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Apple cider vinegar

Supplement botanical / organic acid gutgeneral nutrition
Aka: ACV, Bragg, acetic acid
Brands seen in Singapore: California Gold Nutrition, Bragg, Natural Factors, NOW Foods, 21st Century
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
Meta-analysis: small drops in fasting glucose, cholesterol
Take with
Water or a beverage · how the trials delivered it
Studied for
Trials ran 30–90 days · glucose effect past 8 weeks
Pros & cons
Pros
  • 9 trials pooled: total cholesterol fell ~6 mg/dl
  • Fasting glucose and hba1c fell in the SAMe pool
  • Side effects reported in only 2 of the 9 trials
Cons
  • No effect on LDL, HDL, insulin or homa-ir
  • Heterogeneity high (i² 75–91%) — pooled result unstable
  • Fasting glucose rose in apparently healthy people
Sources
  1. The effect of apple cider vinegar on lipid profiles and glycemic parameters: systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs (Hadi et al., BMC Complement Med Ther 2021) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “ACV consumption significantly decreased serum total cholesterol (- 6.06 mg/dL), fasting plasma glucose (- 7.97 mg/dL), and HbA1C concentrations (- 0.50) … No significant effect … on serum LDL-C, HDL-C, fasting insulin concentrations, or HOMA-IR”
  2. Hadi et al. 2021 — subgroup findings (dose, duration, population) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “a significant reduction of serum TC and TG in a subgroup of patients with type 2 diabetes, those who took ≤15 mL/day of ACV, and those who consumed ACV for > 8-weeks”
  3. Hadi et al. 2021 — heterogeneity of the pooled estimates · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “fasting plasma glucose (- 7.97 mg/dL; 95% CI: - 13.74, - 2.21; I2: 75%), and HbA1C concentrations (- 0.50; 95% CI: - 0.90, - 0.09; I2: 91%)”
  4. Hadi et al. 2021 — effect in apparently healthy participants · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “ACV intake appeared to elicit an increase in FPG and HDL-C concentrations in apparently healthy participants”
  5. Hadi et al. 2021 — reported side effects (full text, Discussion) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “ACV appears to be a safe natural supplement … Only two studies had reported some side effects (such as stomach burning and ACV intolerance) following consumption of this supplement”
  6. Hadi et al. 2021 — doses and durations of the included trials (full text, Results) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “All trials were of parallel design and the duration of intervention ranged between 30 and 90 days. The dose of ACV varied from 15 to 770 mL/day”
  7. Hadi et al. 2021 — how ACV was administered (full text, Table 2) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Kondo et al. (2009) … Beverage 15 mL/day … Mahmoodi et al. (2013) … Water 15 mL/day … Participants in control groups were prescribed water/beverage”
  8. NIH ODS — Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss (Health Professional). Checked 27 Aug 26: apple cider vinegar / acetic acid is NOT covered by this or any ODS fact sheet · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “In some cases, evidence of their purported benefits consists of limited data from animal and laboratory studies, rather than data from human clinical trials”
  9. HSA — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in Health Supplements and Traditional Medicines, GL-CHPB-1-012 Rev 001 (Oct 2025) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The objective of this guideline is to highlight the substances of concern when used in HS and TM and is not meant to be an exhaustive list [apple cider vinegar / acetic acid not listed in Annex A or B]”
  10. iHerb Singapore — Weight Management > Apple Cider Vinegar category (default order) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “California Gold Nutrition, Apple Cider Vinegar, 60 Veggie Capsules … Bragg, Apple Cider Vinegar, 90 Capsules … Natural Factors, Fermented Apple Cider Vinegar … NOW Foods, Apple Cider Vinegar, 450 mg … 21st Century, Apple Cider Vinegar, 300 mg”
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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.