The Health Benefits Of Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies

Apple cider vinegar cannot simply be called a fad or a trend. That's because its use goes back centuries. According to the Cleveland Clinic, apple cider vinegar was used as a treatment for colds and infections way back in ancient times, and continues to be a popular remedy for a variety of purposes such as digestive issues. A fermented form of apple juice, apple cider vinegar contains probiotics that may be beneficial to both your immune system and your gut health.

But because many people don't like the taste, they are looking for alternatives to drinking directly from the bottle. One of the more popular options that has emerged is the apple cider vinegar gummy. These tasty candy-like supplements contain an extract of apple cider vinegar, and often vitamins and minerals as well as fruit flavors that make them more palatable (via Healthline). But do they really give you the same health benefits as pure apple cider vinegar?

Some research suggests that apple cider vinegar has health benefits. And since apple cider vinegar gummies contain apple cider vinegar, they should also be good for you, too, right? Not so fast.

In the first place, many of these apple cider vinegar gummy products contain added sugar. According to a 2016 article in the journal Open Heart, adding sugars to food not only causes damage to the body by impairing metabolism, but can also actually deplete the nutrients in the food that they are added to. 

Furthermore, according to a 2009 study published in the journal Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, the amount of apple cider vinegar consumed in a single dose that was found to reduce body fat in people with obesity was between 15ml and 30ml. Popular apple cider vinegar gummies on the other hand contain between 500mg to 600mg of apple cider vinegar extract, which is equal to about half a milliliter per gummy (via Clean Eating Magazine). This means you would have to consume 30 to 60 gummies just to get the same dose you get from one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.

So as good tasting as those trendy apple cider vinegar gummies may be, sometimes it's better to stick with the classic version instead.