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Posted on February 26, 2013 By
Almost as long as there have been apples, there’s been apple cider vinegar – apples gone bad! Vinegar comes from a French word, meaning “sour wine”. It has been used for over 10,000 years as a condiment, a preservative, for flavoring, as a deodorant, as a youth tonic, and especially for healing purposes. Hippocrates writes of using apple cider vinegar to treat his patients.
Along with lemons, Columbus brought along apple cider vinegar to prevent scurvy. Apple cider vinegar has been used by warriors for strength and power, and during wars to disinfect and heal wounds. Most recently, apple cider vinegar has been found effective in increasing Insulin Sensitivity in Type 2 diabetics.
First, some background on diabetes, and a disclaimer: if you have blood sugar issues, please consult a physician immediately. Just be aware that, for Type 2 diabetics, there are alternatives to taking Insulin or other medication, but you need to be consistent and diligent.
Diabetes Type 1 is a latent auto-immune disease, and very little can be done to prevent it. However, Type 2 Diabetes is a disorder of the metabolism – the way that the body uses food energy – and it is largely a preventable condition, and considered a “lifestyle disorder”. Lack of physical activity and obesity are strongly associated with the development of Type 2 diabetes.
It’s not completely known what the mechanism is in apple cider vinegar that wards off diabetes symptoms, but apple cider vinegar is highly acidic; the main ingredient is acetic acid, which slows the digestion of starch. In a study in Diabetes Care – a journal of the , it was found that Apple Cider Vinegar improved Insulin Sensitivity to a high-carbohydrate meal in subjects with Insulin Resistance or Type 2 diabetes. In the study, there were three classifications of subjects: diabetics, pre-diabetics, and normal blood sugar individuals.
All 3 groups in the study had improved blood glucose readings after taking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar prior to two meals per day. The pre-diabetic group showed the strongest benefit from apple cider vinegar, with a 50% drop in blood glucose after each meal. The subjects already diagnosed with diabetes improved their blood glucose levels by 25% by following this procedure. The researchers concluded that organic apple cider vinegar was just as effective as metformin, a drug used to treat Type 2 diabetes. If you are not yet a Type 2 diabetic, this could help you considerably. There are limited studies regarding metformin and apple cider vinegar together; some physicians have recommended taking both, but several hours apart. Again, please consult your physician if you have diabetes symptoms prior to embarking on an alternative cure.
According to , there are 25.8 million people in the United States, or 8.3% of the population, who have Type 2 diabetes. In 2007, diabetes contributed to a total of 231,404 deaths in the United States.
On a personal level, diabetes affects almost everyone; on my husband’s side of the family, he is now the only one who does not have any diabetic or pre-diabetic symptoms. His doctor attributes this to regular exercise, maintaining his weight, giving up gluten and rice many years ago, and eating a balanced paleo diet with no processed sugar. I’m thankful he has taken care of himself, and hope, dear readers, that you will do the same for yourself and your loved ones. Apple cider vinegar plays a small role in preventing Type 2 diabetes, but every little bit helps!
Take two tablespoons of Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (Bragg is recommended) in an 8 ounce glass of water prior to two meals per day.
Clicking the button below will take you to a page where you can add a reminder to your calendar for Drink Apple Cider Vinegar. You must have a Simple Daily Change account to set up calendar reminders.
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