I've been telling people for years that this was bs and that if you feel better after taking apple cider vinegar that you should consult a Naturopath (i.e., something's wrong).
Posted on 09/24/2025 5:33:09 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Editor says it was "the wrong decision" to publish the study
A photo of bottles of apple cider vinegar on the shelf in a grocery store. A paper that touted the potential weight-loss properties of apple cider vinegar in people with overweight and obesity was pulled by its publisher Tuesday.
The trial was originally publishedopens in a new tab or window in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health in March 2024, but swirling concerns over the quality of the data prompted the retractionopens in a new tab or window.
Concerns included the researchers' approach to statistical analysis of the data, implausible statistical values, the reliability of the raw data, inadequate reporting of methods, and a lack of prospective trial registration, which was in breach of the BMJ Group's editorial policy.
"In hindsight, this was the wrong decision to make," said Martin Kohlmeier, MD, PhD, editor in chief of BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, in a press release. "But the authors come from a scientific environment that is underrepresented in nutritional research and the journal aims to prioritize high-quality evidence, which usually comes from clinical trials."
"These are relatively unusual in nutritional research as they can be challenging to undertake because of the numbers of participants and time needed to obtain meaningful results," he added.
Authors of the study, led by Rony Abou-Khalil, PhD, of Holy Spirit University of Kaslik in Jounieh, Lebanon, supplied their dataset to the BMJ Group upon request for a post-publication review, but the authors' analyses could not be replicated and multiple errors were identified, the BMJ Group said.
Critics even penned a letteropens in a new tab or window published in the journal earlier this year blasting the study, calling the findings "improbable" and "incongruent" with past researchopens in a new tab or window on apple cider vinegar.
"The authors supplied dataset also demonstrated patterns inconsistent with random allocation of participants to treatment groups, improbably small P-values given the limited number of participants included in the study," the retraction noted. "The authors state that the discrepancies were honest mistakes that arose from version mismatches, data rounding or formatting differences when exporting from statistical software to reporting spreadsheets."
For the double-blind, placebo-controlled study, Abou-Khalil's group recruited 120 Lebanese adolescents and young adults with overweight or obesity who were randomized to receive 5 mL, 10 mL, or 15 mL of apple cider vinegar containing 5% of acetic acid diluted in 250 mL of water daily in the morning on an empty stomach for 12 weeks. They were compared with a placebo group who drank 250 mL of water containing lactic acid (250 mg/100 mL).
By week 12, the researchers reported significant reductions from baseline in weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, hip circumference, and body fat ratio with all three apple cider vinegar doses. They also reported a dose-dependent decrease in serum glucose, triglyceride, and cholesterol levels with apple cider vinegar.
"Tempting though it is to alert readers to an ostensibly simple and apparently helpful weight loss aid, at present the results of the study are unreliable, and journalists and others should no longer reference or use the results of this study in any future reporting," said Helen Macdonald, MBBS, MSc, publication ethics and content integrity editor for the BMJ Group, in the press release.
"This retraction reflects our strategic and proactive approach to investigating concerns raised about the content we publish," she noted. "We act where necessary in the interests of openness and the importance of correcting the scientific record."
"While we deal with allegations as swiftly as possible, it's very important that due process is followed," she added. "Investigations are often complex. This one involved detailed scrutiny of data and correspondence with researchers, institutions, and other experts, for example. Reaching a sound and fair and final decision can therefore take several months."
Kristen Monaco is a senior staff writer, focusing on endocrinology, psychiatry, and nephrology news. Based out of the New York City office, she’s worked at the company since 2015.
>> A paper that touted the potential weight-loss properties of apple cider vinegar
it works if it slows down consumption
best diet ever: eat less
“Authors of the study, led by Rony Abou-Khalil, PhD, of Holy Spirit University of Kaslik in Jounieh, LEBANON”
Isn’t it the job of well respected journals to PREVENT bogus papers from being published?
Oh, sorry, forgot that DEI trumps everything else.
Just like coffee, eggs, bacon and etc.
It’s bad for you. It’s good for you, It’s bad for you.
I randomly decided to drink some of this every morning for the last couple months.
I don’t think it has done much either way, not sure if I am going to continue.
I poured some in a glass, added some lipton sugar powdered iced tea and stuck it under my kitchen sink did not stir but instead let much of the sugar fall to the bottom.
I've been telling people for years that this was bs and that if you feel better after taking apple cider vinegar that you should consult a Naturopath (i.e., something's wrong).
Supposedly, if taken right before a meal, it slows the rate of gastric empyting, and thereby diminishes the post-meal insulin surge.
Combine this with 10 min of walking immediately after a meal.
It does help.
If you are in a calorie deficit.
I’ve been hearingopens in a new tab about this for YEARS, and I’ve always wonderedopens in a new tab if it was true. Good to see thatopens in a new tab it’s probably not. I *DID* hearopens in a new tab that it was bad for the enamel on your teeth and thatopens in a new tab you should only ever drink it with a straw.
Would that be helpful for diabetes? I know the walking is helpful.
It helps keep down insulin.’
Diet, sleep, fasting, and exercise also help.
These do not have side effects like the GLP-1 drugs.
Thanks! I’ll open that in a new tab. :)
Many moons ago a product was sold called “Jogging in a Jug” - basically apple cider vinegar mixed with fruit juices and a little honey. They had to stop selling it because of false claims of healthy effects. Suspect a little vinegar in the diet is a good thing, certainly can’t hurt.
I once lost 30 lbs fairly rapidly on one tablespoon of ACV three times a day, a few minutes before each meal. But I also wrecked my metabolism and became hyperthyroid and almost died before it was diagnosed. I had always heard to diet under a doctor’s supervision, but didn’t take that warning seriously. Losing weight — what could go wrong, right? F’dA, FO.
The old "marginalized, underserved, and underrepresented" community. Everybody looks the other way when dodgy and fake results are reported by the "underrepresented nutritional research community."
In short, DEI strikes again.
thanks
Yep. That’s the money phrase.
The takeaway from the article.
Thanks for clarifying...at 0 dark thirty!
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