Effect of Cider Vinegar Consumption on Anthropometry and Body Composition Changes among Individuals with Metabolic Syndrome

Abstract

Cider vinegar is used to reduce abnormal metabolic conditions in the body. Previous studies have reported that consuming cider vinegar could be helpful in weight loss, decreasing body mass index as well as waist circumference, hip circumference and fat mass. This study was a single blind, parallel, randomized controlled clinical trial. This research aimed to study the effect of consuming various types of cider vinegar on anthropometric indices and body composition changes among individuals with metabolic syndrome. The participants were recruited via announcements placed on posters and social media networks. The duration of this study was 5 weeks that were divided into 2 time periods: a 1-week pre-intervention period and a 4-week intervention period. Four types of cider vinegar were tested: apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, coconut flower cider vinegar and coconut flower concentrate drink. In all, 40 participants were randomly allocated to 4 groups, including the control group which received apple cider vinegar and three experimental groups receiving rice vinegar, coconut flower cider vinegar and coconut flower concentrate drink. All groups consumed cider vinegar twice daily, 15 ml in each time by mixing with 100-200 ml of water before breakfast and dinner for 4 weeks. The participants who received coconut flower concentrate drink diluted it with 100 ml of water, while participants in the other groups diluted their cider vinegars with 200 ml of water. After consuming the diluted cider vinegars, participants consumed meals immediately to prevent acidity of the vinegars causing side effects. Measurements were taken at week 0 and week 4; waist circumference and hip circumference were determined using a measuring tape, and bioelectrical impedance analysis was used to determine muscle mass, fat mass, basal metabolic rate, weight, and body mass index. The paired sample t-test was used to analyze differences in anthropometric indices and body composition within each group, and one-way analysis of variance was used to analyze the difference in variables between groups. At the end of this intervention, 35 participants (87.5%) were included in data analysis. The majority of participants were female and their mean age was 49.5 years. Most of them had a bachelor degree and monthly income greater than 25,000 Thai baht. Moreover, most of them took oral antihypertensive drugs, lipid-lowering drugs, and oral diabetes drugs. The results of within-group comparisons revealed that apple cider vinegar significantly reduced waist circumference (p=0.045); rice vinegar significantly reduced hip circumference (p=0.003) and coconut flower cider vinegar significantly improved muscle mass (p=0.028) as well as basal metabolic rate (p=0.036). No significant improvement was found across all outcomes in the coconut flower concentrate drink group. The between-group comparisons showed no significant changes in all variables. In conclusion, consumption of cider vinegars could improve anthropometric indices and body composition among individuals with metabolic syndrome. However, people with a history of gastroesophageal reflux disease, peptic ulcer or gastritis should be careful about consuming cider vinegar as it could irritate the gastrointestinal tract. Future studies should have a larger sample size and longer study duration, as well as be conducted among people with other chronic diseases.