Does apple cider vinegar clean arteries?

If you believe the stories written about apple cider vinegar, it is a miracle cure for just about anything that ails you, from curbing the appetite to detoxifying the body, boosting the immune system, treating arthritis, and improving circulation. That’s a tall order for a brew made from fermented apples. But there’s no evidence to back up most of these apple cider vinegar claims.

Acetic acid is the substance that gives vinegar its distinctive smell and sour taste. A synthetic cousin of acetic acid, called ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid (EDTA), attracts some dissolved metals. It is used in cases of lead, mercury, or iron poisoning to pull these metals out of the bloodstream. A dubious practice called chelation therapy involves repeated administration of EDTA. Chelation therapy is hyped as a way to clean out the arteries by dissolving cholesterol-filled plaque. This is based on wishful thinking, not science.

Apple cider vinegar is a terrific ingredient in foods, sauces, and dressings. It isn’t medicine. Taking too much apple cider vinegar can lower blood potassium levels and may not be suitable for your bones. If you choose to make a tablespoon or so a day, rinse out your mouth afterwards — straight apple cider vinegar can erode the enamel on your teeth.

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 essential 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 a 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 average, 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. “CholesterolCholesterol 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 goes 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 is 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.

Clogged arteries are a significant risk for coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease, angina and cardiac events. Alternative health practitioners say that it’s possible to unclog the arteries with vinegar. This functional food may improve blood lipids, but it’s by no means a cure-all.