The alkaline diet has become a trend among celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston as a way to lose weight, boost energy, and prevent disease.
But like most things that sound too good to be true, the alkaline diet is a prime example. Experts say there is no scientific evidence behind the idea that alkaline foods are healthier than acidic ones.
"It is not based on anything besides anecdotal evidence at this time," says Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, a registered dietitian in New York City.
The alkaline diet is pseudoscience
The idea behind the alkaline diet is that the foods you eat can change your blood pH level and thus change your health.
All you have to do is avoid foods that the diet categorizes as acidic, limit neutral foods, and focus on more alkaline foods. The alkaline diet categorizes foods according to pH as follows:
Acidic: Meat, fish, dairy, eggs, grains, alcohol
Neutral: Natural fats, starches, sugars
Alkaline: Fruits, nuts, legumes, vegetables
And while the foods you eat can affect the pH of your urine, this is not the same as changing your blood pH. Your blood pH level stays close to neutral at around 7.4, and you cannot shift your overall blood pH through your diet, as the alkaline diet suggests, says Beckerman.
"That's because our body is sharp and has built-in mechanisms to keep pH levels in check."
Moreover, alkaline diet proponents say that acidic foods leave behind an "acid ash" in the body, which may promote diseases like osteoporosis. Since then, several studies have shown that this assumption is not true.
The alkaline diet makes dangerous claims about cancer
In 2013, Victoria Beckham tweeted a picture of an alkaline cookbook, setting off a widespread diet trend that ended up influencing scores of celebrities including Kate Hudson, Gweneth Paltrow, and Tom Brady.
The founder of the alkaline diet, Robert Young, made the false claim that the diet aids in cancer treatment. As a result, some cancer patients have turned to the alkaline diet for treatment and found no relief.
Moreover, the American Institute for Cancer Research also rejects claims that eating acidic foods can lower the body's pH and promote cancer.
Just about the only health condition that an alkaline diet might help is kidney stones. Throughout the 20th century, researchers conducted numerous studies on pH levels in food and their effect on the kidneys. They discovered that eating more alkaline foods can helpprevent kidney stones.
The alkaline diet can lead to nutritional deficiencies
Any time you cut food groups out of your diet, you need to be cautious, Beckerman says. "It could be setting you up for nutritional deficiencies if you don't prioritize your food choices."
For example, the alkaline diet cuts out some healthy food options such as eggs and fish while encouraging followers to adhere to strict diet rules. Without careful planning, an alkaline diet can cause muscle loss from a lack of protein and improper nutrition overall.
However, there is anecdotal evidence that the diet has helped people lose weight, stay healthy, and feel better. But this has nothing to do with consuming alkaline foods and everything to do with switching to the plant-based and whole-food options that the diet promotes.
If healthy, plant-based eating is your goal, there are other diets out there with the science to back their health benefits, like vegetarianism or veganism.
An alkaline diet based on vegetables and fruits creates a less-than-optimal environment for cancer proliferation, while at the same time strengthens the immune function and supports healthy cells in the body through improved nutrition.
In the 1930's, an interesting natural cancer treatment was proposed as a simple, effective answer to cancer – almost any cancer. This treatment approach is not well known because it is considered alternative or experimental - or even dangerous[i] - by the medical and scientific community and hence has been referenced primarily in obscure publications outside the mainstream press.
This treatment approach is called alkaline therapy or pH therapy, and is based in part on observations of cultures without significant incidence of cancer[ii] and in part on scientific observations of and experimentation with cellular metabolism.[iii]
The principles of pH therapy are very simple. The metabolism of cancer cells has a very narrow pH tolerance for cellular proliferation (mitosis), which is between 6.5 and 7.5. As such, if you can interfere with cancer cell metabolism by either lowering or raising the internal cancer cell pH, you can theoretically stop cancer progression.[iv]
While lowering cancer cell pH (increasing acidity) is effective against cancer cell mitosis in the lab, increasing acid levels in the live body of a cancer patient puts stress on normal cells and causes a lot of pain. So the proposed alkaline therapy for people is a "high pH therapy" and has been developed to normalize the intracellular pH of the cancer patient's body through elimination of latent acidosis, while increasing the pH of cancer cells to a range above 7.5. According to published research, it is at that pH they revert to a normal cellular apoptosis cycle (programed cell death).[v]
Ideally, this approach begins with an alkaline diet. There is general agreement amongst natural healers and medical professionals alike, that changing a cancer patient's diet is extremely helpful when someone is confronted with a cancer diagnosis. In a previous article, I outlined the six steps that every cancer patient should take to provide the best chance to heal from and prevent future recurrences of cancer using alkaline diet principles.[vi]
The alkaline diet, which is primarily plant-based and avoids sugar, dairy, wheat and other high-gluten grains as well as an excess consumption of fruits, while emphasizing fresh vegetables and vegetable juices along with cruciferous vegetables and greens, changes the body's intracellular pH to come close to the ideal blood pH of 7.3/7.41 - a key metabolic accomplishment on the path to longevity whether you have cancer or not!
An alkaline diet based on vegetables and fruits creates a less-than-optimal environment for cancer proliferation, while at the same time strengthens the immune function and supports healthy cells in the body through improved nutrition.
The second step is to use some nutritional mechanism to move the internal cancer cell pH from the optimal mitosis range of pH 6.5 to 7.5, to above 8, which shortens the life of the cancer cell. As described by its proponents, alkaline therapy neutralizes the acid waste of the cancer which causes so much pain, interferes with the anaerobic fermentation of glucose that starts the self-feeding acidic cancer wasting cycle called cachexia and in time, can induce remission. If this theory of alkaline therapy holds true, it should be possible to address cancer without chemotherapy, radiation or surgery and use alkaline therapy as a primary cancer treatment.
