the miracle of cider vinegar
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US
Cider vinegar can slow the progression of pre-diabetes to diabetes. It can also aid blood-sugar control in diabetes. This is useful, as high blood sugar encourages heart, eye and kidney disease.
Here is an example of some early research:
At Arizona State University, 21 people with diabetes or pre-diabetes drank water containing 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar before a carbohydrate breakfast. Vinegar increased insulin sensitivity by 34% in those with pre-diabetes and 19% in those with diabetes. Subjects were better able to get sugar from blood into cells and their blood-sugar and insulin levels improved. Indeed, blood-sugar levels were 25% lower in those with diabetes, and nearly 50% lower in those with pre-diabetes. (Diabetes Care, 2004).
One possible reason is that vinegar delays stomach emptying. Another is that its acetic acid deactivates the gut enzymes that convert sugars to
glucose. This would help prevent blood sugar rising too high or too quickily and so increasing the need for insulin.
Other studies suggest acetic acid helps normalise the release of sugar from the liver into the blood, as well as its production in the liver from non-carbohydrate sources.
Other acidic foods, including lemon juice, yoghurt and tradtionally made, slowly fermented bread, also discourage blood-sugar 'spikes' after meals. Indeed, some are as powerful as the oral diabetes drug metformin. Their frequent consumption is traditional in many countries and may help explain international differences in diabetes rates.
Action: it seems sensible for people with pre-diabetes or diabetes to add cider vinegar to their food (or drink 2 teaspoons of cider vinegar in a glass of water 3 times a day, with meals), or eat other fermented foods, or pickled products containing vinegar.
Cider vinegar can aid health in many ways - for example, it can help control diabetes:
THE MIRACLE OF CIDER VINEGAR (US - THE MIRACLE OF APPLE CIDER VINEGAR), by Dr Penny Stanway, explores the benefits of cider vinegar (apple cider vinegar) and apples for health, beauty and home-care. Its original recipes each contain cider vinegar or apples. It's available as a book and as an e-book.
Cider vinegar and skin acidity:
Cider vinegar is a beauty aid because its acidity of about 5 per ent helps maintain the skin's natural acidity. Most other vinegars are more acidic, so unsuitable for skin care. Our skin's protective surface (its hydrolipid film, or 'acid mantle') is normally slightly acidic, with an acid/alkaline balance (pH) of 4.5-5.75. (pH 7 is neutral; below is acidic, above is alkaline.) This acidity results from fatty acids in sebum (skin oil); lactic and amino acids from sweat; and amino and pyrrolidine caroxylic acids from hardening skin cells.
Normal skin acidity promotes healthy skin by activating enzymes that enable the production of lipids (oily fats). It also encourages skin repair. Water is then less able to escape (except in sweat). This keeps skin well moisturised, protecting against cracking and itching, defending against potentially harmful substances, and making it more resistant to infection.
However, most soaps reduce the skin's normal acidity. Eczema and other inflammation of the skin reduce it too.
Most soaps, even mild, glycerine or babycare ones, and beauty bars, have an alkaline pH of 7-9; some are even more alkaline. Washing with one of them destroys the skin’'s acidity, although healthy skin generally recovers within 30 minutes to two hours.
Only a very few bar soaps (including Cetaphil and Aquaderm) have a pH resembling that of normal skin. Many liquid soaps, non-soap cleansers and bath and shower gels have a pH closer to that of normal skin. A few (such as Johnsons pH 5.5 Hand Wash) have a pH similar to that of normal skin.
To help restore your skin'’s protective acid mantle after washing with soap, splash yourself with a rinse made by adding half a cup of cider vinegar to a 2 pint (1 litre) plastic jug of warm or cool water.