We could talk all day about honey. Sometimes, it feels like that’s literally what we do. But lately, we’ve been hearing more and more buzz from wellness and nutrition circles about apple cider vinegar.

Turns out there’s plenty to get excited about, and combining the two can make for a (surprisingly) tasty anti-inflammatory elixir. Check out the recipe from our friend @nutritiouslyeasy. Or, if you’re just here to learn, read on.

What does drinking apple cider vinegar and honey do?

Drinking a mixture of honey and apple cider vinegar can have a range of benefits for your body. We’ll summarize a few here, with links to more details included throughout.

Supply antioxidants: Both honey and apple cider vinegar contain antioxidants, which can help to protect your cells from damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that can cause damage to your body's cells and contribute to aging and disease.

Raw & unfiltered honey contains small amounts of enzymes, antioxidants, non-heme iron, zinc, potassium, calcium, phosphorous, vitamin B6, riboflavin and niacin. But, to be clear, if you’re taking 1TBSP or so of honey and 1TBSP of ACV, you’re going to need other sources of antioxidants. So make honey and ACV part of a healthy, varied  diet rich in vegetables.

Lowering blood sugar: Much has been made about apple cider vinegar’s ability to lower blood sugar and/or improve insulin sensitivity. ACV has long been studied as a treatment for type 2 diabetes to help keep blood sugar levels in a normal range. But anyone can benefit: this study showed a similar reduction in blood sugar levels among 5 people without diabetes.

Some research has shown connections between high blood sugar levels, aging, and various chronic diseases. Learn more in our blog, “Is Honey a Health Food?” or in “The New Honey Revolution”, available here on our site.

Does drinking honey and apple cider vinegar help with weight loss?

Combining honey and apple cider vinegar for weight loss can give you a boost if you’re already doing other things to ensure a healthy lifestyle, including adequate sleep, dieting, and regular exercise. While there is limited scientific research on this topic, there are a few reasons why this mixture may be beneficial for weight loss.

Firstly, apple cider vinegar has been shown to reduce appetite and increase feelings of fullness: “satiety” in the nutritional lingo. This 2005 study in Nature implies that drinking ACV with a meal caused participants to eat 200–275 fewer calories during the day.

A more recent 2014 study of 175 people with obesity “showed that daily apple cider vinegar consumption led to reduced belly fat and weight loss…of 3.7 pounds.” Granted, it took 3 months of taking 2 TBSP of apple cider vinegar to lose those 3.7 lbs. So, the effects are slimming…but also slim.

Honey, on the other hand, can help to regulate blood sugar levels, which can be beneficial for weight loss. When blood sugar levels are stable, you are less likely to experience cravings and overeat. We’ve blogged before about the links between honey and blood sugar: 

• Why You Should Be Adding Honey to Your Coffee
• Is Honey Keto

So, the honey-apple cider vinegar connection is small, but there’s something to it. If nothing else, a little honey sweetness makes apple cider vinegar way more appetizing. While drinking honey and apple cider vinegar alone is not a magic solution for weight loss, it can certainly be a helpful addition to a healthy diet and exercise routine.