This bold statement comes from a somewhat abstruse body of research. In the 1880's, Louis Pasteur published his work on cellular aerobic respiration and glycolysis. In 1931, Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize for his work on the metabolism of tumors and the respiration of cells, which was later summarized in his 1956 paper, On the Origin of Cancer Cells. His work on cancer expanded upon Pasteur's findings and described respiratory insufficiency and a cellular metabolism of glucose fermentation as the primary trigger for cancer progression[vii].
Warburg's conclusions on cancer were much discussed in scientific circles, as they are academically elegant, but were not accepted by most members of the scientific community engaged in cancer research. Most cancer researchers in the late 1950's believed that the anaerobic metabolism of cancer cells and their accompanying output of lactic acid was a side effect or an adjunct effect of cancer, not a cause. Cancer research since the 1960's has focused primarily on genetic aberrations as causative for cancer, and has ignored the body of research on cancer pH and its implications for therapeutic approaches.[viii]
Warburg's work was a catalyst for yet another research effort on the nature of cancer cells, beginning in the 1930's. A. Keith Brewer, PhD (physicist) performed experiments on the relationship between energized, oxygenated cell membrane and elemental uptake, vs. cellular membranes in an unenergized state such as cancer cells exhibit. He wrote a number of papers discussing the cellular mechanisms of cancer cells and the changes in metabolism induced or indicated by the lack of or presence of oxygen in combination with other elements, particularly potassium and calcium. He noted that cancer cells share one characteristic no matter what type of cancer: they have lost their pH control mechanism.
Brewer's summary conclusion regarding cancer was that by changing the pH of cancer cells to alkaline (above 7.5), they will cease to function as they need an acidic, anaerobic environment to thrive. In other words, he proposed that cancer cells will die if they can be pushed into an alkaline, oxygenated state.[ix]
Brewer's work cites areas in the world where cancer incidents are very low. These areas contain concentrations of alkalizing minerals in the soil and water, which are greater than in other parts of the world. For example, the Hunza of northern Pakistan and the Hopi Indians of the American West share both similar soil and water conditions and diet. The alkaline elemental minerals of cesium chloride, germanium and rubidium are heavily present in the soil and water. Ingestion of these elements is correspondingly high. These peoples also live in similar high, dry climates and grow apricot orchards, traditionally eating the fresh or dried fruit and the seeds each day.
It should be noted that apricot seeds are the source of the controversial cancer treatment Laetrile or B-17/Amygdalin.[x]Apricot seeds contain trace amounts of cyanide, which has long been identified as a potential chemotherapeutic agent against cancer proliferation.[xi] Other similarities in the diet include a low consumption of dairy products, meat and wheat, as these foodstuffs are difficult to farm in high, arid climates and a correspondingly greater consumption of millet, buckwheat, nuts, dried fruits and berries in their traditional diets, all of which contain a similar enhanced (though sill minute) concentration of cyanide.
This is all very interesting, but what does it really mean for cancer patients who wish to avoid the pain of cancer and the typical course of treatment using surgery, chemotherapy and radiation? What are the conditions that will force cancer cells to change their pH?
Conventional chemotherapeutic agents such as Cytoxan usually cause more damage to normal cells than to cancer cells, because cancer cells have a very thick, unenergized cellular membrane that essentially protects them from absorbing many drugs. Normal cells have no such protection.
Conversely, cancer cells have no way to normalize their internal pH, where normal cells are relatively unaffected by high concentrations of alkalizing minerals. However cancer cells take up primarily two elements: glucose and potassium.
In practical application, then, it is necessary to find a way to guide alkalizing elements - such as cesium, germanium or rubidium - into cancer cells, without impacting normal cells. It turns out this can be done using a transport agent that penetrates the bone/blood barriers, then relying on the normal uptake of alkalizing elements that follow the potassium pathway. Cancer cells appear to have preferential uptake of cesium chloride in particular, but also take up germanium, rubidium, selenium, etc. all through the potassium pathway.
There is a compound that is frequently applied to the skin by arthritis sufferers for relief of inflammation, used in brain surgery to relieve intracranial pressure and topically used in sports medicine and veterinary medicine,[xii] also for reducing inflammation. This compound is called DMSO and it is formed in the slurry created from soaking wood chips in water that is a bi-product of the paper making industry.
Folklore has it that workers in the paper making industry were observed to have their hands in water continuously, but they never developed arthritis and had rapidly healing skin and strong nails. Experimentation with DMSO as a medical treatment began in the 1800's and continues to the present day. DMSO is medically approved in the United States only for the treatment of interstitial cystitis, a type of inflammation of the bladder.[xiii]
The reason DMSO is so interesting to cancer patients is that, in addition to its anti-inflammatory properties, it is a "carrier agent." It penetrates the brain/blood barrier and carries with it whatever drug or mineral is mixed with.
There is now some interest in the cancer industry in potentially using DMSO to carry chemotherapeutic agents into cancer cells and get beyond their protective membrane. However, for the purposes of changing the alkalinity of cancer cells using cesium chloride, germanium, rubidium and other alkalizing minerals, DMSO and its ingestible form, MSM, are an effective medium. Essentially these agents carry the minerals into all areas of the body including the brain, organs and bone marrow, where they can be used with other nutrients in ordinary cellular metabolism.
