Apple Cider Health Benefits
Cider is unpasteurized, unfiltered juice from apple mash -- it contains the juice with sediment and pulp from the fruit. This differs from the apple juice that you buy in the store, which is filtered to remove sediment and pasteurized to improve shelf life. Apples are a healthy, nutritious food selection and cider offers a distinctive way to take advantage of some of the benefits.
Flavonoids
Flavonoids are antioxidants found in apples and also in the cider. Antioxidants help cells fight against free radical damage. Free radicals can occur naturally in the body or come from an environmental source, such as sunlight. Antioxidants, such as flavonoids, can neutralize free radicals before they have a chance to do damage. Flavonoids may also help fight chronic illness, such as cancer and heart disease. Silvina Lotito, P.h.D from the Linus Pauling Institute points out that the antioxidants found in apples and apple products can reduce risk of type 2 diabetes and thrombotic stroke, as well.
- Flavonoids are antioxidants found in apples and also in the cider.
- Antioxidants, such as flavonoids, can neutralize free radicals before they have a chance to do damage.
Fiber
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One advantage cider has over apple juice is the pulp. Apples are an excellent source of dietary fiber. You lose this benefit when you drink the juice, because the fiber is in the meaty part of the fruit. Cider offers pulp and sediment that will contain fiber. Drinking apple cider can help increase your daily dietary fiber intake to improve digestion and lower blood cholesterol. Fiber also helps you feel full and may suppress the appetite.
- One advantage cider has over apple juice is the pulp.
- Drinking apple cider can help increase your daily dietary fiber intake to improve digestion and lower blood cholesterol.
Fruit Serving
Apple cider offers some nutritional value; specifically, it is a high source of potassium. MyFitnessPal reports that one commercial apple cider contains 190 mg of potassium per serving. Total calories are around 120 per 8-oz. glass. This includes 15 mg of sodium, 26 g of sugar and 28 g of carbohydrates. Cider provides 4 percent of the recommended daily allowance for vitamin C and iron. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you eat between three and five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. A glass of cider would count as one serving.
- Apple cider offers some nutritional value; specifically, it is a high source of potassium.
- MyFitnessPal reports that one commercial apple cider contains 190 mg of potassium per serving.
Vinegar
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Some believe that apple cider vinegar can help control blood sugar and appetite, however these claims have not yet been thoroughly investigated. The vinegar is apple cider that has been allowed to ferment. It offers health benefits because of its nutrient profile, which includes iron and potassium. Consuming iron promotes red blood cell function, while potassium protects you from high blood pressure.
- Some believe that apple cider vinegar can help control blood sugar and appetite, however these claims have not yet been thoroughly investigated.
Related Articles
References
- Linus Pauling Institute; Why Apples are Healthful; Silvina Lotito, Ph.D. ; 2004
- "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry; Flavonoid and Hydroxycinnamate Profiles of English Apple Ciders; S.C. Marks, W. Mullen, A. Crozier; 2007
- MyFitnessPal: Calories in Langers Apple Cider
- Therapeutic Research Center. Apple Cider Vinegar. Professional Monograph. Updated 1/16/2020
- Kondo T, Kishi M, Fushimi T, Ugajin S, Kaga T. Vinegar intake reduces body weight, body fat mass, and serum triglyceride levels in obese Japanese subjects. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2009;73(8):1837-43. doi:10.1271/bbb.90231
- Khezri, S. S., Saidpour, A., Hosseinzadeh, N., & Amiri, Z. Beneficial effects of Apple Cider Vinegar on weight management, Visceral Adiposity Index and lipid profile in overweight or obese subjects receiving restricted calorie diet: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Functional Foods. 2018;43, 95–102. doi:10.1016/j.jff.2018.02.003
- Johnston CS, Gaas CA. Vinegar: medicinal uses and antiglycemic effect. MedGenMed. 2006;8(2):61. Published 2006 May 30.
- Gambon DL, Brand HS, Veerman EC. Unhealthy weight loss. Erosion by apple cider vinegar. Ned Tijdschr Tandheelkd. 2012;119(12):589-91. doi:10.5177/ntvt.2012.12.12192
- Lhotta K, Höfle G, Gasser R, Finkenstedt G. Hypokalemia, hyperreninemia and osteoporosis in a patient ingesting large amounts of cider vinegar. Nephron. 1998;80(2):242-3. doi:10.1159/000045180
- Johnston CS, Steplewska I, Long CA, Harris LN, Ryals RH. Examination of the antiglycemic properties of vinegar in healthy adults. Ann Nutr Metab. 2010;56(1):74-9. doi:10.1159/000272133
- National Institutes of Health. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Green Tea. Updated November 30, 2016
Writer Bio
Writing since 1999, Darla Ferrara is an award-winning author who specializes in health, diet, fitness and computer technology. She has been published in "Mezzo Magazine" and Diet Spotlight, as well as various online magazines. Ferrara studied biology and emergency medical technology at the University of Nebraska and Southeast Community College.