Most People are Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar Wrong... Here's the Right Way to Do it
In a Nutshell
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) improves blood sugar control, fasting glucose, A1C, and modest weight loss in type 2 diabetes/metabolic syndrome via acetic acid, best at 15-30 ml/day diluted in 8-10 oz water, taken 10-20 minutes before carb-heavy meals (with visible "mother" in raw, unfiltered brands). Avoid straight shots to prevent enamel damage; it's a small lever within a broader protocol: test metabolic markers, cut glycemic carbs, build muscle (e.g., deep lunges/squats 3x/week), prioritize sleep/stress, then supplements/meds. Joint inflammation and heart risks tie to metabolic disease—address lifestyle first over isolated LDL focus, using nuanced markers like LP-PLA2 beyond CRP.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Most people try apple cider vinegar (ACV), don't see expected results, and quit. Common issues: unrealistic expectations from internet hype and taking it wrong. Video covers how to take ACV (morning, night, or otherwise), timing, quality factors like the mother, and personal methods. Dr. Brewer and Dr. Vega discuss evidence, mechanisms, dosage, and controversies like Bragg's.
People ask: what ACV does for body and metabolism, what's inside, timing, dosage, in food, mother, Bragg's controversy. Katy Perry and Bill Gates allegedly bought Bragg's, watered it down—controversy ongoing for years.
ACV does real things, but internet oversells it—it won't bring you back from the dead. Strongest evidence on blood sugar: 2025 meta-analysis of 25 clinical trials, 1,300 adults, showed significant reductions in fasting blood glucose and hemoglobin A1C (3-month blood sugar average). Effects most pronounced in type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome. Solid data on weight loss, as better blood sugar control prevents insulin spikes that block fat burning, leading to metabolic issues like dad bod. All studies show improvement at ~30 ml/day, some lipid benefits (cholesterol, triglycerides). Modest effects; ACV is a small lever atop larger metabolic program. Can't fix diet full of refined carbs (e.g., two bowls cereal + orange juice).
Acetic acid (active ingredient from fermentation) slows gastric emptying—delays carbs from stomach to small intestine to bloodstream, so glucose rises gradually, insulin controlled. Improves insulin sensitivity directly. Mechanism requires acetic acid in stomach before carbs arrive. Taking after carbs or first thing morning (then eat hour later) misses benefit—acid absorbed already. Bedtime without carbs following gives no metabolic benefit. Right protocol: 10-20 minutes before carb-containing meal. Key is before meals, especially carb-heavy ones like dinner. No benefit before low-carb meals (e.g., cheese, bacon breakfast).
1-2 tablespoons/day (15-30 ml) per trials. Start with 1 teaspoon in medium glass water, build to 1 tablespoon. Dilute: 8-10 oz water per tablespoon. Or use in salad dressing (e.g., with dark chocolate after). Avoid straight shots—damages tooth enamel, causes reflux/esophagitis. Salad dressing equivalent if comparable amount, eaten with meal; better tolerability.
15 ml rule: 15 ml, 15 minutes before meal; repeat 2x/day for 30 ml research dose.
Shoutouts: Deborah Rogers, Right to an ish, Can and again, Tracy Bradley, David C Black from Pludger bill, Daniel's rocks.
Q: ACV benefit with triglycerides/HDL ratio 1.0-1.5? Yes, improves metabolic biomarkers like weight, A1C, fasting glucose, trig/HDL.
Q: How much/day, when? 15 ml, 15 min before largest meal; repeat 2x.
Q: Cumulative effect with GLP-1s (e.g., Mounjaro microdose)? Supports metabolic management.
Mother: fermentation byproduct—bacteria creating acetic acid, apple cellulose fibers, enzymes, polyphenols. Modest benefits atop acetic acid; overpromised but no downside. Prefer ACV with visible mother (cloudy, unfiltered, raw, organic). Clear filtered vinegar strips these, loses probiotics/antioxidants.
Bragg's not ruined by buyout (Katy Perry, Bill Gates rumors unsupported by credible sources). Any good ACV works—look for: raw, unfiltered, mother visible, minimal ingredients (just apple cider vinegar). Darker brown/cloudy better.
Balsamic vinegar: High sugar—avoid despite no seed oils.
Pomegranate vinegar/juice: Acetic acid benefits (small studies on visceral fat); watch sugar. Strongest research on ACV.
Sauerkraut before meals: Fermented food benefits, but check ingredients (avoid cornstarch); less acetic acid.
Olive oil + ACV on coleslaw: Good—cabbage fiber, cruciferous cancer prevention.
Q: Eggs/avocado/lean turkey diet, still joint inflammation—ACV help (2 tsp/day)? Don't take undiluted spoonfuls—harsh on teeth/esophagus. ACV aids metabolic disease (top cause of inflammation, plaque, heart attack/stroke/blindness/kidney disease/Alzheimer's). Causes: genetics, age, lifestyle (focus here). Protocol approach: four...
Major components of addressing metabolic disease. First is understanding what's going on, including metabolic disease, its causes, and age. Can't change age, but address lifestyle-related issues to back it off.
Step 1: Understand It
Get the right testing to know how much of a problem you have.
Step 2: Lifestyle Changes
Push forward by changing lifestyle levers. Apple cider vinegar is one, but relatively small with small impact. Diet is most important; you cannot outrun a diet. Biggest issue is eating glycemic carbs (carbs not classified as cellulose or fiber).
Carnivore dieters may avoid fiber, but fiber is plant-based like apple cider vinegar. Speaker experiments with carnivore but returns to omnivore: starts with carnivore base, adds low-glycemic veggies like salads.
