GradedHealth

Does apple cider vinegar help you lose weight?

Apple cider vinegar trials show a small average weight loss at best: two other reviews found no BMI change, and one trial's data were questioned.

Published October 2026

Short answer

Evidence is limited. Apple cider vinegar may add a small weight loss at most; two large reviews found no BMI change and one trial's striking results were questioned. Evidence grade C (Limited). Meta-analyses of short trials disagree - one found a small weight effect while a 25-trial review and a 16-study review found no BMI change - and several trials had high risk of bias, so the evidence is limited.

Key takeaways

  • The 2025 review pooled ten trials with 789 adults and found a small average fall in body weight with apple cider vinegar over 4 to 12 weeks [1].
  • Two other reviews, one of 25 trials and one of 16 studies, found no significant change in BMI [2] [3].
  • One trial in the review reported about 7 kg of weight loss in 12 weeks; independent reviewers called its data improbable and its effects extreme [4].
  • In a 12-week trial, adults with obesity who drank 15 or 30 mL of vinegar daily lost more weight and visceral fat than the placebo group [5].
  • Vinegar is acidic: a case report links daily use to tooth erosion, and a safety trial recorded reflux and bowel symptoms [6] [7].

The short version

Apple cider vinegar is, at best, a small helper for weight loss. The newest review of ten short trials found a small average fall in body weight, but two other reviews found no change in BMI, and independent reviewers questioned the data behind one trial's reported results [1] [2] [3] [4]. Effects, where seen, appeared over 4 to 12 weeks in adults with overweight or type 2 diabetes [1].

What the studies show

The most focused review, published in 2025, pooled ten randomised trials with 789 adults who had overweight, obesity or type 2 diabetes. Participants took 5 to 30 mL of apple cider vinegar a day, as a drink or tablets, for 4 to 12 weeks [1]. Body weight fell slightly more than with control (standardised mean difference -0.39, 95% CI -0.63 to -0.15; on this scale -0.2 is a small difference and -0.5 a moderate one, and negative numbers favour vinegar), and BMI and waist size fell a little too [1]. The reviewers reported that the weight and BMI results held after removing trials with high risk of bias, but half of the trials had high risk of bias in blinding, and the funnel plots were not symmetrical, suggesting possible publication bias or small-study effects [1].

One of the ten trials reported about 7 kg of weight loss in 12 weeks in adolescents and young adults [4]. Independent reviewers described the reported data as improbable and the effects as extreme compared with earlier vinegar research [4]; the trial's authors replied that their statistical methods were appropriate [8].

Two other reviews found no weight effect: a 25-trial review of 1,320 adults found no significant change in BMI, even though fasting blood sugar, HbA1c and total cholesterol improved [2], and a 16-study review of 910 people taking 750 to 3,600 mg of acetic acid a day for about 8 weeks found no change in BMI or body fat percentage, though most studies had unclear or high risk of bias [3].

One positive result is older: in a double-blind trial in Japan, adults with obesity who drank 15 or 30 mL of vinegar daily for 12 weeks had lower body weight, BMI, visceral fat and waist size than those given a placebo drink [5]. Vinegar may work partly by helping meals feel more filling: in two small crossover studies, adding vinegar or acetic acid to a meal raised fullness ratings in the first two hours [9] [10].

The nuances

Trials mostly used 15 to 30 mL (about one to two tablespoons) a day, in water or capsules; in the 2025 review, only the 30 mL dose was linked to weight loss in subgroup analyses [1] [5]. Participants were adults with overweight, obesity or type 2 diabetes, and none of the trials lasted longer than 12 weeks [1].

The main risks are to teeth and stomach: a case report describes a 15-year-old who drank a glass of apple cider vinegar daily for weight loss and developed erosive tooth wear [6], and lab tests on extracted teeth found vinegar and apple cider caused the most demineralisation of nine acidic drinks [11]. In a 12-week safety trial of 27 people with type 2 diabetes, 50 to 56% of those taking vinegar drinks or pickles reported side effects such as burping, flatulence and acid reflux, against 11% of those taking vinegar pills; the difference was not statistically significant [7]. A 2020 safety review judged the risk small at usual amounts but called the evidence inadequate [12]. Vinegar also slowed stomach emptying in people with type 1 diabetes and gastroparesis, which the authors said could worsen blood sugar control [13]. Because vinegar lowers blood sugar, it could add to the effect of diabetes medicines [14].

What this means for you

Keep expectations modest: the average effect in the positive review was small, two reviews found none, and one trial's reported effects were called extreme and improbable [1] [2] [4]. No trial ran longer than 12 weeks, so the long-term picture is unknown [1]. If you take medicine for diabetes, ask a doctor before adding vinegar to your routine, since it lowers blood sugar [14]. The Apple Cider Vinegar page has the doses and the full safety list.

Go deeper

  • Apple Cider Vinegar — Apple cider vinegar lowers blood sugar in trials, most clearly fasting blood sugar and HbA1c in people with type 2 diabetes, with the fall ranging from about 8…

References

  1. Effect of Apple Cider Vinegar Intake on Body Composition in Humans with Type 2 Diabetes and/or Overweight: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.. Nutrients, 2025.
  2. The Effects of Apple Cider Vinegar on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Clinical Trials.. Curr Med Chem, 2025.
  3. Effect of Dietary Acetic Acid Supplementation on Plasma Glucose, Lipid Profiles, and Body Mass Index in Human Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.. J Acad Nutr Diet, 2021.
  4. Improbable data characteristics and extreme effects of apple cider vinegar on weight loss.. BMJ Nutr Prev Health, 2025.
  5. Vinegar intake reduces body weight, body fat mass, and serum triglyceride levels in obese Japanese subjects.. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem, 2009.
  6. [Unhealthy weight loss. Erosion by apple cider vinegar].. Ned Tijdschr Tandheelkd, 2012.
  7. A preliminary evaluation of the safety and tolerance of medicinally ingested vinegar in individuals with type 2 diabetes.. J Med Food, 2008.
  8. Comprehensive clarification of statistical and data concerns on the effects of apple cider vinegar on weight loss.. BMJ Nutr Prev Health, 2024.
  9. Vinegar supplementation lowers glucose and insulin responses and increases satiety after a bread meal in healthy subjects.. Eur J Clin Nutr, 2005.
  10. Additive postprandial blood glucose-attenuating and satiety-enhancing effect of cinnamon and acetic acid.. Nutr Res, 2009.
  11. Erosive Effect of Acidic Beverages and Dietary Preservatives on Extracted Human Teeth-An In Vitro Analysis.. Eur J Dent, 2022.
  12. Safety and side effects of apple vinegar intake and its effect on metabolic parameters and body weight: a systematic review.. Eur J Nutr, 2020.
  13. Effect of apple cider vinegar on delayed gastric emptying in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus: a pilot study.. BMC Gastroenterol, 2007.
  14. Effects of apple cider vinegar on glycemic control and insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes: A GRADE-assessed systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials.. Front Nutr, 2025.