Does apple cider vinegar really work for weight loss?

The Engish fashion designer and former member of the Spice Girls revealed how a few spoonfuls of vinegar each morning had helped her stay in shape.

The research compared the effects of this hack with a placebo test group to see how much weight was lost over a 12-week period.

Does Victoria Beckham's apple cider vinegar hack actually help with weight loss?

Victoria Beckham recently shared that she drinks apple cider vinegar to help her stay in shape. (Image: PA)

The group that drank up to a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (diluted in a glass of water) lost around 6kg over the 12-week period with those in the placebo group only losing around 1kg.

Lead research author Rony Abou-Khalil, from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik in Lebanon, said that these results suggested that this regime “could be a promising anti-obesity supplement that does not produce any side effects”.

However, scientists not involved in the study suggested that the methodology was too flawed to draw any firm conclusion, adding that further investigation is needed.

Helen Truby, professor of nutrition and dietetics at The University of Queensland, said: “There are some substantial problems in this study, which would make the conclusions drawn questionable."

Problems raised about the weight loss study were the small sample size of around 120 people and the limited age range of 12 to 25.

Experts have expressed concerns over how the research was carried out. (Image: Getty)

Daisy Coyle, a Research Fellow at The George Institute for Global Health, in London, added: “One missing piece from this study is how participants’ diets influenced the outcomes.

“While participants kept diet diaries, specific details on calorie and/or macronutrient intake were not reported in the study. Ideally, all outcomes would have accounted for dietary intakes, especially given that 7 per cent of participants were on a diet at the beginning.

“This study was also small, short in duration and only focused on young and overweight individuals. We can’t extrapolate the findings to the broader population or draw conclusions about the long-term efficacy of apple cider vinegar."

Discussing the use of apple cider vinegar for weight loss, the Health website, Prevention said: "There’s not enough recent and conclusive evidence to say that ACV is a body fat or weight loss solution."