Apple cider vinegar (ACV) gummies have surged in popularity as a convenient way to potentially reap the benefits of ACV without the strong, acidic taste. These dietary supplements contain ACV concentrate alongside other ingredients such as vitamins and fruit extracts. Manufacturers of ACV gummies often claim that their products support immune function, promote weight loss, and enhance blood sugar regulation, contributing to their market appeal. However, it's essential to critically examine these claims and understand the science behind them.
What are ACV Keto Gummies?
ACV keto gummies are dietary supplements designed to provide the purported health benefits of apple cider vinegar in a palatable form. They combine ACV with ingredients suitable for a ketogenic diet. The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that forces the body to enter a metabolic state called ketosis, where it burns fat for energy instead of glucose. Keto gummies often contain exogenous ketones, which are ketones from an external source, intended to help maintain ketosis.
Claims vs. Reality: Examining the Supposed Benefits
Companies producing ACV gummies make various enticing claims, but many appear exaggerated or lack solid scientific backing.
Weight Loss Support
One of the most common promises is that these gummies aid in weight loss, linking this claim to the properties of apple cider vinegar and the ketogenic diet, suggesting that the combination can accelerate fat-burning and lead to rapid weight loss. A 2018 study suggests potential weight loss benefits for people who consume at least 1 ounce (30 ml) of organic liquid ACV. However, a 2020 review of 13 human and 12 animal studies concluded that there was not enough credible evidence to determine whether ACV has any beneficial effects on weight loss. More comprehensive research is needed before suggesting that ACV gummies offer any help in weight management.
Blood Sugar Regulation
Some manufacturers claim that ACV gummies can enhance your ability to regulate your blood sugar. However, further analysis showed that the reduction in fasting blood sugar was only significant in participants with diabetes. Additionally, taking ACV for more than 8 weeks may be necessary to see a meaningful benefit on blood sugar and total cholesterol levels. Interestingly, a small, randomized control study published in 2020 found that vinegar supplements do not have the same effect on blood sugar as liquid vinegar. The study showed that the liquid vinegar resulted in a 31% greater reduction in post-meal blood sugar compared with the control and whole vinegar tablets. Liquid vinegar also proved more effective than the vinegar tablets dissolved in water. All this suggests that ACV supplements don’t have the same effect on blood sugar as drinking ACV. There are no current studies investigating the effects of ACV gummies on blood sugar. Also, keep in mind that ACV gummies may often contain added sugar - which can impact your blood sugar levels.
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Detoxification and Immunity
Many ACV gummies advertise that added fruit extracts provide significant antioxidant effects and that they help your body detox or boost your immunity. However, most ACV gummies contain trace amounts of these ingredients - likely too low to offer you any health benefits.
Energy Levels and Overall Health
Claims that ACV gummies help your body detox or boost your immunity remain unfounded. Any supposed health benefits of ACV gummies may come from the added vitamins and minerals in the supplement. For example, if you’re low in vitamin B12 and consume B12 in the form of ACV gummies, this may help increase your body’s B12 levels. However, even though you need B12 and other B vitamins to stay energized and combat fatigue, you might be disappointed to discover that ACV gummies may not boost your energy as advertised. You’ll get similar or better results from taking a B complex vitamin every day. The same can be applied to the other vitamins and minerals that have been added to ACV gummies.
The Science Behind ACV and Keto Gummies
To understand the efficacy of ACV keto gummies, it’s crucial to look at the scientific evidence supporting the individual components: ACV and ketones.
Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
It’s true that some research has shown the potential benefits of apple cider vinegar (ACV). Some research done in rats suggests that apple cider vinegar may help lower blood sugar levels. For instance, a study published in The Journal of Diabetes Care found that consuming vinegar before a meal significantly reduced blood sugar spikes in people with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes (1). A study from 2009 found that participants who consumed a tablespoon of ACV daily experienced a smaller waist circumference, lower body weight, and less abdominal fat compared to the control group. According to a study in the Scientific Reports, apple cider vinegar showed antimicrobial activity against E. coli, S. aureus, and C. albicans (4). Remember, these are all based on apple cider vinegar in liquid form. Currently, there are no peer-reviewed studies that specifically investigate the potential health benefits of keto apple cider gummies. While there is some evidence suggesting that liquid ACV may offer health benefits, translating these findings to keto ACV gummies is a little premature. It’s also important to note that the weight loss observed in these studies is modest and requires further studies to back up the initial results.
The studied ACV doses ranged from 0.5 to 26 ounces (15-770 mL) per day. This is not comparable to taking common ACV gummy supplements containing 500 milligrams (mg) of ACV powder per gummy.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Ketones and Ketosis
The keto diet - a high-fat diet that keeps your body in a state of ketosis - has its perks. It can help your metabolism speed up, increase your muscle mass and improve your blood pressure - all while helping you lose fat. And it’s all thanks to ketosis, which is when your body uses ketones, a fatty acid, for energy instead of glucose. Keeping your body in ketosis can be hard - doing so includes eating a restricted list of foods like meat, eggs, nuts and fish and avoiding foods like fruit, sugar, beans and high-carb veggies. And that’s why you’ve probably seen information on keto pills, keto oil and keto powders - as well as keto gummies. These different products claim they help keep your body in ketosis. Keto gummies are made with exogenous ketones, which is a fancy term for ketones you get from an outside source.
