Does apple cider vinegar help you lose weight? What the research does and doesn't show

The evidence doesn't support apple cider vinegar as a weight-loss treatment on its own. A 2025 meta-analysis of 10 randomized trials found a small average drop in body weight, BMI and waist size linked to daily liquid vinegar over up to 12 weeks — but a separate trial found the appetite-suppressing effect people report is tied to nausea from poor tolerability, not a distinct metabolic effect.

What the evidence doesn't support

It doesn't support apple cider vinegar as a stand-alone way to lose a specific, meaningful amount of weight, and it doesn't support the idea that it's a safe, well-tolerated appetite suppressant — the trial that looked closest at that mechanism found the appetite effect was driven by nausea, and rated it an inappropriate thing to recommend on that basis. It doesn't support any claim for a gummy, pill or capsule format specifically; every positive number below comes from measured liquid vinegar.

What the trials found

A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis pooled 10 randomized controlled trials (789 participants total) testing at least 4 weeks of apple cider vinegar intake on body composition in adults. Body weight was lower with vinegar (standardized mean difference -0.39), as was BMI (-0.65) and waist circumference (-0.34); other body-composition measures showed no significant change. The effect held up in a sensitivity analysis that excluded higher-risk-of-bias trials, and was strongest in trials lasting up to 12 weeks, at 30 mL/day, in adults who were overweight, obese, or had type 2 diabetes. The authors call it a possible short-term adjunctive approach, not a stand-alone solution, and note the trial base is still limited.

An earlier 12-week randomized, placebo-controlled trial in obese adults, using a daily drink with either 15 mL or 30 mL of vinegar, found body weight, BMI, visceral fat area, waist circumference and triglycerides were all lower in both vinegar groups than in the placebo-drink group by the end of the trial.

Against the appetite-suppressant framing specifically: a pair of controlled feeding studies compared vinegar's effect on appetite with and without actually swallowing it. When people drank vinegar with a meal, appetite ratings and subsequent food intake were reduced — but that came with significantly higher nausea ratings, worse with a less palatable preparation, and the two were correlated. When people only tasted vinegar without swallowing it, appetite wasn't affected at all. The researchers concluded that promoting vinegar as a natural appetite suppressant isn't well supported, since the effect seems to run through feeling slightly sick rather than a distinct metabolic mechanism.

Questions people ask

Can apple cider vinegar help you lose weight?

A meta-analysis of 10 randomized trials found a small average reduction in body weight, BMI and waist size with daily liquid vinegar over as long as 12 weeks. That's a real, repeated finding — a small effect, in trials still described by their own authors as a limited evidence base, not a demonstrated weight-loss treatment.

How much apple cider vinegar should I take for weight loss?

The trials with the clearest results used 15–30 mL of liquid vinegar a day, diluted in a beverage, for 4–12 weeks. No capsule, pill or gummy dose has been tested for this outcome.

Does apple cider vinegar suppress appetite?

One set of controlled studies found vinegar reduced appetite ratings and food intake when people actually drank it with a meal — but the effect came with nausea, worse with an unpalatable preparation, and disappeared when people only tasted vinegar without swallowing it. The researchers concluded the appetite effect looks like a side effect of poor tolerability, not a clean, comfortable mechanism worth recommending.

Do apple cider vinegar gummies or pills help with weight loss?

No trial we've found has tested a gummy, pill or capsule form for weight or body composition. Every positive result above comes from measured liquid vinegar.

Which apple cider vinegar is best for weight loss?

No trial has compared brands or forms against each other. The meta-analysis above pooled trials using ordinary liquid vinegar at 30 mL/day as the most consistently effective amount studied, not any particular brand.

When to talk to a doctor

Obesity and significant weight concerns are best addressed with a doctor or dietitian, not a supplement search. Apple cider vinegar is not a treatment for obesity, and the small effects reported above shouldn't be read as a substitute for a broader conversation about diet, activity or, where appropriate, medical treatment. If you have a health condition or take medication, talk to your doctor before adding any new supplement, especially one taken in the larger liquid amounts described above.

Related reading: apple cider vinegar and diabetes: what the research does and doesn't show, apple cider vinegar and cholesterol: what the research does and doesn't show, and apple cider vinegar side effects.