Blood pressure and blood sugar have become major health hazards these days. Over the years, experts have come with many natural remedies for these two diseases. This article discusses about the most commonly asked question, can apple cider vinegar lower blood pressure and blood sugar?
Natural remedies are comparatively inexpensive, easily available and have no side effects if taken under expert supervision. Apple cider vinegar is one such naturally available food, which people use in their daily culinary, have been immensely helpful in controlling and lowering blood pressure and blood sugar.
Can Apple Cider Vinegar Lower Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar?
There are very few naturally available food stuffs that can be effectively helpful to lower blood pressure and blood sugar. Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is one such rare a natural product that can be used to control both the illnesses blood pressure and blood sugar quite effectively. In 100gm of apple cider vinegar just 0.4gm of sugar, and 0.9 gm of carbohydrate are present whereas 73 mg of potassium is present in the same weight of apple cider vinegar.
Let us explore more about how apple cider vinegar can lower blood pressure and blood sugar.
Apple Cider Vinegar to Lower Blood Pressure – High blood pressure is a severe condition which can even lead to heart and coronary problems. While high blood pressure is a serious problem that should be treated by a physician, vinegar can be used quite effectively as a natural agent to reduce hypertension. With extremely high content of potassium and powerful ability to balance body’s pH level, apple cider vinegar substantially controls blood pressure fluctuations. Thus, apple cider vinegar helps to lower blood pressure.
Apple Cider Vinegar to Lower Blood Sugar – Apple cider vinegar slows down the absorption of carbohydrate into the blood. This characteristic of apple cedar vinegar is more profound in diabetes patients than in normal human body. Thus, vinegar increases a person’s insulin sensitivity. Research has also proved that taking apple cedar vinegar at bedtime can reduce fasting sugar glucose in the morning thus it proves that vinegar promotes insulin production in pancreas. Apple cider vinegar helps in controlling diabetes as it can effectively lower blood sugar levels.
How to Use Apple Cider Vinegar to Lower Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar?
Apple cider vinegar can be used in different ways to lower blood pressure and blood sugar. It can be taken with water or in combination with other fruits and vegetables.
Here are some ways to take apple cider vinegar:
- For the beginners, 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar can be taken with a small cup of water every day. Once habituated, frequency of consuming this mixture can be increased slowly.
- Apple cider vinegar can strengthen metabolism process and pancreatic secretion if taken one hour before a meal. 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a cup of water before the meal is very effective in enhancing metabolism as also slowing down the assimilation of starch in the digestive system.
- Apple cider vinegar can also be taken with honey, iced tea or sliced cucumber etc.
Are There Any Side Effects of Using Apple Cider Vinegar to Lower Blood Pressure or Blood Sugar?
While apple cider vinegar is useful to lower blood pressure and blood sugar, it must be used properly. Excessive use of apple cider vinegar has some serious side effects which are as follows:
Corrosive Effect: High content of acetic acid in vinegar can damage tooth enamel, stomach lining and tissues in esophagus.
Effect on Bones: Excessive intake of apple cider vinegar can also lower bone mineral density. It happens due to presence of higher percentage of acetic acid that reacts with calcium thus decreasing bone thickness.
Adverse Effect on Drugs: As it is acidic in nature, apple cider vinegar can easily react with some drugs like insulin, laxatives, and diuretics. Hence, excessive consumption can result in low potassium levels or hypokalemia. Since it has a direct effect on insulin level, it may be hazardous when taken along with hypertension and blood sugar medications.
Gastrointestinal Problem: Due to the high acidic content of apple cider vinegar, it can cause heartburn, diarrhea, and indigestion. If it is used for detoxification, these side effects are very common. Experts opine that consumption of unrefined apple cider vinegar with a pH level of 5-7 can restrict these side effects.
Other Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
- Apple cider vinegar is undoubtedly helpful to lower blood pressure and blood sugar. But in addition to these, it has other health benefits too.
- Apple cider vinegar kills pathogens including harmful bacteria.
- It helps in lowering body weight.
- It can keep human heart in good condition by controlling the bad cholesterol levels.
- It offers good protection against rapid proliferation of cancer cells and it can reduce the volume of a tumor significantly.
- Apple cider vinegar helps in stopping hiccups.
- It also helps in relieving stomach troubles and soothes sore throat.
- Apple cider vinegar helps in clearing acne and getting rid of dandruff.
- Apple cider vinegar helps in boosting energy.
- It also helps in reducing night leg cramps and increases energy levels.
Conclusion
High blood pressure and high blood sugar bring several complications if not treated on time. For some patients that treatment may continue lifelong, while many others get relieved within a limited period. However, hypertension, diabetes and hypoglycemia can be controlled quite effectively through some regular natural remedies. Being one of the best natural remedies, apple cider vinegar can lower high blood pressure and blood sugar. It has several other health benefits if taken in controlled quantity regularly. Patients who are already under medication for hypertension and diabetes should consult with their doctors before taking apple cider vinegar.
Also Read:
