Apple cider vinegar are made by fermenting apples with yeast and bacteria. Supplements in pill form contain a dehydrated form of the vinegar. People may choose to take pills over liquid apple cider vinegar if they don’t like the vinegar’s strong taste or smell. It’s unclear whether apple cider vinegar pills have the same health benefits as the liquid form or if they’re safe in similar dosages.
The amount of apple cider vinegar in the pills varies by brand, but typically one capsule contains about 500 mg, which is equivalent to two liquid teaspoons (10 ml). Some brands also include other ingredients that aid metabolism, such as cayenne pepper.
These supplements are not regulated by the FDA and may contain varying amounts of apple cider vinegar or unknown ingredients, making it difficult to assess their safety. In the United States and Canada, dietary supplements are considered a subset of foods, and are regulated accordingly. The European Commission has also established harmonized rules to help insure that food supplements are safe and properly labeled.
There is a current global explosion in the circulation of fake supplements. According to the World Health Organization, Worldwide sales of counterfeit medicines could top US$ 75 billion this year, a 90% rise in five years, according to an estimate published by the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest in the United States of America (USA). It is difficult to measure the extent of the problem when there are so many sources of information and different definitions of “counterfeit”. Sabine Kopp, IMPACT’s interim executive secretary and manager of WHO’s anti-counterfeiting programme, says that WHO is currently conducting a survey to compare legislation and terminology used to combat counterfeiting of medical products in different countries.
Makers and sellers of fake apple cider vinegar pill and liquids use direct mail and websites (often designed to mimic real news and magazine sites) to tout their products’ efficacy against all kinds of ills often accompanied by enthusiastic testimonials from satisfied users, impressive results from clinical studies and ringing endorsements from celebrities or medical specialists — all of them fabricated.
If you’re skeptical, scammers have another enticement — a free, no-risk trial offer. What have you got to lose? Money, and potentially a lot of it. You’ll probably be charged a nominal shipping fee, but that gives the fraudsters your credit card information. They may go ahead and bill you for the full price of the product, or enroll you in a long-term subscription costing hundreds of dollars a year, under terms that are undisclosed or buried deep in the fine print.
These scams can hurt more than your bank account. Fake apple cider vinegar, even those described as “natural,” may pose health risks. Some interact harmfully with particular medications or alter their effectiveness. Worse yet, in recent years, regulators have discovered that hundreds of supplements are tainted with prescription drugs and other potentially dangerous chemicals.
How to Spot Fake Apple Cider Vinegar Vs Real
A consumer, may not have access to most of the test equipment used by regulatory bodies to verify the identity of a drug product but here are simple guidelines that can help identify a fake Apple cider vinegar;
Buy Apple Cider Vinegar Pills and liquid Only From Registered/ Reputable outlets
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that there are many rogue online pharmacies that claim to sell prescription medicines at deeply discounted prices, often without requiring a valid prescription. These Internet-based pharmacies often sell unapproved or counterfeit medicines outside the safeguards followed by licensed pharmacies.
These rogue sites often prominently display a Canadian flag, but may actually be operated by criminals from the other side of the globe with no connection to Canada. Medicines bought from these websites can be dangerous and may put your health at risk.
How can you tell if an online pharmacy is operating legally? The FDA’s BeSafeRx can help you identify and avoid fake online pharmacies.
Signs of a Rogue Online Pharmacy
Beware of online pharmacies that:
- Allow you to buy prescription medicine without a valid prescription from your health care provider.
- Do not have a U.S. state-licensed pharmacist available to answer your questions.
- Offer very low prices that seem too good to be true.
- Send spam or unsolicited email offering cheap medicine.
- Are located outside of the United States or ship worldwide.
These pharmacies often sell medicines that can be dangerous because they may:
- Have too much or too little of the active ingredient you need to treat your disease or condition.
- Not contain the right active ingredient.
- Contain the wrong or other harmful ingredients.
The active ingredient is what makes the medicine effective for the illness or condition it is intended to treat. If a medicine has unknown active ingredients, it could fail to have the intended effect, could have an unexpected interaction with other medicines you are taking, could cause dangerous side effects, or may cause other serious health problems, such as serious allergic reactions.
Check the Apple Cider Vinegar Pill and Liquid Packaging: This is the simplest and the easiest method to check the authenticity of apple cider vinegar. Check the packaging for details like unusual fonts, print color, and missing logo. Analyze whether it appears the same or different from the one you have used before.
No Breakage in the Seal: An apple cider vinegar packet, bottle or container that comes with a security seal should not be damaged. Look for a crack or breaks in the sealing tape.
Check the Apple Cider Vinegar Dosage Form: Look for dissimilarities in physical appearance of the drug like its color, size, uniformity, consistency, shape, etc.
Physical Attributes of the: As stated by World Health Organization, the common physical attributes that need to be looked out in medicine tablets are;
- Small pieces of tablets, excessive powder at the bottom of the medicine container, or brittle and crumbly capsule spilling powder.
- Cracks in the tablets or capsule.
- The appearance of crystal on the container walls or on the medicine tablets.
- Softening or hardening of the medicines.
- Swelling, spots or discoloration of the liquid , tablets or capsule.
Allergies / Unexpected Side Effects from using Apple Cider Vinegar: Most of the medicines including apple cider vinegar pills and liquid have side effects. It is important to consult your doctor before the usage to keep a check on allergies arising from it. If you notice certain unexpected or harmful side effects from your medication, report to your doctor immediately.
Price of Apple Cider Vinegar: If the price of an Apple cider vinegar pill or liquid is suddenly far cheaper than the usual rate, double check the product as there may be a chance that the fake companies wanted to lure customers by providing medicines at much cheaper rates.
Verify Online or SMS: Many countries have unique methods for the verification of the genuineness of pills using authentication code or other online portals to confirm the authenticity of the pills being purchased.
