Apple cider vinegar is made by fermenting apple cider and is considered by many alternative health practitioners to promote overall health and well-being. Traditionally, apple cider vinegar has been thought to help with a variety ailments including gout, acne, arthritis, allergies and high cholesterol, but it came to be especially popular for its medicinal properties thanks to a bestselling book published in 1958, "Folk Medicine: A Vermont Doctor's Guide to Good Health" by D.C. Jarvis, M.D. In the 1970s, many started to believe that apple cider vinegar could help speed up weight loss as well by increasing metabolism.

Several small studies have shown that regular doses of apple cider vinegar can help lower blood glucose levels, offering promising potential to those suffering from diabetes. Additionally, apple cider vinegar is used to restore alkaline acid balance and is a popular home remedy for zits and acid reflux. Apple cider vinegar is believed to have a positive impact on high blood pressure and cholesterol but more research is needed.

Apple cider vinegar can be ingested or applied to the skin in its natural form, though there is a small chance that it can cause burning. Subsequently, many users tend to dilute the vinegar with water and mix it with honey.

Check out AOL Health for more about Natural Weight-Loss Aids. Plus, stay up-to-date with Diet and Fitness News from That's Fit.

Photo: Bekathwia, Flickr

If you're trying to lose a few pounds, trading your regular soda for the diet version could be doing more harm than good. True, swapping a can of Coke Zero for the regular kind slices 139 calories from your daily intake, but research from the University of Liverpool in England suggests that your body processes artificial, calorie-free sweeteners the same way it does regular sugar.

Just as your taste buds can't differentiate between regular and artificial sweeteners (aside that chemically aftertaste), the receptors in your intestines aren't able to tell the difference either. Once the intestines sense sweetness, they seek out glucose to absorb. So even though that Equal is calorie-free -- your body may still take calories from somewhere else if these receptors are activated.

"Artificial sweeteners can also activate the glucose sensor and increase the capacity of the intestine to absorb more sugar," Soraya Shirazi-Beechey, lead author of the study and a professor of Molecular Physiology and Biochemistry at Liverpool University, tells the Daily Mail. "If someone wants to lose weight, I don't think artificial sweeteners are going to help," she says. "My recommendation is to eat natural foods, but to eat less of them."

It's unclear from Shirazi-Beechey's research whether the amount of glucose absorbed after sensing an artificial sweetener would equal the calorie-equivalent of a regular soda.

Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth, AP

What if you could get the effects of LAP-band surgery in a pill? Well, if you're a mouse, it might not be that far into the future.

Chemists at Indiana University have created synthetic molecules that mimic two natural hormones that help regulate glucose metabolism and appetite. After one week, obese mice that received a single injection saw a 25 percent decrease in weight, and a 42 percent decrease in body fat.

The research, published online in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, could hold promise for humans too. "Remember, even though these are mice, the treatment is affecting two receptor systems that exist in humans," obesity expert Dr. Lou Aronne told ABC News.

The injection contains glucagon and glucagons-like-peptide-1, or simply GLP-1. They both suppress appetite, but while glucagon raises blood sugar, GLP-1 has the opposite effect. The result is keeping blood sugar in check while reaping the advantages of appetite suppression.

Click on the gallery below to see other diet supplements that have been touted as miracle pills.

Story continues after the gallery.

Snacking is by far my biggest pitfall when it comes to losing weight. And working from home doesn't help. Rather than having a set schedule for breaks or lunch, I've got 24/7 access to my kitchen.

So when the makers of a new product called Crave-NX contacted me to see if I'd like to try their seven day diet-spray for a week, I was intrigued. According to Generex Biotechnology Corporation, Crave-NX is a "scientifically formulated and clinically tested oral glucose spray designed to fuel the mind and control sweet tooth cravings (i.e. cookies) and carb cravings (i.e. potato chips) resulting in saved calories."

So yes, I was intrigued, but cautious too. I haven't taken so much as a diet pill since I was 16 years old and wasn't about to start now. So I asked for more information. The spray contains two calories of glucose, which is absorbed through the cheeks, causing a small rise in blood sugar to satisfy hunger cravings without the calories. After looking at the ingredients list (water, glucose, glycerin, sodium, glycocholate, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium benzoate, artificial flavors), I thought "Why not?" and gave it a try.

Going low carb is a fast and effective way to shed some of those extra pounds, but is it safe? The jury's still out on that one, especially considering the recent publicity this kind of diet is getting. Apparently, cutting out carbs can cause memory loss.

The explanation is pretty simple: Your brain needs a constant supply of glucose, and glucose can't be stored. According to Professor Holly Taylor of Tufts University, "The brain needs glucose for energy and diets low in carbohydrates can be detrimental to learning, memory and thinking."

Staying away from carbs? You might want to reconsider. That's not to say you should binge on white bread -- a few servings of healthy whole grains per day is all you really need. So go on, eat a piece of bread and don't feel guilty about it.

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Not all sugars are created equal, and new research shows that eating a certain type of sweet stuff can make you gain weight at an alarming weight. We're talking about Fructose, not to be confused with naturally-occurring glucose. According to the New York Times, regular sugar is normally processed by the liver, which acts as a sort of 'traffic cop' and directs the sugar where to go. But fructose by-passes the liver and heads straight to your hips in the form of unhealthy fat.

I know what you're wondering: Why would anyone eat fructose? The answer is simple -- it's everywhere. It's cheaper than sugar, so many food manufacturers use it. It's your responsibility to read the labels and make sure you're avoiding this tasty poison.

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It's inevitable that we will all someday shuffle off this mortal coil. Still, there is much we can do to stick around for as long as we possibly can, and it's no secret that a healthy lifestyle is the key to celebrating more birthdays.

Growing old is not so much a matter of how old you are, but rather how fast you're aging, say Dr. Michael Roizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz. in an article for Open Air magazine. The way our bodies react to stressors can affect the speed of our aging process, similar to the way our brake system changes the speed of our vehicles. Considering that our rate of aging doubles every eight years, if we are able to put on the brakes, so to speak, we could -- at least in theory -- live to be well over 100.

Three tips for life extension, all of which are offered by the docs in the aforesaid article, are to: 1 - stay active with regular exercise; 2 - keep glucose levels in check by limiting your intake of simple carbs; and 3 - be sure to floss regularly, for it will not only keep your teeth and gums healthy, but it will also help prevent inflammation in your arteries.

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Believe it or not, skin secretions from a South American frog stimulate insulin release. Scientists are hard at work on a synthetic version of the secretion. The synthetic version, called pseudin-2, may be useful in creating medications to treat type 2 diabetes. In fact, the synthetic version has been more effective than the natural form and there are no toxic effects on the cells. The concept isn't new. Another diabetes medication called exenatide was created from a saliva hormone from Gila monsters (a lizard).

Type 2 diabetes is where the body doesn't produce sufficient insulin or the body doesn't respond properly to insulin. The medication could help people with type 2 diabetes by generating more insulin production so glucose in the blood stream could be processed more efficiently.

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Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: John Alvira

Age:54

How often do you exercise? Four days a week.

What type of exercise do you do? Nordic Track

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? Always knowing that it benefits me, and that I will see results after.

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A very interesting study on the effects of black tea on blood glucose levels was just published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

In said study, British researchers revealed that drinking 12 ounces of the beverage after eating a high-carbohydrate meal can reduce blood sugar levels. Test subjects that consumed food that contained high-glycemic indexed carbs and then drank black tea witnessed 40 percent greater decrease in their blood sugar levels than test subjects that who didn't drink the tea after the meal.

Amazingly, this blood sugar stabilization extended over a two-hour period after the meal was finished. Researchers posit that active ingredients in the tea cause the secretion of more insulin, a hormone that naturally lowers blood sugar levels.

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Previously studies have shown that when African Americans and Latinos get diabetes they tend to have it more severely than Caucasians, but there was very little understanding why. Recently new studies have shed some light on the situation, although new questions are also part of the mix. According to research by the University of Michigan the following is true, even when issues like income and access to health care are equal:

• African American diabetes patients are less likely than white ones to take their diabetes medication as prescribed.
• Latino diabetes patients are more likely than white ones to suffer from emotional distress related to the diagnosis.

But these findings still leave almost 80% of the racial differences in diabetes management unaccounted for, so unfortunately the mystery remains. But, on the bright side, every little bit helps -- if even just to give more focus to the researching!

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Did you know worms live longer when they are unable to process the simple sugar glucose? Sure enough. And this finding, published in the October issue of Cell Metabolism, may mean for humans that glucose could have a negative effect on life span. Study of these little worms may have other human implications too.

Already, researchers think their findings cast some doubt on traditional Type 2 diabetes treatments, all of which target lowering blood levels of glucose by increasing the amount of sugar taken up by body tissues. Questions are also being raised about the widespread use of antioxidant supplements -- antioxidants and vitamins given to the worms canceled out the life-extending benefits of sugar deprivation.

While banishing refined sugar is definitely a wise idea -- surely, we all agree on that, right? -- no one recommends tossing the multivitamins just yet. I mean, we're talking worms here. Still, some good food for thought, don't you think?

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Dealing with the symptoms of diabetes, along with treating the disease itself, can be an exhausting challenge. Those of you out there currently dealing with diabetes might be interested in this piece, which says that as little as 20 minutes a day of exercise can help raise energy levels, as well as deal with a number of the side-effects that come with the condition.

According to the information in the piece, daily physical activity can also increase whole-body insulin levels, lower A1C (blood glucose test) levels, and decrease the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Not bad for a short, brisk walk arond the block! And of course, any kind of regular activity is good for your body and mind as a whole, so if you're dealing with diabetes, finding time for a bit of exercise has numerous benefits.

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People make jokes about how it hurts to think, or that it's so exhausting sometimes it's just not worth it, and although we all laugh it turns out there may actually be some truth to those comments! Thinking too hard can actually make you tired.

It all comes down to the fact that our brains need glucose to work, and that when we concentrate we use up glucose faster than when we don't. And the older you are (keep in mind this was done with rats so take it with a grain of salt) the longer your glucose levels take to bounce back up to normal.

So now you can say how tired you are from thinking all day, and when people laugh just look at them, "I'm serious, man."

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If you've been reading That's Fit for a while, you probably already know about Glycemic Index and good carbs vs. bad carbs. If you don't know anything about GI, here's a brief synopsis: each food has a glycemic index, which accounts for the impact it has on your blood glucose level. High GI foods (bad carbs, like white bread and sugary stuff) cause your glucose to spike and the drop dramatically, reulsting in an energy crash and renewed hunger not long after eating. Low GI foods (good carbs, like whole grains) cause your blood glucose levels to rise to a reasonable level and steaily drop off over the next few hours, keeping you full for a good period of time.

Because we all understand things better when we see it in pictures, FitBuff has posted this graph of what high and low GI foods look like in to your energy levels. As you can see, the high GI foods cause your energy levels to drop dramatically, where as low GI foods are more consistent. Check out the original post for more detailed information on timing your carbs.

I totally notice this good-carb/bad-carb phenomenon whenever I give in to my chocolate cravings at lunch -- by mid-afternoon, I feel like I've hit a brick wall of fatigue. Do you have the same experience?

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