Shutterstock; Inset: Courtesy of Dr. Will Kirby
Should You Drink Apple Cider Vinegar? Breaking Down the Benefits
Welcome to your skin check-in with Life & Style’s resident health and beauty expert, Dr. Will Kirby, a celebrity dermatologist and Chief Medical Officer of LaserAway. Every week, he’ll be spilling his candid thoughts and professional advice on all things skin, beauty and wellness as it relates to you — and your favorite stars.
Immensely popular with the celebrity set, apple cider vinegar (also known as “ACV”) is all the rage these days. But it’s hardly new – Hippocrates, the famous Greek philosopher and father of modern medicine, used vinegar thousands of years ago! So why is ACV seeing a huge uptick in popularity recently? I reached out to industry tastemakers and influencers to get their candid thoughts on the health and beauty benefits of apple cider vinegar.
“Drinking my morning dose of apple cider vinegar helps prevent bloating,” says lifestyle expert Pamelyn Rocco. “By promoting good gut bacteria, ACV keeps me full longer and helps aid in weight loss. I never start my day without popping open a can.”
Plastic surgeon Gaurav Bharti adds, “Getting a gorgeous result from plastic surgery is much more than just the actual procedure. I recommend adding an apple cider vinegar drink as part of my patient’s recovery regiments. ACV, along with a healthy lifestyle, boosts immunity, promotes weight loss and improves the quality of the skin.”
There are other benefits as well. “The medical literature supports the fact that drinking apple cider vinegar can lower blood sugar,” explains dermatologist Dr. Deanne Mraz Robinson. “And by improving your glycemic index, the appearance of inflammatory acne may improve. So ACV has very real skin benefits for some people!”
Allison Ellsworth, founder of the prebiotic soda brand Poppi – which contain ACV – says, “Suffering from health issues myself, I began a relentless pursuit to find a remedy and discovered that apple cider vinegar could naturally detox my body improving everything from gut health to refining complexion.”
She adds, “After drinking it for two weeks, I felt so much better, but knew there had to be a way to make it taste better. Alas, I got mixing in my kitchen and nailed the delicious Poppi recipes we know and love today.”
Influencers like Skye Chandler are also fans. “Prebiotics are great for gut health and that apple cider vinegar is a great source of natural prebiotics,” she says. “But for a long time ACV options all tasted gross. Luckily that is no longer the case! A low calorie beverage infused with AVC is an ideal way to get the digestive health benefits – that’s what I drink!”
