apple cider vinegar is a very popular remedy that has been linked with weight loss, amongst other things. So, it is no surprise an apple cider vinegar cellulite cure has been popularized. The question is, does it really help, and if so, how?

The Problem Of Cellulite

If you are one of the ladies approaching or beginning your middle years and disturbed by the appearance of bulging and wrinkled areas of skin on the abdomen, pelvis and other lower body areas, you are not alone.

While it is unlikely to greatly diminish your concerns, there is perhaps a little comfort to be had in the fact that this skin condition affects some 95% of women at some time.

While most regular doctors would not agree to drawing any distinction between this complaint and other occurrences of obesity, beauty and alternative medicine experts have a specific term for the ailment – cellulite. The understanding of its causes also varies, with doctors usually placing the blame on a diet heavy in fatty foods and a lack of exercise, and natural healers emphasizing the central roll played by a build up of toxins in the body.

A major advantage of pursuing a natural course of treatment is that you have the confidence that comes with using substances that are all commonly found in plants and in compounds already present within our bodies. By using herbal medicines and lotions, and massaging affected areas, it is possible to launch a direct attack on the appearance of cellulite through improving blood circulation and strengthening bodily resistance.

The Apple Cider Vinegar Cellulite 'Cure'

Proponents of the apple cider vinegar cellulite cure say it is an excellent example of an effective and safe natural therapy. The apply cider vinegar used to fight cellulite originates differs from the vinegars normally sold in retail outlets since it is made from organically grown apples left to mature in wooden barrels. The vinegar produced by this method works is only mildly acidic, and contains trace amounts of minerals like potassium, calcium and magnesium.

Apple cider vinegar can be taken orally with the recommended intake being two tablespoons added to an eight ounce glass of water every morning, or it can be used topically by combining it with an anti-cellulite lotion. People who swear by apple cider vinegar say you can expect to enjoy include a strengthening of your immune system and an increasing in the pace of metabolism, which translates in everyday language into faster burning off of excess fat. It also improves blood circulation and hence promotes a more effective detoxification process. The vitamin B6 and lecithin found in apple cider vinegar are believed to contribute to weight loss.

Is There Any Truth In Apple Cider Vinegar As A Remedy

Apple cider vinegar use is associated with many claims, and most of them are anecdotal. There are very few scientific studies done on apple cider vinegar at all. Of those that have been done, most of them are preliminary. Some are done just on cells, or rats. A few have been done with people, but they were only small sample sizes.

There is a study on apple cider vinegar with regards to weight loss that I think is worth mentioning. You can read about it here:  http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/24/3/158

Basically, the authors of the study found that drinking some vinegar in water before a meal that had a high glycemic load reduced the glycemic effect of the meal - people felt fuller, more satisfied with what they had already eaten, and they ate 12-16% less calories later on in the day, compared to the control group.

The glycemic load of a meal refers to its effect on blood sugar levels. High GI foods cause spikes in blood sugar levels, and can contribute to a number of health and metabolic issues.  Without going into that in detail, it can still be seen that in terms of weight loss, vinegar may have some scientific benefit.

Apple Cider Vinegar Cures - The People Speak

If you read through forums and articles on the web, you'll notice a lot said for and against apple cider vinegar, and both sides can get pretty emotional and intense about it. On the one had, the problem with relying completely on anecdotes of people's experiences is that a person may say that apple cider vinegar (or anything) is what helped them with 'condition x' (whether that is weight loss, arthritis, or whatever). And they may truly believe it. But sometimes people may not know exactly what caused the improvement. It may be a placebo effect. Or something else could have changed. They may have changed something in their diet, or their activities, at the same time that they started taking something like apple cider vinegar that actually caused the benefit.

Or, it may be that they are right - that there are elements in apple cider vinegar, and its effect on the body, that is greater than the sum of its' individual parts. Because, individually, there is nothing in apple cider vinegar that we could logically say leads to all the benefits attributed to it.

I'm not prepared to dismiss apple cider vinegar because it hasn't been 'proven' to work scientifically. But neither would I jump on it as the panacea some make it out to be. I think, in terms of weight loss, and maybe cellulite if it is associated with excess weight or metabolic problems, then its worth a go. After all, its inexpensive, and people have been beneficially incorporating slight sour tastes into their diets for thousands of years.

I don't believe apple cider vinegar is a 'cure' for anything, cellulite or otherwise. But it may provide benefits to health, and may assist in weight loss for some. It's certainly worth a go with high glycemic foods. And, if you don't want to spend a lot of time worrying about whether a food has a high glycemic index or not, you could just take it in some water before every meal.