Using topically applied and ingested alkaline minerals to change cancer cell pH is not a new idea. Controlled experiments and the personal use of this method have been ongoing since the mid-1900s. However, it is important to note that the only FDA approved clinical trial did not have outstanding results.[xiv] About 50% of the participants died – though if you read the study results in detail you will discover that they had been pronounced terminal before the trial began and some of them never even took one treatment. Others had side effects ranging from leg cramps to heart arrhythmia. A careful read will lead you to believe that perhaps they were given too strong a dose in too short a period of time.[xv]
From this research and subsequent studies, it is now understood that alkaline minerals look to normal cells and to cancer cells like potassium. All cells require potassium to function. The reason cancer cells take up these alkaline minerals is their resemblance to potassium.
Functionally, however, these minerals cannot take the place of potassium in cellular metabolism. While substituting alkaline minerals for potassium creates exactly the desired result in cancer cells – increased alkalinity - when normal cells replace potassium with other minerals over the long term the consequences can be quite serious as it causes electrolyte imbalance, manifested as heart arrhythmia and leg cramps.[xvi]
The remedy to this condition of electrolyte imbalance, caused by replacement of potassium in healthy cells with other alkaline minerals during pH therapy, is simple in practical application. Alkaline minerals are ingested or applied to the skin only during the day. Then before sleep, the user must take potassium chloride supplementation along with other electrolytes such as magnesium and calcium if needed. Monitoring of potassium blood levels every two weeks by a doctor is critical if a cancer patient decides to incorporate alkaline therapy into their cancer regime.
When properly balanced, the side effects of using alkaline minerals are greatly if not completely remediated by electrolyte rebalancing. Despite the "fear, fire, foe" tone of Mssrs. Wiens et al in the article cited above[xvii] there is no risk of dying of a heart attack (or leg cramp), unless the patient ignores the proper method using alkaline minerals and is not working in consultation with an experienced specialist. A caution: electrolyte rebalancing cannot be properly implemented by casual methods such as drinking sports drinks, particularly since commercial products are generally full of sugar and artificial substances. Electrolyte rebalancing must be carefully applied using specific doses of supplements, based on your personal blood composition, in consultation with a nutrition expert or endocrinologist.
My personal experience with pH therapy has been nothing short of spectacular. I have seen stage four, terminal cancer patients recover using alkalizing minerals. There are patients who report untreatable cancers, such as nasal or fully metastasized breast cancers, which after a very persistent course of tiny doses over several years, eventually disappeared altogether. Patients who have never had chemotherapy or radiation often experience rapid remission after changing to an alkaline diet and incorporating the use of alkaline minerals into their regime.
However pH therapy using alkaline minerals requires quite a bit of knowledge (do your homework!) and is greatly enhanced with the support of a mineral provider or cancer coach who has the experience to guide you through the process. Many mineral providers sell minerals, but do not have the ability to assist the users. Therefore, it is critical to seek a mineral provider who can provide references to extensive information and is available to help you work through the rough spots – and there will be some!
It is my direct personal experience that cancer can be controlled using alkaline minerals. There are thousands of people who have had similar positive experiences. Does it work for everyone? No. However if high pH therapy is properly applied, it works for a very respectable percentage of cancer sufferers – estimated at upwards of an 80% response rate by providers. Significant when compared to traditional therapies.
This finding is why I started The Cancer Alternative Foundation - to help cancer patients feel comfortable using effective, natural therapies like pH therapy as part of their overall treatment strategy. The Foundation simply researches and vets the claims of various alternative offerings for cancer – and there are more than 400! To date, we have concluded that high pH therapy is one of the most effective alternatives, particularly for later stage cancers.
However alkaline therapy outcomes (as well as those for other sound alternatives) have yet to be documented in a systematic way, such that the medical community could reliably understand the positive impact that incorporating it into cancer treatment could make to hundreds of thousands of cancer sufferers. Collecting outcomes is a current project at The Cancer Alternative Foundation and should prove invaluable to cancer patients and their doctors and care givers alike.[xviii]
If nothing else, it is my contention that alkaline therapy could be used in a supporting role to conventional treatment, which will only improve the long-term outcome for patients. It is my hope that this promising and effective natural approach to cancer becomes more accepted by mainstream cancer care providers - as well as those enlightened individuals seeking a natural alternative, who are willing to close their eyes and jump.
An alkaline approach to cancer can only help them to enjoy their future – as in having one!
Nancy Elizabeth Shaw is a strategist, meta-analyst and Founder of The Cancer Alternative Foundation. Contact information: www.thecanceralternative.org/contact_us.
[i] Cassileth, Barrie R. et al, Herb-Drug Interaction in Oncology, pp. 158-159; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, People's Medical Publishing House, Shelton, CT 2010
[ii] Clark, J., Hunza in the Himalayas, National Geographic, 72, 38-45; 1963
[iii] Brewer, A. Keith and Passwater, R. Physics of the Cell Membrane V. Mechanisms involved in cancer; American Lab, 1975,-
8, 37-45
[iv] Brewer, A. Keith PhD, Cancer, Its Nature and a Proposed Treatment, 1997; Brewer Science Library; https://www.mwt.net/~drbrewer/brew_art.htm
[vii] Warburg, Otto, On the Origin of Cancer Cells, Science, February 1956, Vol. 123, No. 3191
[viii] Witting, Rainer and Coy, Johannes, The Role of Glucose Metabolism and Glucose-Associated Signaling in Cancer; Perspectives in Medicinal Chemistry, 2007; 1:64-82. Pp. 2; cited PubMed, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2754915
[ix]Cancer: The Mechanism Involved and a High pH Therapy, 1978 papers of A. Keith Brewer, Ph.D. & co-authors, Copyright A. Keith Brewer Foundation, 325 N. Central Ave., Richland Center, Wis, 53581.
