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Does apple cider vinegar before meals burn fat and stop blood sugar spikes?

What you hear: “A spoonful of apple cider vinegar before meals burns belly fat and stops blood sugar spikes.”

What the studies found

Pooled short trials found vinegar taken with a meal lowered the post-meal blood sugar rise by a moderate standardised amount (SMD -0.60) compared with no vinegar. For weight, a 2025 review of 10 small trials (789 adults, 4 to 12 weeks) reported a benefit, but its estimate of about 7.4 kg included a 2024 trial that has since been retracted, so it should not be relied on. An earlier systematic review judged the evidence insufficient because of poor-quality research. These are trials, but small, short and of mixed quality.

Take care: Drinking vinegar without enough dilution has burned the gullet, so it should always be diluted.

What you could do

Diluted vinegar on salads or with a meal is harmless and may slightly soften a sugar rise, but it is not a fat-loss tool.

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Not medical advice. General information from published studies, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan. Talk with your doctor before starting a supplement or changing a medicine, especially if you are pregnant, take other medicines or have a health condition.

How we judged it

Partly true: Some truth, but oversold as usually said. We judge the claim as it is usually said online, not the habit itself. Trials assign people at random, so they can show cause; observed studies follow people and show a link, not proof. Last checked: October 2026.

The studies, in their own words

1. Shishehbor et al. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2017

   The pooled analysis of studies revealed a significant mean glucose and insulin area under the curve (AUC) reduction in participants who consumed vinegar compared with the control group (standard mean difference=-0.60, 95%CI -1.08 to -0.11, p=0.01

2. Castagna et al. Nutrients 2025

   Based on the estimated baseline body weight, the pooled effect size for weight reduction (SMD = −0.39) corresponds to an average weight loss of approximately 7.4 kg, or 9.4% of basal body weight.

3. Retraction of Abou-Khalil et al. BMJ Nutr Prev Health 2025

   Retraction: Apple cider vinegar for weight management in lebanese adolescents and young adults with overweight and obesity: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

4. Launholt et al. Eur J Nutr 2020

   Due to inadequate research of high quality, the evidence for the health effects of AV is insufficient.

5. Chang et al. Clin Endosc 2020 (case report)

   He had been drinking a vinegar beverage daily without sufficient dilution.

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