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ACV and blood pressure!

canadacatman
canadacatman Posts: 224 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Has anyone ever used Apple Cider Vinegar to help lower their blood pressure. I see lots of good results online about it lower blood pressure but I thought I would ask the members here. Thanks

Replies

  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    This is one study that I found...rather lengthy...filled with big words...but you might find it useful.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1785201/

    TLDR...It seems to have some impact on rats but never tested on humans...the verdict is still out.
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    ACV is not the miracle all these sites make it out to be. Plus drinking that can damage your throat (think acid).
    Have you tried exercising and eating healthy foods? Reduce sodium intake and limit alcohol drastically.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,137 Member
    JanetYellen wrote: »
    ACV is not the miracle all these sites make it out to be. Plus drinking that can damage your throat (think acid).

    I'm not advocating drinking ACV for blood pressure control (but it can be nice in a salad dressing or as a substitute for malt vinegar on fries/chips), but if you decide to do so, you should dilute it in a glass of water. I think most of the websites, "diets," etc. that tout ACV do advise having it in water, but they don't always tell you that the acidity is the reason for that.

    The ACV on my shelf is 5% acidity, which I believe is standard. You can use 5% vinegar as a herbicide (weed killer), and can inadvertently kill insects and small animals through direct contact with the vinegar when doing so, so it's not something to drink straight.
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    edited January 2016
    If you actually have high blood pressure, things you should probably try first:

    1. If you're overweight or obese, lose weight. Weight loss can drop blood pressure by an average of 7 mmHg for those who lost over 11 lb (5 kg).

    2. Exercise more. Cardiovascular exercise can drop blood pressure by around 4-9 mmHg depending on intensity and frequency.

    3. Cut back on sodium and increase potassium. While people with normal blood pressure typically see no change based on sodium or potassium, those with high blood pressure can get another 2-8 mmHg improvement here.

    4. Moderate alcohol - one drink per day could lower blood pressure by 2-4 mmHg but more will increase it.

    5. The DASH diet can reduce hypertension by as much as 14 mmHg (although two big components, sodium and potassium, were already mentioned separately).

    For me, the first two were sufficient to bring me well into the normal range from borderline hypertension.
  • GaryODS
    GaryODS Posts: 1 Member
    The ACV on my shelf is 5% acidity, which I believe is standard. You can use 5% vinegar as a herbicide (weed killer), and can inadvertently kill insects and small animals through direct contact with the vinegar when doing so, so it's not something to drink straight.

    Salt kills weeds, some bugs - I don't about small animals, but I'm still using it when I'm cook ing.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,395 Member
    edited March 2023
    this thread is 7 years old Gary and ACV being touted as a wonder thing seems to have had its day now

    However principle with salt and ACV remains the same - just as you wouldnt drink ACV straight you wouldnt eat salt straight either.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,673 Member
    paperpudding wrote: »
    this thread is 7 years old Gary and ACV being touted as a wonder thing seems to have had its day now

    However principle with salt and ACV remains the same - just as you wouldnt drink ACV straight you wouldnt eat salt straight either.

    I would, actually, and have - both of those. Neither is a miracle cure for anything, though.

    Raw ACV (i.e., unpasteurized) is a probiotic food, and I think it's tasty. I have drunk it straight many times, though just an ounce or so. Salt? Well, salt is a weakness. I have occasionally eaten a bit of it straight, when I had a salty-things craving but was short on calories: Lesser of two evils, maybe, but probably not a great idea.

    Here's the thing about ACV: ACV at the standard commercial 5% acidity has a pH of about 3.3 to 3.5, which is very acidic.

    But some things that have a lower (more acidic) Ph, according to American Dental Association research from a while back:

    Gatorade Lemon-Lime (2.97)
    Vitamin Water Connect Black Cherry Lime (2.96)
    Ocean Spray Cran-Pomegranate (2.72) s
    Kool-Aid Grape (2.83)
    7-Up Cherry (2.98)
    Dr. Pepper (2.88)
    5-Hour Energy Berry (2.81)
    Arizona Iced Tea (2.85)

    The above are just a small number of selections from quite-long lists of what the ADA considered corrosive beverages; there are many others at similar pH. They don't taste as tart as ACV, because they're heavily sweetened.

    I'm not suggesting that ACV is not corrosive, or is totally benign/safe to drink, undiluted or otherwise. What I am trying to do is put it in perspective. On these threads, we often see warnings about the dangers of ACV, as if it were uniquely dangerous among commonly consumed drinks. I don't see a sound basis for believing that to be true. Further, many who drink a small amount undiluted will toss it back pretty quickly, while people drinking some of those other things will often sip on them all day, constantly bathing mouth/teeth/throat in acidic fluid.

    Cite for the ADA research:

    https://www.ada.org/en/~/media/ADA/Public Programs/Files/JADA_The pH of beverages in the United States

    Salt? Yeah, most people eat too much of that, possibly including me . . . although my blood pressure is fine.

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