[x] Griffin, G. Edward, World Without Cancer: The Story of Vitamin B17, American Media, Westlake, CA 1974
[xi] Fatma Akinci Yildirim and M. Atilla Askin: Variability of amygdalin content in seeds of sweet and bitter apricot cultivars in Turkey. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 9(39), pp. 6522-6524, 27 September, 2010; Available online at https://www.academicjournals.org/AJB; DOI: 10.5897/AJB10.884; 600 mg. of bitter apricot seeds contain up to 1.8 mg of cyanide, where the sweet kernels contain up to .9 mg. of cyanide.
Many so-called superfoods are based on nothing but hype. Few have as big of a cult following as this one, and literally none have maintained their momentum for several decades like this has.
There’s no shortage of claims made about the uses of this cloudy golden liquid. They range from simple anti-aging to major diseases.
There are websites alleging that apple cider vinegar is good for your skin (acne, wrinkles, freckle removal), for your follicles (hair loss and grey hair), weight loss, diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol reduction, heartburn, detoxing, acid reflux, colds, coughs, flu, arthritis, whitening teeth, and even that it prevents cancer!
Which of these purported benefits are based on scientific fact and which are pure fiction?
Some are legit (and impressive) but others are outright scams that can jeopardize your health.
In order to know the truth, you can’t get a quick answer from Snopes. You first need to understand the basic characteristics of ACV for everything else to make sense.
Since most kinds of vinegars are low calorie, people often assume they must be healthy. It turns out the opposite is true. They actually have the potential to be bad for you. Especially in high dosages.
We spent a couple days researching the pH and acid levels for all of the most commonly consumed vinegars. Surprisingly, this is not data that is readily available from a source like Wikipedia or even several sources combined.
To get this info, especially for the less common types, you really have to scour over many sources ranging from online research papers to offline books, obscure websites, you name it. After doing all that, we’re happy to bring you this table.
ph levels & acidity for different types of vinegars
As you see, the apple cider is an outlier from most. But why is the higher pH better?
What is ph? It stands for potential of hydrogen. It’s a scale used to measure how many protons are in a solution.
Water has a pH of 7. That’s considered neutral, because it has a stable number of protons.
Acidic = too many protons
Basic = too few protons
Why does that affect your health? Because your cells need a neutral balance to survive.
For humans, the optimal blood pH is between 7.3 and 7.4. The further you go outside that tight range, the more your metabolic functions begin to malfunction and even stop working.
Many factors affect your pH and can turn it acidic (which is bad). Of course what you eat is a major culprit, but so is stress, sleep (or lack thereof), exercise, toxins, and other unhealthy lifestyle factors.
Your body is constantly battling to maintain its neutral pH. It can handle periodic episodes of acidity, but not the constant bombardment of a chronically unhealthy lifestyle.
Is vinegar bad for you?
If you follow an alkaline diet or simply want to reduce your acid-forming foods, is there a safe dosage to consume? Is using too much vinegar bad for your health?
Better yet, should you avoid vinegar altogether?
That’s a great question.
As you saw above, all of them are acidic. In fact here in the United States, you can’t even legally sell something and claim it’s a vinegar unless it has an acidity level of 4% or higher. Even the healthiest vinegars apple and coconut, those still have a pH of 5 (at best) which is far below a neutral pH of 7. What is apple cider vinegar good for in the human body?
If you follow an alkaline diet or simply want to reduce your acid-forming foods, is there a safe dosage to consume? Is using too much vinegar bad for your health?
Better yet, should you avoid vinegar altogether?
That’s a great question.
As you saw above, all of them are acidic. In fact here in the United States, you can’t even legally sell something and claim it’s a vinegar unless it has an acidity level of 4% or higher. Even the healthiest vinegars apple and coconut, those still have a pH of 5 (at best) which is far below a neutral pH of 7. What is apple cider vinegar good for in the human body?
Because even though it’s acidic, it has an alkalizing effect on you!
It’s not as simple as just consuming alkaline foods and avoiding those which are acidic.
Many acidic foods can actually have an alkalizing affect on your body, even though they’re acidic. Take a look at the pH values of some common foods below which are alkalizing to your body after they’re consumed (28).
pH values of selected vegetables, fruits, and grains which are alkalizing
Food
pH value
Cooked Kale
6.4 to 6.8
Wild Rice
6.0 to 6.4
Spinach
5.5 to 6.8
Tomatoes
4.2 to 4.9
Red Delicious Apples
3.9
Blueberries
3.7
Pineapple
3.3 to 5.2
Grapefruit
3.0 to 3.3
Regular Apple Cider (not vinegar, but that’s alkalizing too)
2.9 to 3.3
Lemon Juice
2.3
Lemons
2.2 to 2.4
With many of those, especially the citrus fruits like grapefruit and pure lemon juice, most people would probably assume they would be terrible for those following an alkalizing diet, but it’s actually the opposite… they’re good for you because despite being acidic, they alkalize in your body!
How does apple cider vinegar alkalize the body?
ACV, in addition to the vast majority of fruits and vegetables, are indeed very acidic substances when you consume them. However once they’re inside your body and you metabolize them, they promote alkalinity. This is due to the metabolic and chemical processes which take place to break down and digest them.
This is definitely NOT alkalizing food!
For the most part, this is only the case with plant matter. Like vegetables, the vast majority of animal products also have acidic pH values to begin with too. However unlike vegetables, their affect in the body is acidifying instead of alkalizing.
Those are pH values comparable to some of the plants in the table above, right? Yep. But in order to digest them, the metabolic processes are quite different. Plants have fiber, their cells have walls, animals have neither of those characteristics.
Is ACV healthier than other vinegars?
This, my friend, is what makes the substance so special.
Compare the pH value of apple cider vinegar vs. white wine, red wine, balsamic, and the other common varieties… you would think they would all behave in a similar manner, right? That’s not the case.
