The 4 Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar for Digestion
Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits For Digestion Apple cider vinegar played an important role in the digestive process. Also, as apple cider vinegar delays the passage of food from the stomach to the small intestine, food is improved. This also prevents blood glucose levels from rising dramatically in diabetic patients .
Being antibacterial, apple cider vinegar can prevent all digestive disorders related to infection like diarrhea and inflammation of the lining of the large intestine. Drink 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar mixed in a glass of water with each meal to improve digestion.
The famous philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau once said that if happiness consists of a good bank account, a good cook and good digestion. We can’t really help you with the first two items, but we do have apple cider vinegar (ACV) which is recommended for good digestion.
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What Causes Digestive Disorders: The food you eat has to travel through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, breaking down nutrients along the way, aided by the various nutrient-specific enzymes contained in the digestive juices secreted by the stomach , pancreas, and liver. Your body absorbs all the nutrients, turns the rest of the food into waste matter in the large intestine, and eventually expels it.
A problem in any of these stages causes a digestive disorder. There can be mechanical problems with swallowing effectively or opening the sphincters in the gastrointestinal tract, which helps food pass easily through the tract. Digestive disorders can also be caused by intolerance to certain proteins or sugars in foods.
Stomach Emptying: Ideally, food should remain in the stomach long enough for it to be properly broken down by stomach enzymes before passing into the small intestine in a process known as gastric emptying.
While proteins are depleted faster, followed by carbohydrates, fats take longer. Intake of dietary fiber helps to significantly delay gastric emptying. Because the modern diet is too focused on protein and carbohydrates and not enough fiber.
Apple cider vinegar played an important role in the digestive process by delaying gastric emptying or inhibiting amylases, which are enzymes that break down carbohydrates.
The rate of gastric emptying also depends on receptors in the duodenum in the small intestine, which respond to physical aspects such as osmotic pressure and the chemical composition, such as acidity, of food that has passed from the stomach .
If food is the cause, receptors send signals to the stomach to slow gastric emptying. Therefore, the stronger the acid content of the meal, the longer the emptying delay.
Acetic acid, being a mild acid, maintains this optimal delay. The long delay causes other symptoms like acid reflux and bloating.
Reduces Post-Meal Blood Glucose Buildup: One study found that a couple of teaspoons of vinegar (10 g) during meals can reduce glucose buildup in your body by 20% after a complex carbohydrate meal 3, delaying gastric emptying.
This is good news for diabetic patients as it will help the body to slowly release sugar into the bloodstream. But with diabetic patients suffering from gastroparesis, a condition in which the gastric emptying process is delayed, it may not be helpful.
Prevents Bowel Inflammation: Sometimes, microbes in the gut can lead to repeated inflammation of the lining of the large intestine, a problem known as ulcerative colitis.
An animal study, more specifically in mice with ulcerative colitis, found that diluted vinegar suppressed inflammation-inducing proteins and also improved the bacterial composition of the gut, eliminating bad bacteria with its antibacterial property.
Prevents Diarrhea: In a recent study, the inhibiting actions of foodborne bacteria, including neuropathogenic, diarrhea-causing, were analyzed. The researchers found that acetic acid could render the bacteria inactive and kill them.
In addition, it is effective for preventing bacterial food poisoning. So, go ahead and drink an apple cider vinegar and water mixture during a meal, especially at restaurants or picnics where food preparation or storage may not be entirely hygienic.
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Dosage: To get the maximum benefit from apple cider vinegar to boost your digestion, it must be consumed in adequate amount. Remember not to over-dosage as it can have various side effects.
- Indigestion and Heartburn: Drink 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar mixed in a glass of water with each meal;
- Constipation: Drink 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar mixed in a glass of water after waking up in the morning, during the main meal of the day and before bedtime.
- Diarrhea: Drink 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar mixed in 275 ml of water 5-6 times a day;