How much apple cider vinegar per day is too much?

No nutrient here reaches an NIH upper limit, the FDA caffeine figure or a Dietary Guidelines limit within 60 of these servings a day. One tablespoon = 1 tbsp (14.9 g). USDA FoodData Central, Vinegar, cider. Limits count everything you eat and drink that day, so other foods and supplements use up part of each one.

• Level A A 2022 dose-response meta-analysis of randomized trials found each 2 tbsp (30 mL) a day of vinegar lowered systolic blood pressure by about 3.3 mmHg, with low certainty. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2022 (dose-response meta-analysis of vinegar and blood pressure)
• Level B In an 8-week RCT of 73 adults with type 2 diabetes, 2 tbsp (30 mL) of apple cider vinegar a day lowered HbA1c more than diet advice alone. Frontiers in Clinical Diabetes and Healthcare, 2023
• Level B In an 8-week trial of 70 adults with type 2 diabetes and high blood lipids, 1.4 tbsp (20 mL) of apple vinegar a day raised antioxidant activity (DPPH) and lowered fasting glucose by about 10 mg/dL versus control. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, 2019, 33:132-138
• Level B In a 12-week double-blind trial in obese Japanese adults, a drink with 15 or 2 tbsp (30 mL) of vinegar a day lowered body weight, BMI, visceral fat and waist more than placebo. Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, 2009, 73(8):1837-43
• Level B Healthy overweight adults taking 4 tablespoons of vinegar (2.95 g acetic acid) a day for 4 weeks cut PHQ-9 depression scores by 42% against 18% with a vinegar pill holding almost no acetic acid (0.025 g), while the CES-D score did not differ between groups. Nutrients, 2024

Only studies that give the amount eaten. Levels: A is a meta-analysis of trials, B a randomized trial, C an observational study. How we grade evidence.

• Level D A case report described acute pancreatitis in an 84 year old woman possibly linked to a weight loss supplement containing apple cider vinegar. ACG Case Rep J, 2024

If you have kidney disease, take blood thinners or other medicines, or are pregnant, the right amount for you is a question for your clinician.

Vinegar has 3 calories a tablespoon and no nutrient near an upper limit, so the guide to the amount is what trials tested. In 73 adults with type 2 diabetes, 2 tbsp (30 mL) a day for 8 weeks lowered HbA1c more than diet advice alone (Level B). A dose-response meta-analysis found each 2 tbsp (30 mL) a day lowered systolic blood pressure by about 3.3 mmHg, with low certainty (Level A). These trials ran for weeks, not years.

The risk is the acid. A 15-year-old who drank 3.4 to 5.1 fl oz (100 to 150 mL) of an undiluted fruit vinegar drink every morning for a month developed bleeding ulcers along the esophagus (Level D). A daily glass of apple cider vinegar wore down a teenager's tooth enamel (Level D). A woman who drank about 8.5 fl oz (250 mL) a day for 6 years had low blood potassium (Level D).

In a 10-person pilot in type 1 diabetes with slow stomach emptying, 2 tbsp (30 mL) a day slowed it further, and one person reported more low blood sugar episodes (Level C). The 8-week diabetes trial excluded people on insulin and pregnant or breastfeeding women, so there is no trial data for them. One case report possibly links acute pancreatitis in an 84-year-old woman to a weight loss supplement containing apple cider vinegar (Level D).

Evidence behind this note

1. Level B In an 8-week RCT of 73 adults with type 2 diabetes, 2 tbsp (30 mL) of apple cider vinegar a day lowered HbA1c more than diet advice alone. Frontiers in Clinical Diabetes and Healthcare, 2023
2. Level A A 2022 dose-response meta-analysis of randomized trials found each 2 tbsp (30 mL) a day of vinegar lowered systolic blood pressure by about 3.3 mmHg, with low certainty. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2022 (dose-response meta-analysis of vinegar and blood pressure)
3. Level B In a 12-week double-blind trial in obese Japanese adults, a drink with 15 or 2 tbsp (30 mL) of vinegar a day lowered body weight, BMI, visceral fat and waist more than placebo. Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, 2009, 73(8):1837-43
4. Level B The kidney stone trial served apple cider vinegar as 2 tbsp (30 mL) diluted with water to 1.1 quarts (1 liter) once a day. Int Urol Nephrol, 2026
5. Level D A 15-year-old who drank 3.4 to 5.1 fl oz (100 to 150 mL) of an undiluted fruit vinegar drink every morning for a month developed deep bleeding ulcers along the whole esophagus, which healed within a week of treatment. Clinical Endoscopy, 2020, 53(3):366-369, Corrosive Esophageal Injury due to a Commercial Vinegar Beverage in an Adolescent
6. Level D Dutch dentists traced erosive tooth wear in a 15-year-old girl to a daily glass of apple cider vinegar drunk to lose weight. Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Tandheelkunde, 2012, 119(12):589-91
7. Level D A woman who drank about 8.5 fl oz (250 ml) of cider vinegar a day for 6 years was found with unexplained low blood potassium (hypokalemia) of 2.8. Nephron, 1998, 79(2):242, Hypokalemia, hyperreninemia and osteoporosis in a patient ingesting large amounts of cider vinegar (Lhotta et al.)
8. Level C In a non-randomized pilot of 10 people with type 1 diabetes and gastroparesis, 2 tbsp (30 ml) of apple cider vinegar a day further slowed gastric emptying (median 17% vs 27% with water), and one patient reported more hypoglycemic episodes. BMC Gastroenterology, 2007, Effect of apple cider vinegar on delayed gastric emptying in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus: a pilot study
9. Level B An 8-week RCT of apple cider vinegar in 73 adults with type 2 diabetes excluded pregnant and breastfeeding women. Frontiers in Clinical Diabetes and Healthcare, 2023
10. Level D A case report described acute pancreatitis in an 84 year old woman possibly linked to a weight loss supplement containing apple cider vinegar. ACG Case Rep J, 2024

Written from the data and studies on this page, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.

• Apple cider vinegar: what the research says