Similar pH values, different outcomes.
With the exception of coconut sap vinegar (i.e. Coconut Secrets brand of vinegar) all of the others have an acid-forming effect once they’re metabolized.
So not only are they acidic, but they trigger the creation of even more acid when you digest them! That means you can categorize the other vinegars with butter, beef, and other acid-forming foods.
So what happens over the long term when your body is too acidic?
Chronic metabolic acidosis and its side effects
This is a condition where there is too much acid in your bodily fluids (12).
Depending on severity, this can affect your vital organs (cardiovascular system, kidneys, liver, pancreas, insulin levels) and many other parts of your body.
There is a large amount of research which suggests an acidic environment promotes tumor growth. Some research gets quite specific for certain types, such as the study “Acidosis promotes invasiveness of breast cancer cells through ROS-AKT-NF-kB pathway” which looks at signaling events believed to be occurring specifically for cancer cells of the breast (13). For when the acidosis is diet induced, its link to cancer is possible but not conclusive (14).
However that research does not warrant the unfounded claims by some that apple cider vinegar is a cancer prevention method or treatment. Contrary to what some blogs erroneously claim, there are no medical studies which have evaluated ACV – neither in diet nor as a supplement – for cancer treatment or preventing it. If you’ve read advice that it is a cure or preventive method, that is simply not true. It’s dangerous for people to spread lies like that.
To be clear, all of the diseases discussed here can happen within an optimal pH environment, too. What most research suggests is that there is an increased risk for some diseases when acidosis is present, because the cells are not functioning as they should. Resulting side effects may include…
1. Insulin resistance and its cascading effects
Even in healthy humans, the “slightest degree” of acidosis causes insulin resistance (15). The same source cites the modern Western diet as producing “a lifetime acidotic state” and goes on to discuss the cascading effect this has on contributing to type 2 diabetes, kidney failure, cardiovascular risk and more. Diabetic patients in particular are called out because they “consume particularly acidogenic diets.”
Regarding cardiovascular risk, animal studies have suggested that acute (or temporary) acidosis will affect the cardiovascular system the most severely. Though chronic (or long term) acidosis does not seem to have a major effect on cardiovascular (16). See #3 below for what chronic acidosis is said to affects the most.
2. Skin rashes and eczema, but no proof for acne
When the very elderly have dermatitis and other skin diseases, it’s hard telling what caused it (cell mutations, long term UV damage, etc). But how about when it’s a 6 year-old boy?
A medical paper from 2012 looked at a 6 year-old Vietnamese boy who “presented with recurrent episodes of severe metabolic acidosis precipitated by intercurrent illnesses” (17).
In this case the acidosis was apparently triggered by a gene mutation which prevented biotin (vitamin B7) metabolism. Fortunately it was “highly treatable” by giving him biotin supplements. Before that, while he had the acidosis, he had extensive skin rashes throughout his body.
That evidence suggests that even in young people, acidosis can be bad for your skin.
Can metabolic acidosis cause acne? Since the human body can respond to acidosis any number of different ways, it’s not inconceivable that pimples may be a possible side effect. That being said, we have not been able to locate any reputable medical studies which specifically link the two.
Does apple cider vinegar help with acne? Well if there is no solid evidence linking acidosis + acne, then it’s highly misleading to add another step in the equation of the vinegar possibly benefiting acidosis, which then benefits acne.
Conclusion? Any uses of ACV acne treatment or cures have not been backed by science, therefore we can definitely place those in the myth category.
With that caveat in mind, what we do know is that metabolic acidosis can affect growth hormones (18). Surprisingly, the fields of science and medicine still don’t know for sure the exact conditions which trigger acne.
However it is strongly suspected the hormonal levels play a part, at least in some situations of the disease (19).
Insulin levels are known to affect hormone levels (20). For that reason, it is possible that perhaps acidosis has some connection with acne vulgaris, since it is confirmed that acidosis can affect hormones. But again we stress, no research yet validates that and we are strongly against giving people false hope for anything.
As having experienced severe acne as teens ourselves, we know what it’s like to suffer and how we were willing to try anything and everything – from OTC treatments to dangerous Accutane – yet nothing really worked. Please don’t let people mislead you into believing using vinegar is a cure for acne because nothing validates that alleged health benefit, at least not as of today.
3. Bone diseases and muscle degradation
Research has suggested that a chronic condition of living with acidosis has the most profound affects on your musculoskeletal system (16). It can contribute to or worsen pre-existing bone diseases.
That brings us to what first appears to be a completely unrelated study…
Researchers from the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Metabolic Bone Diseases, the University of Sheffield Medical School, the International Osteoporosis Foundation, and Oxford University put together the incidence and probability of hip fractures worldwide, as published in the September 2012 issue of Osteoporosis International (21).
If “milk does a body good” as the dairy industry says, and if more calcium = stronger bones, then why, as the study says, do “countries with the higher calcium intakes have the greater hip fracture risk.“
Look at China in green, where dairy and meat have been rare in their diet due to unaffordability as well as preferences. Though that is now changing with the upper middle class, since new found wealth has led to increasingly Westernized diets. Likewise for India.
Is our thinking about osteoporosis being caused by too little calcium wrong? Is something else contributing?
An increasing number of prominent minds in nutrition and science have suggested that our modern Westernized diets likely have something to do with it.
In the Western diet we overdose on acid forming foods, such as meats, dairy, and processed foods. On the other hand, fresh vegetables are alkalizing. This may be one reason why studies have shown that people who eat no meat or diary (or very little of it) tend to have a pH which is more alkaline. Despite the fact that these plant-based dieters may have lower calcium intake, they still have a bone mineral density (BMD) comparable to omnivores (22) (23) (24).