Even with perfect diet, other issues drive metabolic disease: aging insulin receptors. GLUT4 receptors in muscle membranes bypass ailing insulin receptors. Healthy, metabolically strong muscle is the best internal safety valve against metabolic disease—more important than apple cider vinegar.
Many tune diet 98-99% but neglect muscle work. Need discomfort and burn. Speaker does 3x/week: 1-minute deep lunge left side, 1-minute deep wall squat (femur parallel to floor)—creates burn, especially by third minute.
Other lifestyle components: stress, good sleep, body fat (especially visceral fat).
Steps 3 and 4: Supplements and Medications
Do these after lifestyle (diet dialed in for next 2-3 months). They cannot overcome poor lifestyle.
Focus on lifestyle first; always something to improve. For autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, low-carb diet is first step.
Joint inflammation may not be autoimmune. Crossover between joint and artery inflammation: improving pre-diabetes often improves joints. Evidence shows rheumatoid arthritis patients have heart attack/stroke risk like full diabetes patients. Address metabolic disease steps first for joint disease, then other sources.
NNT not always provided; e.g., low-dose statin recommended once plaque present, despite no NNT listed. Doctor is guide, not decision-maker. Patients who know details get healthy and stay healthy. Be transparent; spend time with patients. Doctors often lack time (15-minute visits) and system constraints.
Medications are step 4, bottom of interventions vs. immediate drugs for high cholesterol. NNT shows how many need treatment for one benefit; absolute risk reduction is raw numbers benefited. Even NNT of 50 (half benefit) is modest—add after lifestyle. Biggest mistake: rely on drug/supplement without lifestyle.
Standards committees (top doctors) say heart disease is multifactorial, lifestyle-related, not just cholesterol. But insurance, time, patient compliance issues lead to scripts over lifestyle.
Contact: 859-721-1414 or PrevMedHealth.com for lifestyle-focused care with Dr. Brewer (preventive medicine doctor licensed in all 50 states) and qualified health coaches.
12,000 FU nattokinase daily: with daily aspirin, probably yes (6-8k FU). With NOACs (Xarelto, Eliquis for atrial fib), avoid 12k FU—2-4k ok. Aspirin: media misrepresented USPSTF backing off age-based recs (baby aspirin for 60+/65+); speaker never did age-based, recommends low-dose if plaque (like low-dose statin if plaque).
Rosuvastatin: not for LDL level, but if plaque. Low dose: max 5mg/day; typically 5mg 2x/week (10-15mg/week total), like patient's 10mg/week.
ACV supplements (tablets, powders, gummies): liquid form best; evidence shows others don't blunt blood sugar spikes well (acetic acid key, hard in pill).
Natto (fermented) carbs not same as refined glycemic; test with CGM—speaker sees no impact. Not just carb amount, but blood sugar impact, duration of spike, resources to manage (high/low carb diet).
Choose nutrient-dense carbs (strawberry/raspberry with antioxidants/polyphenols) over naked carbs. Dampen spikes: add protein/fat/berberine/ACV before; workout after to direct glucose to muscles.
Everyone responds differently; test.
High LDL but normal C-reactive protein: common, especially lean mass hyper-responders (high LDL, no inflammation). LDL often rises with metabolic disease (correlation mistaken for causation). Diabetes rots arteries. 3/4 internists/cardiologists can't diagnose metabolic disease (per Hopkins studies).
One of the major purposes for this channel is to get information out so people can learn for themselves, take control of their own health, and start dealing with a problem that's missed 90% of the time.
Regarding the phrase from Jeffrey Epstein's doctor friend: "There's no ambiguity LDL causes heart disease." There's plenty of ambiguity there. There's no ambiguity that what Jeffrey Epstein used to do was wrong.
LDL does play a role. There's one inflammation marker tested for called LP-PLA2 (lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2), which is tightly correlated with LDL's role in inflammation.
- Some people have slightly elevated LDL and that marker is fine.
- Some have more elevated LDL, everything else looks fantastic, except for that one inflammation marker, which is not systemic inflammation but inflammation related to plaque.
That's the nuance discussed: LDL does play a role, but the big mistake happening every single day is just focusing on LDL, thinking that lowering LDL is going to solve the problem. It isn't.
Doctors have known the evidence has been out there that inflammation impacts heart attack risk and drives heart attack risk. Even a few years ago, Standard Cardiology Journal acknowledged it impacts it, but questioned what to do.
The obvious approach is lifestyle-related things that deal with this issue. Unfortunately, if income is generated by doing stents and other plumbing, options are limited.
Of doctors who recognize inflammation as a cause, or maybe the major cause, of heart attacks and strokes, the vast majority just look at CRP (C-reactive protein). But deeper markers like LP-PLA2 are discussed, especially with lean mass hyper-responders or people with high LDL levels.
One number does not make the whole pattern. Understand the pattern, gestalt, picture, rather than one value. Understand nuance, not just simplistic advice like "Hey, take apple cider vinegar. It's going to save your life."
Apple cider vinegar can help. We're not saying it doesn't—that's the whole point. We use it, but apple cider vinegar is part of a healthy lifestyle.
Basing interventions on one value alone is very limited. CRP is one inflammation marker used, but looking at a panel provides way more information. We can never say on a YouTube show that someone is okay with higher LDL and normal CRP because there's no patient-doctor relationship.
This was a good show with great participation—thank you.
Plan to post a video about signs of inflammation that you can see in your body, how they relate to heart attack, and how to find it—this Saturday at 11 a.m. Eastern.
Growing old is not for sissies, but it's a heck of a lot easier with healthy arteries.
Thank you.
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