The wellness community has shown considerable interest in apple cider vinegar (ACV) products, including ACV gummies, tablets, and liquids. These products are often touted as a convenient way to obtain the potential benefits of ACV without having to drink the liquid. Keto gummies are supplements marketed to support a ketogenic diet, aiding in weight loss, energy, and metabolism.
What are Keto ACV Gummies?
Apple cider vinegar gummies are dietary supplements containing ACV concentrate and other ingredients like vitamins and fruit extracts. Apple cider vinegar is essentially fermented apple juice, where bacteria convert the alcohol into acetic acid. Keto gummies are made with exogenous ketones, ketones you get from an outside source.
They’re marketed as a way to help boost ketone levels in the blood. Medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil may provide a quick source of energy. 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.
Companies producing ACV gummies claim that consuming these supplements can support immune function, promote weight loss, and enhance the ability to regulate blood sugar. Similarly, keto gummies claim they help keep your body in ketosis.
The Ketogenic Diet and Ketosis
The ketogenic diet, also known as the keto diet, is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet intended to shift the body into a metabolic state called ketosis. 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. Once the body enters a state of ketosis, it begins producing ketones, which are then used for fuel.
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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.
Purported Benefits of Keto ACV Gummies
Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies
Though drinking ACV has been associated with several possible benefits, more research is needed to determine how ACV gummies may affect health. Claims that these supplements offer support with your blood sugar levels, weight loss goals, inflammation, detoxification, and energy levels remain unfounded. Any supposed health benefits of ACV gummies may come from the added vitamins and minerals in the supplement.
Blood Sugar Control: Some studies suggest potential benefits for people with diabetes who consume ACV. However, further analysis showed that the reduction in fasting blood sugar was only significant in participants with diabetes. 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.
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.
Weight Loss: A 2018 study suggests potential weight loss benefits for people who consume at least 1 ounce (30 ml) of organic liquid ACV - not ACV gummies. 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.
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Other Health Claims: Claims that ACV gummies help your body detox or boost your immunity remain unfounded. Many ACV gummies advertise that added fruit extracts provide significant antioxidant effects. However, most ACV gummies contain trace amounts of these ingredients - likely too low to offer you any health benefits. Some studies show that taking beetroot and pomegranate juices - ingredients in many ACV gummies - can help reduce markers of inflammation. However, to see any anti-inflammatory benefits, you would need to consume far more than the 40 microgram (mcg) dose provided by many ACV gummies.
Keto Gummies
With keto gummies, Czerwony says potential benefits include increase weight loss, improve athletic performance, and decrease your appetite.
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. 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.
Risks and Considerations
Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies
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.
Although there’s some evidence that drinking ACV may help reduce blood lipid levels and blood sugar levels in some people, these findings can’t be applied to ACV supplements or gummies.
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Apple cider vinegar can lower your potassium levels, wear away your tooth enamel, and upset your stomach if you take too much of it. If you are prone to cavities or you already have oral health issues, steer clear of ACV gummies and opt for a pill you can swallow instead.
Keto Gummies
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. 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, and it can dehydrate you as well.
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.
Dietary supplements are not approved for safety or efficacy by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and ingredients and their amounts may vary. 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.
Meta-Analysis of ACV Effects on Lipid Profiles and Glycemic Indicators
A systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effects of ACV consumption on lipid profiles and glycemic indicators. The analysis included nine studies with a total of 686 participants. The findings indicated that ACV consumption significantly decreased serum total cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose, and HbA1C concentrations.
- Lipid Profiles: ACV consumption significantly decreased serum total cholesterol (TC) concentrations. A trend toward a significant reduction in serum triacylglycerol (TG) levels was also seen following ACV consumption. Subgroup analyses revealed notable decreases in both TG and TC concentrations in studies conducted on type 2 diabetic patients, studies with an ACV dose of ≤15 mL/day, and studies with > 8-weeks of intervention.
- Glycemic Indicators: ACV consumption resulted in a significant reduction in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and HbA1C. Subgroup analysis revealed a significant reduction in FPG in studies recruited non-diabetics and studies with an intervention of > 8-weeks follow-up.
The meta-analysis suggested that ACV might have beneficial effects on lipid profiles and glycemic control, particularly in individuals with type 2 diabetes. However, it's important to note that these findings are based on studies using liquid ACV, and the effects of ACV gummies may differ.
Should You Try Keto ACV Gummies?
Before you hop on the keto gummy bandwagon, Czerwony suggests looking at your diet first if you’re struggling to stay in ketosis. 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.
It’s probably safe to take ACV gummies every day, but pay attention to the dose on your gummy bottle and don’t take more than the directions recommend. If you’re taking ACV gummies for a specific health issue such as weight loss, diabetes, or eczema, it might help to keep a journal of your symptoms during the time you take the supplement.