Apple Cider Vinegar for Weight Loss: The Viral 2024 Trial Was Retracted. Here Is What Is Left

In March 2024, BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health published a randomized, double-blind trial from Lebanon¹. It assigned 120 overweight or obese adolescents and young adults to 5, 10 or 15 mL of apple cider vinegar a day or a placebo drink for 12 weeks, and reported falls in weight, BMI, waist and hip size, body fat, blood sugar, triglycerides and cholesterol with no side effects¹.

Outside researchers published a critique of the data, titled “Improbable data characteristics and extreme effects of apple cider vinegar on weight loss”³. BMJ then reviewed the dataset the authors supplied and retracted the paper in September 2025².

The retraction notice gives its reasons: the analyses could not be replicated, multiple errors were found, and the dataset showed patterns inconsistent with random allocation and improbably small p-values for the number of participants². Among the concerns raised after publication, the notice also lists the absence of prospective trial registration, which it calls a breach of BMJ policy². According to the notice, the authors state the discrepancies were honest mistakes, and they agreed with the decision to retract².

The other trial most often cited is a 2009 double-blind study in obese Japanese adults who drank a beverage with 15 mL or 30 mL of vinegar, or none, every day for 12 weeks⁵. Body weight, BMI, visceral fat, waist size and triglycerides were lower in both vinegar groups than with placebo⁵. Its lead author worked at the research institute of Mizkan, a Japanese vinegar maker⁵. Our apple cider vinegar page grades this result C.

On blood sugar and cholesterol, a 2021 meta-analysis of 9 trials found apple cider vinegar lowered fasting glucose by about 8 mg/dL and total cholesterol by about 6 mg/dL, with no effect on LDL, HDL, insulin or insulin resistance⁶. A 2020 systematic review of 13 human studies concluded the evidence for any health effect was insufficient because of a lack of high-quality research⁷.

Take away the retracted trial and what remains is a handful of small, short studies, several rated at high risk of bias for blinding, and one led from inside the vinegar industry^4,5. A tablespoon or two in a salad dressing is a fine food habit. As a weight-loss tool, the evidence is weaker than the headlines suggested. For options with large trials behind them, see our GLP-1 hub and soluble fiber for blood sugar and LDL.