How Did The Apple Cider Vinegar Test Go?
You may remember that I decided to drink apple cider vinegar (ACV) every morning, in a big glass of water. Since I measure my uric acid level every morning with my UASure uric acid meter, I should be able to see that my uric acid level went down. And if the claims that it helps you lose weight were true, I would buy a case.
That was three weeks ago (almost a month as of this writing). So, what happened?
That was three weeks ago (almost a month as of this writing). So, what happened?
SAME DIET AS USUAL
I did continue to eat the same diet as I usually do, which means my UA should have been somewhere between 7 and 10 (it was 6.5 the day I started). If the UA goes down further or stays at a level around 7 I will consider the test a success, as I will if I lose more than 1 kg per week (which is doable on a reasonable diet). Since apple cider vinegar is supposed to induce weight loss too.
UA LEVEL AVERAGE SURPRISE
So what happened to my UA level? On average over a period of three weeks (I continued the test for 21 days), my UA was 7.9. During the previous 21 days, when I did not take any supplements (other than the fish oil I always take), it was 8.1. The two weeks before that, the rolling average was 7.47 mg/dL.
So there was a marginal improvement, but not enough to ward off a gout attack. And the variation was not any less than during the reference period, going from 6.6 mg/dL to 10. Which means that there was not really any change. And that, unfortunately, means the test failed - even though I have more than half the bottle left.
So there was a marginal improvement, but not enough to ward off a gout attack. And the variation was not any less than during the reference period, going from 6.6 mg/dL to 10. Which means that there was not really any change. And that, unfortunately, means the test failed - even though I have more than half the bottle left.
DOUBTFUL HEALTH CLAIMS
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Apple cider vinegar has become a cure-all, used to treat everything from warts to ulcers. Sometimes the claims go overboard - the founders of ome of the biggest brands were docked by the FDA for claiming apple cider vinegar could cure cancer. So excuse me for telling a little story (if you want to read more, I can recommend my little book "Gout Simply Explained", where I try to sort out the background of gout and what you can do about the underlying condition).
When I was a child, we lived in an area where everyone had a few apple trees. We had 14, since we had an enormous yard. We usually picked out the best apples when it was time for harvest, and we went to a cider press. Fresh pressed apple cider is delicious and we always had barrels of it. Our neighbors often used it to make wine or cider (but since we were children, my parents never did). Sometimes, the apple wine would go bad and turn to vinegar. Then they would throw it away. Nobody thought vinegar had any special health benefits. So much for folk medicine. |
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READ MORE HERE
I have written more about supplements, how you can manage your uric acid, and how gout works on the following pages:
* Trying apple cider vinegar
* Do cherries help against gout?
* Why drinking lots of water works
* Why milk flushes out uric acid
* The daily UA variation
* Two weeks of measuring my uric acid
* Why fish oil does not have any effect against gout, and how I know.
* Trying apple cider vinegar
* Do cherries help against gout?
* Why drinking lots of water works
* Why milk flushes out uric acid
* The daily UA variation
* Two weeks of measuring my uric acid
* Why fish oil does not have any effect against gout, and how I know.
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