How to Use Apple Cider Vinegar to Reduce Belly Fat: Does It Work?

Quick answer: Apple cider vinegar has not been shown to reduce belly fat in any way you should rely on. The best-known trial claiming large effects was retracted in 2025, and Cleveland Clinic describes the evidence for weight loss as weak. If you use it, dilute it, and check with a doctor first if you take insulin, diuretics, laxatives or blood pressure medicine.

Apple cider vinegar is one of the most-searched home remedies for belly fat. This guide covers what studies actually found, why the headline trial was withdrawn, how people use it and who should avoid it.

What the Evidence Shows

According to Cleveland Clinic, a 2007 study suggested that 1 to 2 ounces taken each morning for 12 weeks led to modest weight loss of 2 to 4 pounds. A 2018 study of 39 participants reported decreases in body weight, BMI, hip circumference and a visceral adiposity index, but the page doubts it because the diet was reduced-calorie, food and exercise were not tracked and participants were not blinded. On appetite, a 2013 study found people felt fuller, but the authors concluded the acetic acid mainly caused nausea and reduced eating, and a 2022 meta-analysis found mixed short-term results and no long-term effect. The page's bottom line is that evidence for weight loss or appetite control is weak.

The Retracted 2024 Trial

In 2024, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in Lebanese adolescents and young adults with overweight and obesity suggested that small daily amounts of apple cider vinegar might help people lose weight. It was widely reported. BMJ Group retracted it, citing concerns about the statistical analysis, implausible statistical values, the reliability of the raw data, inadequate reporting of methods and the lack of prospective trial registration. Statisticians could not replicate the results. Retraction Watch reports the retraction came in September 2025, more than a year after outside statisticians pointed out errors, and that the retraction notice cites analyses that could not be replicated and multiple errors. BMJ's publication ethics editor said journalists and others should no longer reference or use the results. If an article or product page cites that trial, treat it as unreliable.

A Timeline of the Retraction

• March 2024: the trial is published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health, reporting that overweight and obese teens and young adults who drank apple cider vinegar daily for 12 weeks lost an average of 6 to 8 kilograms.
• May 2024: a researcher publishes a critique of the data, according to Retraction Watch.
• September 23, 2025: the journal retracts it because the authors' analyses could not be replicated and multiple errors were identified. Retraction Watch reports that the dataset showed patterns inconsistent with random allocation and that some reported p-values were improbably small for the number of participants.
• The authors attributed the discrepancies to honest mistakes and agreed with the retraction.

A loss of 6 to 8 kilograms in 12 weeks from a spoonful of vinegar was always an unusually large claim for the amount of effort involved, which is the kind of result that should prompt a second look.

How People Use It

Cleveland Clinic says studies used 1 to 2 ounces or 1 to 2 tablespoons a day, and that its dietitian suggests diluting it in a drink rather than taking it straight. Pills and gummies are also sold. We cannot say any of these amounts reduces belly fat. If you choose to use it, the sensible approach is a small amount, diluted, with food, and not as a replacement for the habits that do have evidence.

Using Vinegar in Food Instead

Vinegar is a normal ingredient, and using it in a salad dressing or marinade dilutes it with food, which is gentler on your teeth and throat than drinking it straight. That is a flavor choice. It is not a fat-loss method, and no recipe here is claimed to reduce belly fat. If you do take it as a drink, ask your dentist about enamel and your doctor about your medicines.

How to Judge Weight-Loss Claims You See Online

The reasons BMJ Group gave for retracting the trial are a useful checklist for any weight-loss claim:

• Is the result plausible for the size of the change? Very large effects from a small habit deserve suspicion.
• Was the trial registered in advance? Lack of prospective registration was one of BMJ's concerns.
• Could other researchers replicate it? Statisticians could not replicate this one.
• Was it blinded and controlled? Cleveland Clinic doubts the 2018 study partly because participants were not blinded and food and exercise were not tracked.
• Who is selling the product? Be wary of pages that cite one study to sell a supplement.

Safety: Who Should Avoid It

• Everyone: Cleveland Clinic says the acetic acid can erode tooth enamel or burn your throat if taken straight.
• People with diabetes who take insulin: low blood sugar is a risk, and the page calls the evidence convincing.
• People with low potassium, or who take diuretics or laxatives.
• People with gastroparesis.
• People on blood pressure medication.

Check with your doctor or pharmacist before using it regularly, especially if you take any of these medicines. If you buy gummies or drinks, read the ingredient list for added sugars and other additives, as you would for any packaged food.

What Works Better for Belly Fat

The steps with support are unglamorous. The CDC recommends gradual weight loss of about 1 to 2 pounds a week, plus a food and drink diary, and its activity guideline is 150 minutes a week of moderate activity with muscle-strengthening on 2 days. A University of Sydney explainer notes that fat comes off the whole body and that supplements do not effectively target fat loss. Our belly fat guide covers the evidence, and our guide to weight loss apps covers tools for tracking it.

Checking Labels With Foodsage

Foodsage is an ingredient checker, not a weight-loss product. You can choose avoid categories such as added sugars, artificial additives and industrial seed oils, scan a product, and see which ingredients matched. It does not diagnose or treat any condition and does not count calories. For the evidence on eating patterns, see our anti-inflammatory diet guide.

This guide is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before using any supplement, especially if you take medicine or have diabetes.