Research is unclear on whether apple cider vinegar can help lower blood pressure. Your healthcare team can best advise you on using any natural remedies or alternative treatments.

Apple cider vinegar has long been a popular home remedy for many illnesses and conditions, including upset stomachs, sore throats, and high cholesterol.

Some research indicates that apple cider vinegar may play a small role in helping to lower blood pressure, but many studies are older, involve animals or rodents, and have limitations baked into how the research was conducted.

Overall, it’s not conclusive whether apple cider alone is responsible for this specific health benefit or if it’s most beneficial when used alongside other lifestyle changes, treatments, and healthy behaviors.

High blood cholesterol and high blood pressure often work together to accelerate heart disease. There are many risk factorsTrusted Source for high cholesterol, including conditions like type 2 diabetes and obesity. They can damage the blood vessels and your heart more quickly.

Consuming apple cider vinegar may lower cholesterol and blood pressure simultaneously.

This 2021 research review found that apple cider vinegar may help lower total cholesterol. That analysis of past studies found that people with type 2 diabetes who drank 15 milliliters (mL) or less of apple cider vinegar each day for more than 8 weeks, experienced a cholesterol reduction.

Another 2023 study also involving those with T2D saw similar results, when study participants had 30 mL each day for the same 2-month period and also ate healthy-cholesterol foods in their daily eating patterns.

Both studies had limitations, and more research is needed to confirm how apple cider vinegar may be beneficial for cholesterol levels, especially for people without type 2 diabetes.

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Lowering blood glucose may help lower blood pressure as well.

People with type 2 diabetes may have a prescription for medications that help lower glucose levels. Lowering glucose levels is good for overall health, whether you live with diabetes or not, and it could also help reduce blood pressure.

In the 2021 review, the authors noted that some studies had found that lower glucose levels and 3-month average A1C results helped lead to lower blood pressure levels in some people.

More research is needed to confirm and validate those findings in longer studies involving larger groups of people.

High blood pressure and obesity often go hand in hand, and the American Heart Association points out that obesity can raise your riskTrusted Source for heart disease.

However, research isn’t clearTrusted Source on whether apple cider vinegar itself can help with weight management. Some small studies through the years indicate there may be weight loss potential.

2017 research found some people who drank apple cider vinegar along with a low calorie diet lost more weight than those who only followed a low calorie diet. That study lasted 12 weeks and involved people drinking 30 mL of apple cider vinegar each day, leading to some having less belly fat and a lower body mass index.

But it’s not clear whether the apple cider vinegar was specifically responsible for that. With the study only involving 39 people, more larger and longer-term research would be needed to determine if apple cider vinegar can actually help with weight management.

Generally, when it comes to healthy eating, it’s logical that using apple cider vinegar in place of high fat and high salt dressings and oils may be a helpful change you can make to your eating style. Lowering how much salt you consume also helps lower blood pressureTrusted Source in general, and helps with weight management.

The suggested minimum amount, according to the 2021 review, is 15 mL. That’s equivalent to 3 teaspoons or 1 tablespoon.

The vinegar can, of course, be very hard to handle all by itself, but you can mix it with other flavors to make it go down easy. Here are some ideas:

  • Add it to cooked popcorn.
  • Drizzle it over meat or vegetables.
  • Add it to a smoothie.
  • Mix it with olive oil and herbs for salad dressing.
  • Try it in a tea mixed with water and a bit of honey.
  • Make a cayenne pepper tonic by adding 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 1/16 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to a cup of water.
  • Drink a shot of apple cider vinegar in place of coffee.

You will also want to take other dietary measures to help your blood pressure. Many of these other measures have been studied more thoroughly.

Check labels to ensure the sodium levels aren’t too high. Choose low sodium options when you can, such as for chicken broth and soy sauce. Make foods from scratch to control how much salt is added, such as soups and hamburger patties.

Apple cider vinegar may have other health benefits beyond blood pressure and cholesterol. You can read more here about those potential healthy benefits.

Apple cider vinegar may lower blood pressure, but more studies are needed to show whether that’s true and if apple cider vinegar can affect blood pressure by helping with weight management, glucose levels, and total cholesterol levels.

Eating heart-healthy foods and healthy fat foods, as well as engaging in other healthy behaviors, can benefit you regardless of whether apple cider vinegar is included in your eating style. There do not appear to be any risks linked to using it in moderation.