Is Acetic Acid (Apple Cider Vinegar) effective for weight loss?

There are no official guidelines to assist in answering this question. I will search for relevant research papers instead.

From the Research

Effectiveness of Acetic Acid for Weight Loss

• Acetic acid, found in apple cider vinegar, has been studied for its potential in weight management and reduction of body fat mass 1, 2.
• A 12-week randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study on Lebanese adolescents and young adults with overweight and obesity found that daily consumption of apple cider vinegar was associated with significant reductions in weight, body mass index, waist/hip circumferences, and body fat ratio 1.
• Another study on obese Japanese subjects found that vinegar intake reduced body weight, body fat mass, and serum triglyceride levels, suggesting that daily intake of vinegar might be useful in the prevention of metabolic syndrome by reducing obesity 2.

Mechanism of Action

• The mechanism of acetic acid in preventing obesity is still unclear, but it has been proposed that it may alter taurine conjugated bile acids metabolism, which has a protective effect on obesity 3.
• A study on mice found that acetate supplemented in a high-fat diet restored bile acids balance by promoting hepatic taurine conjugated bile acids synthesis and decreasing fecal bile acids excretion, which inhibited the intestinal-liver farnesoid X receptor (FXR)-fibroblast growth factor 15 (FGF15)-FGF receptor 4 (FGFR4) signaling pathway 3.

Safety and Efficacy

• The studies found that acetic acid consumption did not produce any significant risk factors or side effects 1, 2.
• The efficacy of acetic acid in weight loss was observed in both human and animal studies, suggesting that it may be a promising anti-obesity supplement 1, 2, 3.