It’s been theorized that that their lower acid load promotes bone health (25) (26). For a couple decades now, there has been quite a bit of research which suggests that those on plant-based diets actually have lower rates of osteoporosis than the general public, which of course goes against the grain of what most people believe (27).
In conclusion, no one can claim with 100% confidence exactly why acidosis contributes to osteoporosis and other diseases of the musculoskeletal system, but the theory that an alkaline diet may benefit them – although unproven – is at least a promising idea for sure.
4. Varicose veins study
With all that said, it is true that people are using it for some topical purposes without being harmed in the process (45).
Published in 2016, it doesn’t sound like this study was evaluating or even suggesting that ACV could help with the appearance of spider and varicose veins. Rather, it was whether or not it could benefit the side effects, symptoms, and “social appearance anxiety” which accompanied the varicose vein treatments that were administered by their doctors. The conclusion was that the ACV “increased the positive effects of conservative treatment.”
This isn’t anything to get excited about in our opinion, since it was evaluating whether the vinegar harmed them when applied topically (apparently it didn’t). It was not claiming or suggesting that ACV was a varicose vein treatment.
What does the mother mean?
Okay, so even if ACV is alkalizing to the body, the same can be said about a plethora of fruits and vegetables, too.
Healthwise, if that’s all it’s good for, then it’s not any more exciting than eating a spinach salad.
Guess what… it does more than just alkalize.
What is the mother in organic apple cider vinegar like Braggs raw and unfiltered?
The mother of vinegar, as it is called, is naturally formed during the fermentation process. It’s cobweb-like strands of enzymes and good bacteria. Rather than take this out, products like Braggs leave it in the bottle.
Admittedly, this photo makes it look gross, but that’s only because we’re trying to show you an extreme example of what the mother looks like. What you get in a bottle of Braggs is mixed and broken apart. Until you get to the very bottom of the bottle – like the last 2% of liquid in it – you’re not going to see something that pronounced and even then, it will not be in actual distinct pieces.
Is the mother a form of probiotics? Are they alive? Since it’s unpasteurized, it’s possible there are digestive health benefits of apple cider vinegar from probiotics. Many have claimed the mother is living but without actual test results to verify how much – if any – was alive, we never felt comfortable making that same claim.
What probiotics look like on your intestinal wall
Finally in 2016, a study was published which confirmed they are living (29). The following 5 kinds of good bacteria (probiotics) were found in the tests:
acetobacter
lactobacillus
oenococcus
komagataeibacter
gluconobacter
We stress that still does not tell us exactly how much is surviving by the time you get the bottle. It could be a lot or very little. But guess what? The biggest benefit for your GI tract may have nothing to do with whether or not you’re getting probiotics from the ACV.
Digestive uses and benefits
What we find more exciting is the prebiotic characteristics of this vinegar. That means it acts as a fertilizer for the good bacteria (probiotics) which are already in your gut.
For their barrels, Bragg’s says they use “Douglas fir/redwood barrels as well as stainless steel.” The latter is not ideal, but wooden barrels boost fermentation and therefore, more probiotic and prebiotic properties.
Scientifically speaking, prebiotics make a lot more sense than probiotic supplements.
Why? Because unless you are buying refrigerated probiotics, the spores you get are from gel capsules which sit inside room temperature bottles (for who knows how long) may or may not be alive. Plus, they’re meant to colonize after your stomach acid further down the tract, not before! When you take them as a supplement, the capsule dissolves in your stomach and who knows how much survives past the stomach’s hydrochloric acid, which can have a pH as low as 1.5.
Its prebiotic – pectin – is likely why ACV benefits digestive problems and issues as so many claim. In the colon and large intestine, probiotics feed on the pectin. During that fermentation process, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are produced such as acetate, propionate, and butyrate (30). Research has suggested those SCFAs “exert multiple beneficial effects on various aspects of mammalian energy metabolism” (31).
Reduced appetite symptoms and SCFAs (such as from pectin) are frequently discussed together (32). It is said to slow your absorption of glucose by trapping carbohydrates and hence, they take longer to digest. Studies as far back as the 80’s have suggested this; “Pectin supplementation caused a significant prolongation of gastric emptying half-time of both liquid and solid meals” (33).
It has also been demonstrated that pectin will bind to cholesterol, which leads to reduced absorption of it from dietary sources (34).
Two good reasons to use it
Given all the poorly researched posts and fake news out there about this, it’s not easy for a consumer to decipher between the myths and reality.
The list of debunked ACV claims is a mile long. Not all, but many of the benefits hyped are exaggerated, misleading, and even dangerous to tell people. For example, those claiming apple cider vinegar can cure cancer are spreading a lie. At least as of today, there is no scientific validation for that claim whatsoever.
Bragg’s brand has a loyal celebrity following which reportedly includes Madonna, Demi Moore, Fergie, Miranda Kerr, Scarlett Johansson, Heidi Klum, and especially Katy Perry who even before she was famous, was long time friends with company matriarch Patricia Bragg (they both come from Santa Barbara). Image credit: Braggs
But don’t mistake our realism with lack of enthusiasm.
There are two very good reasons for supplementing with apple cider vinegar… the fact that it is alkalizing and its pectin content. Neither of these benefits are unique to it, but that doesn’t change the fact it’s an excellent zero calorie way to get them.
If anything, it’s these two factors which likely are what’s responsible for the many health benefits suspected.
It is also possible, though not proven, that ACV might provide a unique delivery vehicle of getting these nutrients into your body, which offers other synergistic health effects that otherwise wouldn’t be realized.