“Your body makes ketones on its own through the foods you eat,” explains registered dietitian Beth Czerwony, RD, LD. “Keto gummies are a supplement that adds exogenous ketones into your body, which may help continue ketosis.” It’s important to note that keto gummies (or any keto supplement, for that matter) don’t put you in ketosis. “Keto gummies may help the process of ketosis continue, but you need to be in ketosis first,” clarifies Czerwony.
In general, the body uses carbohydrates for fuel, but when there aren’t sufficient amounts of carbohydrates, the body enters what’s known as “nutritional ketosis” and starts to break down fat for energy instead. “It typically takes a few days of strict carbohydrate restriction to enter this state,” explains Katie Schwartz, a registered dietitian based in Asheville, North Carolina. But once the body enters a state of ketosis, it begins producing ketones, which are then used for fuel. Keto gummies are supplements that resemble ordinary chewable vitamins but offer a different purported health benefit. “They’re marketed as a way to help boost ketone levels in the blood,” says Schwartz. Medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil may provide a quick source of energy, explains Rancourt. Exogenous ketones are produced outside of the body and consumed orally (as opposed to endogenous ketones that are produced inside the body). Exogenous ketones include ketone salts and ketone esters, which have different chemical structures and potencies, with esters considered more potent.
Research is sparse when it comes to determining whether keto gummies and supplements support losing weight. “There’s no credible evidence that keto gummies can reliably initiate or maintain ketosis,” says Schwartz. Noom's 5-minute quiz unlocks a weight loss program customized for you so you can manage your health and form habits that last. “These products are not evidence-based and often rely on misleading marketing,” says Schwartz. It’s important to note that being in ketosis, however, is generally considered safe. People with underlying health conditions like kidney disease or diabetes, people who are pregnant or nursing, children, or anyone on medications affecting blood sugar shouldn’t use keto gummies, notes Rancourt.
Ingredients Found in Keto Gummies
Most keto gummies typically contain medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), a type of saturated fat that help give your body energy, in addition to exogenous ketones. “Sometimes, keto gummies may contain gelatin or natural sweeteners like Stevia,” notes Czerwony. “It’s not like eating a traditional gummy. It’s not going to have any additional sugars because if it did, then it would throw you out of ketosis.” So, what should you look for in a keto gummy? “There are a lot of options available and they all seem comparable,” says Czerwony. “I would suggest opting for something that fits in your budget and buy a small batch at first to make sure you like it.”
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Potential Benefits of Keto Gummies
Do keto gummies work? There’s limited research on the benefits of keto gummies. “There aren’t any studies that have shown the long-term effects of keto gummies and if they’re beneficial,” states Czerwony. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Czerwony says potential benefits include:
- Increase weight loss.
- Improve athletic performance.
- Decrease your appetite.
But, again, whether keto gummies or other keto supplements can actually keep you in ketosis has been inconclusive, according to research. In fact, one study explains that supplements may increase the amount of ketones too much. Ideally, your body wants to maintain an even level of ketones. And when this happens, your liver may not produce as many ketones naturally, making it harder to stay in ketosis.
Potential Risks of Keto Gummies
Are keto gummies safe? Before you decide to try keto gummies, it’s also worth understanding the potential risks. Czerwony says those potential risks include:
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Gastrointestinal issues, like diarrhea.
- Low blood sugar.
“You run the risk of GI issues if your keto gummies use sorbitol, which is known as a laxative,” warns Czerwony. “You should be cautious if you’re going try it. Slowly introduce keto gummies to see how you do because you don’t want to all sudden just kind of overdo it and have those side effects and not be very happy.” And while some people with Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney issues may opt to go on the keto diet, Czerwony cautions against adding keto gummies to the mix. “The keto diet - and the addition of a keto supplement like gummies - can potentially lower your blood sugar, leading to hypoglycemic responses,” she says. “And it can dehydrate you as well.”
Brands and Marketing
Several brands have capitalized on the demand for keto-friendly ACV gummies.
- Goli Nutrition: Goli Nutrition offers keto-friendly ACV gummies that they claim are made with “the mother,” a combination of beneficial bacteria, yeast, and acetic acid. These gummies are also said to be vegan, gluten-free, and organic.
- WellPath: WellPath provides ACV gummies that are not only keto-friendly but also support a “detox cleanse”, according to the company.
- BUBS Naturals: BUBS Naturals is yet another option for ACV gummies. These also have vitamin B12, iodine, and folate as well as beetroot powder and pomegranate powder.
It’s essential to note that while these products may complement a healthy lifestyle, they are not a “miracle cure” for weight loss or other health conditions. There are other brands of ACV gummies that are far more sketchy, like the one that I reviewed that claimed to be on Shark Tank. While there are real possible benefits of having apple cider vinegar regularly, we don’t have any research to back that these benefits happen with a gummy supplement.
Should You Try Keto Gummies?
Before you hop on the keto gummy bandwagon, Czerwony suggests looking at your diet first if you’re struggling to stay in ketosis. “What is the reason that your body isn’t staying in ketosis? Are you overdoing it on carbohydrates? Is it because you’re getting bored? Is it because you’re still hungry?” Consider making the necessary tweaks to your keto diet so you’re getting enough calories or fiber. Doing so can be a healthier option instead of turning to keto gummies. “But if you’re following the keto diet, everything seems to be running fine and you want to see a boost to your weight loss, then I think you could certainly try keto gummies,” says Czerwony.
Alternatives to ACV Keto Gummies
There are other ways to incorporate apple cider vinegar, a super cost-effective way is by incorporating them into salad dressings!
If you want to build healthy eating habits without resorting to fad diets or supplements, download my ebook, The Balanced Basics Handbook.