Does apple cider vinegar help with gout or arthritis? What the research does and doesn't show

The evidence doesn't support apple cider vinegar for gout or arthritis. We haven't found a single human trial testing it for either condition, or for uric acid levels specifically. The only controlled evidence involving anything close to "inflammation" is a rat study and one small human trial of a diluted vinegar mouth rinse — neither speaks to joint pain or gout.

What the evidence doesn't support

It doesn't support apple cider vinegar as a way to manage gout, arthritis or joint pain, and it doesn't support a claim about lowering uric acid — no human trial testing any of those exists that we've found. Apple cider vinegar has long appeared on lists of unproven arthritis remedies, alongside diets and fasting — but appearing on that kind of list isn't the same as having trial evidence, and we found none specific to this ingredient and these conditions.

What the research covers — and doesn't

We searched specifically for human trials of apple cider vinegar and gout, uric acid, arthritis or joint inflammation, and found none. What exists nearby, from unrelated research, is a rat study: diabetic rats given apple cider vinegar by gavage for 4 weeks, alongside different intensities of treadmill exercise, showed improvement in several inflammatory blood markers (including IL-6 and TNF-alpha) compared with untreated diabetic rats. That's a finding in diabetic rats on an experimental protocol, not arthritis or gout, and not in people — animal inflammatory-marker studies frequently don't translate to a specific human joint condition.

The one controlled human trial involving apple cider vinegar and any inflammation-adjacent outcome tested it as a diluted mouth rinse, not a drink or supplement: children with cerebral palsy who used a 5% apple cider vinegar rinse alongside toothbrushing scored lower on plaque and gum-tissue measurements than brushing alone, over six months. That's a localized effect on gum tissue from direct topical contact, an entirely different mechanism and body system from gout or arthritis, and it doesn't tell you anything about joint inflammation.

Questions people ask

Is apple cider vinegar good for gout?

We haven't found a human trial testing apple cider vinegar for gout or uric acid levels. There's nothing in the published research to answer this one either way.

Is apple cider vinegar good for inflammation, generally?

It depends entirely on which kind. The only controlled human evidence involving anything inflammation-related tested a topical mouth rinse and its effect on gum tissue — a specific, local application, not a general anti-inflammatory effect from drinking or taking it.

Does apple cider vinegar help with arthritis?

We haven't found a human trial testing that. Apple cider vinegar appears in older descriptions of unproven home remedies people have tried for arthritis, but appearing on that kind of list isn't the same as having supporting trial evidence, and none exists that we've found.

When to talk to a doctor

Gout and arthritis are diagnoses that benefit from a doctor's evaluation and, often, medication — joint pain that's new, severe, or accompanied by swelling and redness is worth having checked rather than self-treated. Apple cider vinegar is not a treatment for gout or arthritis, and nothing in the research above supports using it in place of a doctor's evaluation or a prescribed medication for either condition.

Related reading: apple cider vinegar on skin and hair, apple cider vinegar and GI conditions: what the research does and doesn't show, and apple cider vinegar side effects.