Personally, we love Braggs and use it almost everyday. We do notice a difference in our own digestion on days we use it versus those we don’t; reduced gas and bloating. We’re not making the claim that it is a remedy for gas, just reporting on our personal experience from using it. Almost daily, Braggs is a core ingredient in the salad at lunch.
Being a liquid, you can easily add it to many foods. Or you can even drink it by diluting 1 or 2 tablespoons in an 8+ ounce glass of water. The Braggs bottles sold at the grocery store are rather expensive on a per serving basis, so hardcore users will save money if they buy it by the gallon on Amazon.
As far as the research and studies done specifically on apple cider vinegar, there are only a couple dozen and very few of them are evaluating it in relation to a disease or condition. Many of the papers are looking at chemical properties and things of that nature. This is why the health benefits which people claim about the vinegar specifically are often times misleading. They are taking findings on acidosis and pectin, then reporting them as if they were studied for or specific to ACV, when they usually aren’t.
As far as the studies to date which are specific to ACV, here’s a review of the ones we have found to be most intriguing.
Insecticide levels in cider vinegar
How much pesticides are in vinegar? Is there a difference in buying organic vs. non organic apple cider vinegar?
That has nothing to do with whether the product is pasteurized or raw. It only means whether you are buying vinegar made from non-organic apples or organic apples. Are the benefits of the latter worth paying more for?
This study, dating way back to 1982, evaluated how much parathion (a potent insecticide) would be found in the product after one full year (39).
To start, the apple juice had 22 ppm (ug/g) of parathion.
After 12 days of fermentation, the cider had 7.4 ppm.
After 56 days (prior to bottling) it contained 2.2 ppm.
After 365 days, it contained about 1.5 ppm, or 6% of the original amount.
Conclusion? Whether you’re buying organic or non-organic, the good news is that the half-life of pesticides and insecticides means they will degrade over time. With fresh produce only a few days may have passed, but with processed products like vinegar and other condiments, the greater amount of time means more degradation of the chemicals.
Parathion, which goes by the trade name Folidol, is an older generation pesticide which is highly toxic to humans and even banned in 30+ countries today (though it’s still legal in the United States). Even with something as terrible as this chemical, you’re looking at a 94% reduction over the period of a year.
Is the 1.5 ppm in the non-organic sample perfect? No, however it certainly wouldn’t concern us enough to not consume it.
But that’s not the only reason conventional may be worse for you…
Organic vs. non organic affects bacteria
Given the short half-life of most pesticides, some organic foods are not worth buying if you’re on a budget.
However with this product, you have another reason to buy the USDA certified organic.
This liquid is made by the oxidation of ethanol to acetic acid. This process is initiated by the bacteria living on the surface of the fruit.
Until recently, it was assumed both organic and conventional had the same bacterial microbiota, and therefore, the final fermented product would be the same. Now we know otherwise.
In 2016, researchers at a university in Slovenia (yes, that’s where Melania Trump is from) published data showing differences (46). Only the organic contained the following species:
Acetobacter ghanensis – 12.5% of total bacteria
Komagataeibacter saccharivorans – 6.25%
The scientists concluded that:
“This study has demonstrated that the microbiota of the organic apple cider vinegar is more heterogeneous than that of conventional apple cider vinegar, which may influence the chemical composition and sensorial quality of vinegars.”
In other words, the compounds and phytonutrients created by the fermenting bacteria might differ between conventional vs. organic.
Cholesterol and blood sugar levels
While not human studies, there have been two studies which evaluated using ACV and its side effect on cholesterol and lipid profiles in rodents.
Remember these are animal – not human – studies and any findings are very preliminary.
The diabetic rat study
This study from 2008 compared the Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG) in both normal and induced-diebetic rats (40). Their diet consisted of normal food (for rats, anyway) along with apple cider vinegar, which represented 6% of the food intake by weight. They were monitored for 4 weeks.
The results?
For the diabetic group the fasting blood glucose didn’t change, but the glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) decreased “significantly.” Why that matters is because higher levels of HbA1c causes a body to have less control over blood glucose levels (41). The diabetic rats also experienced lower triglycerides (TG), lower LDL/bad cholesterol, and higher HDL/good cholesterol.
The normal rats didn’t have their HbA1c affected (probably because it was healthy to begin with) but they still experienced lower LDL cholesterol and higher HDL cholesterol, which are both positive benefits of course.
The high cholesterol rat study
Conducted in 2011, this study focused on blood lipids (42). It’s similar to the one above in the sense that rats with unhealthy diets were being supplemented with ACV. But that’s where the similarities stop.
First of all, the control group was not administered any cider vinegar. All other groups of rats were, but rather than eating it in their diet, they were force fed it using an oral gavage (which is basically a hybrid of a syringe and a dropper, for administration through the mouth).
However the biggest difference is that these rats were fed a high cholesterol diet and as a result, they had hepatic steatosis (fatty liver disease).
With the exception of the control group, all of the rats experienced decreased triglyceride levels and LDL levels, while increasing HDL levels. Their fatty liver disease also benefited.
Antifungal properties
Those on a candida diet are already quite familiar with the yeast-like fungus Candida albicans.
Normally, it’s harmless and is believed to be found in the gastrointestinal tracts of over 70% of the population. In the United States, 30 to 35% of young adults test positive for it in the membrane-lined cavity behind the nose and mouth (the pharynx) which can cause oral candidiasis, which is more commonly known as thrush.
The problems from candida stems from overgrowth which occurs in some people. It is believed that up to 75% of women experience vaginal candidiasis at some point in their lives and about 40 to 50% will experience more than one episode. 6.9 per 1,000 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients suffer from candidemia, making it the 4th most prevalent bloodstream infection in the country (35).
For those who are susceptible to overgrowth, they often often follow a candida diet. It is a low sugar diet that minimizes fruit and other forms of carbohydrates/sugars (36).
