Apple Cider Vinegar: Can It Improve Heart Health?

Being one of the most vital organs, the heart pumps blood and provides the oxygen and nutrients your body needs to survive. So, it's important to keep it as healthy as possible to avoid diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and hypertension.

The Center for Disease Control reports that more than 102 million Americans have levels of cholesterol that are above the healthy level. With the fear that fat and cholesterol can weaken the heart and pose a threat for strokes, can taking apple cider vinegar help? So far, the evidence is still small.

"A lot of Americans have high blood pressure," says Doctor Dennis Godby, a physician in natural approaches at the Sacramento Naturopathic Medical Center. "There has been evidence, especially in rats, that apple cider vinegar can reduce hypertension and high blood pressure."

According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 1-in-3 Americans have hypertension, which are blood pressure levels that are higher than normal and even though that humans are different from rats, this does show promise.

“In the limited evidence we have, apple cider vinegar can help improve your lipids of cholesterol,” says Medical Doctor and Endocrinologist, Jaiwant Rangi. “Cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease so once you improve on that, it can improve diabetes control and improve weight loss. All of which go positive for heart health.”

The high-density cholesterol in your body, or good cholesterol, removes bad cholesterol from your arteries and helps fight heart attacks and strokes. By consuming the vinegar, you're increasing bile production and helping support your liver, which are both very important for processing and creating good cholesterol.

So, if you’re worried about your heart or if you just want to be heart healthy, it might be worth a shot to take two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in 8 oz. of water. Just be sure to include a proper diet and exercise because the vinegar alone isn't enough to prove it can help.

Story Credit: http://www.abc10.com/news/local/apple-cider-vinegar-can-it-improve-heart-health/436168917