Regarding the consumption of yeast and fermented foods/drinks, there are differing schools of thought. Some believe fermented foods are rich in lactic acid which can benefit candida overgrowth. Others say that there are good fermented foods and bad fermented foods. Whatever camp you fall into, is apple cider vinegar good for a candida diet?
A study published in 2015 looked at the antifungal activity of ACV on candida (37). Specifically, it evaluated the in vitro effects it had on denture stomatitis – symptoms of inflammation and redness under a denture – which can be triggered by candida.
Those findings may offer some justification as to what many nutritionists and followers of alternative medicine have been saying for years; that ACV is good for candida (38). In fact, many believe it’s the only one to have and the other types such as white wine, red wine, and balsamic vinegars are bad for candida. In addition to dietary consumption, you will hear many of those same people allege that cider vinegar can cure vaginal yeast infections when used as a douche.
Side effects of ACV
Not everything reported is peaches and cream. Is apple cider vinegar bad for you? These two pieces of research point out some ugly side effects which can result.
Erosion of tooth enamel
The 15 year old’s front teeth with severe erosion of the buccal surfaces
Reported in Dutch (so we had to translate), this 2012 article reviewed the medical history of a 15 year old Moroccan girl who experienced loss of enamel and erosion of her teeth. It was concluded that the cause was from drinking apple cider vinegar daily (43). It was unclear whether the acidity was reduced by diluting it in water or if she just drank the vinegar straight.
This is something to keep in mind for those who supplement with it in the form of a drink. Those doing vinegar shots may want to reconsider that use of it. Perhaps worst of all, there are many ACV teeth whitening reviews and tips online which might actually be dangerous… any “whitening” effect experienced may be your enamel being eroded permanently!
Unhealthy weight loss
Why was a 15 year old girl drinking this stuff in the first place?! That same paper discusses the reason why.
In Morocco and and other North African cultures, women have been using apple cider vinegar for weight loss and dieting “for generations.” It also talks about men who are into bodybuilding using it for that same reason.
Using it in concentrated and high dosage forms as a dieting technique may not be healthy or safe, as this example of harming your teeth is case in point!
Then there are the people combining it with diet pills. What clinical data is there to verify that doing so is safe?
We saw this advertorial for Muscle X and apple cider vinegar:
Look at the URL and logo. The webpage looks like it’s Fox News, but it’s actually a subdomain. In layman’s terms, that website is celebrity-body and not foxnews.com.
That so-called review of Muscle X Tst 1700 is only one example. There are other supplements being sold with fake CNN pages about adding dried vinegar powder to things like CLA safflower oil and garcinia. Some tout alleged reviews and testimonials from Harvard and Stanford students.
Sorry, contrary to what you may see, Anderson Cooper is not peddling pills on a CNN “special report.”
Then there are other supplements which are not doing those fake news websites. But you still read about people combining Test Boost Elite or Alpha X Boost and ACV, which are purported testosterone boosters. Or using it with diet pills like Slim Fit 180, Exceptional Garcinia, and Supreme Garcina. Green tea pills and cayenne capsules are other examples. Have any of these combos been proven effective and safe for your health… or your wallet?
Since it contains natural alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs), you will fine many people online who use it as a skin exfoliant.
Many are hoping this exfoliation helps firm skin and prevent face wrinkles.
Some say it’s good for exfoliating the scalp, which can help with dandruff and itchiness.
We discussed how dietary consumption of apple cider vinegar will not help acne. Some people believe though it can help prevent and treat pimples when applied topically to the skin.
Some use it for hair care purposes, ranging from simple rinses to homemade masks and toners. We even saw sources which claimed it was a “very effective treatment for hair loss” and having the ability to regrow it, yet offered absolutely zero evidence to back that claim (it was a spammy site, probably just trying to get ad clicks). Ditto for the claims about reversing gray hair.
The effectiveness for any hair or skin care treatment is unproven. None of the aforementioned benefits have been clinically studied.
Using something that is ineffective is bad enough, but using something that is ineffective and harmful is even worse. Many of these so called herbal remedies and forms of alternative medicine have the potential to be bad for your health.
Using the vinegar to remove freckles or warts may result in chemical burns of the skin, which have been notated in medical literature (47).
Mole and nevi removal risks
The internet is littered with “at home” guides and steps for how to remove moles or nevi with apple cider vinegar. Doing so is dangerous and this 2015 paper is a perfect example of why that is (44).
ACV mole removal results = chemical burn and scar!
A 14 year old girl had found an online instruction manual for how to chemically remove “ugly moles” using a “natural remedy.”
She applied drops of the vinegar as the instructions said and by the second day, was experiencing significant irritation. A couple days later the nevi “peeled off” and what she was left with were chemical burns. Her mom confiscated the vinegar and promptly brought her to a pediatric dermatology clinic to help.
Fortunately in this case, wearing an ointment for several weeks and the use of sunscreen to protect it from UV made it sound as if she fully recovered (the exact outcome was not explicitly stated). She is lucky because things could have been a lot worse, especially given the fragile nature of the cartilage in that area of the nose (alar wing). Her eyes could have accidentally been exposed to the acid, too.
Even though some people report positive mole removal results at home, any kind of self-administered treatment like this can result in devastating side effects. These “how to” instructions should not be attempted. Treatment of nevi and moles should only be done by a doctor.
What it boils down to
As a dietary supplement, there are apple cider vinegar benefits for health, but one needs to know what’s fact vs. myth. Don’t be misled by the bogus claims and unsafe treatment remedies associated with it. Instead, just enjoy it for the scientifically validated advantages it does offer you!
The diabetic rat study
