I have been toying with the idea of writing this “raspberry ketone review” for many days, as this has been one of the popular weight loss solutions for a decade now. Finally, I am doing it now.
Do not rush to buy this product without knowing what it is. Beware! The majority of raspberry ketone products on the market are fake.
It is hard to make the right choice of weight loss supplements as there are numerous of them out there.
You will always find different kinds of herbs, smoothies, shakes, pills, and diet plans advertised and promoted as “wonder solutions” for burning fat and suppressing appetite.
Most of these supplements and pills do not live up to expectations.
This article reviews all the available scientific research on raspberry ketone supplements. Here, our primary concern will be its effectiveness and side effects.
What Are Raspberry Ketones?
The word “ketones” can become quite confusing.
You may already know about ketones, a substance formed in our bodies to break fat into energy.
If the body does not get a sufficient supply of carbohydrates, then ketones are created out of stored fat to supply the body with sugar for energy generation.
The ketones found in red raspberries (Rubus idaeus) differ from the ketones formed in the human body. This substance, in a lesser amount, is also found in blackberries, cranberries, and kiwis.
The ketones are the ingredient that gives a unique aroma and flavor to raspberries.
The ketones extracted from raspberries are normally used as a natural substance to add fragrance, color, and flavor to ice creams, fizzy drinks, and skin creams.
In recent times, it was discovered that natural raspberry ketones really had proven efficiency in breaking down body fat rapidly which results in the reduction of body weight.
Some time ago, this new fat-buster supplement took the weight loss world by storm when Dr. Mehmet Oz first introduced it on ‘OZ TV Shows’. He went on to describe raspberry ketone weight loss as a “miracle in a bottle fat buster.”
This supplement is said to have a special capacity for promoting and maintaining a healthy metabolism. It is the increased production of the Adiponectin hormone by the ketones that boosts the metabolism.
As for the verification of the effectiveness of this supplement, a couple of studies conducted in animals or test tubes show that it might increase metabolism and promote faster fat burning.
There have been no human studies to support the effectiveness of this supplement as a reliable fat burner.
So we cannot comment on the “miracle” effect of this diet pill on shedding pounds quickly.
Besides weight loss, some unverified reports and testimonials say ketones extracted from red raspberries are a good hair growth solution.
The pulp extract from this fruit, which contains ketones, can be directly applied to the scalp and left on for about 20 minutes before washing it off. The daily repetition of this therapy for a month or two will help in the lustrous growth of hair.
How Does It Work?
The Ketones extract from red raspberries is said to have the efficiency to cause faster breakdown of fat deposits in the body into energy. In short, this supplement accelerates the fat-burning process and reduces the amount of fat storage within the body cells.
As we already know, some of the weight gain issues most people face are because of inefficient metabolic function.
The ketones in raspberries boost the quantity of adiponectin, a very important hormone that plays a significant role in promoting healthy metabolism and balancing optimum sugar levels in the blood.
It is scientifically proven that fat people with insufficient adiponectin levels have a slower metabolism. Insufficient adiponectin also leads to type 2 diabetes, heart ailments, and a fatty liver.
The entire weight loss theory behind this supplement is founded on some research done on the molecular structure of ketones, which has some similarities with the molecular structure of capsaicin and synephrine.
It is a proven fact that capsaicin and synephrine can boost metabolism, and it is expected that the raspberry, which has a very similar molecular structure, will have the same result as well.
In a couple of studies done on isolated fat cells taken from rats, it was found that the ketones helped increase the levels of the adiponectin hormone.
Based on this finding, it was generalized by deductive reasoning that ketones are good for fat burning; sure to work in human beings as well.
The research is just showing that the molecular structure of raspberry ketone is very similar to two other fat-burning compounds.
Ketones are capable of breaking down fats by increasing the release of a hormone called adiponectin.
It is also important to note here, among the different studies conducted on rats, the results were not identical. The weight loss results from the studies were not as impressive as they would have been.
However, the studies on rats showed that ketones effectively increased adiponectin levels and gave protection against fatty liver.
Here we need to be aware that higher dosages of pure ketones were used in these studies on rats to produce those positive results, but it may not be the case in the bottle of this supplement that you buy.
Benefits and Results
After much research on popular reviews of this supplement, I could gather several points on the major health benefits of raspberry ketones.
These claims do not have any scientific backing. So, it is not necessary that all of them hold up in actual usage.
Still, I take the liberty of bringing to your attention some of the key benefits I came across.
The raspberry ketones may have added benefits and be good for the overall health of the person consuming them.
The reduction of excess fat storage in the body has multiple benefits. The ketones are efficient at removing the bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood to improve cardiovascular health.
The reduction of bad cholesterol helps reduce blood pressure, which is also said to cause hypertension and stress in people.
Ketones are also very good for maintaining healthy levels of thyroid hormone release. One of the primary reasons for obesity in some women is the instability of thyroid hormone release.
Ketones help improve metabolism, which is good for burning sugar into energy at a faster rate. As a result, the sugar deposits in the blood and body cells are minimized. In this condition, you have a lesser chance of having diabetes and increased blood pressure.
Ketones can improve the elasticity of the skin and help in reducing skin wrinkles. As we mentioned before, it is also good for hair growth.
Pure raspberry ketones contain antioxidants that help in purifying the body and especially remove free radicals present in the body.
Raspberry fruit is known to have anti-inflammatory benefits that are good for relieving pain and healing wounds. It is understood to be the effect of the ketones found in this fruit.
Ketones are known for their efficiency in easing menstrual cramps and regulating heavy bleeding by soothing muscle spasms.
This supplement contains minerals like magnesium, copper, manganese, and potassium. It is also rich in vitamin B, vitamin D, antioxidants, riboflavin, folic acid, and niacin.
Caution: Most of these ingredients could be synthetically infused into the supplement by the manufacturing companies to increase the weight loss potential of the supplement.
The Hidden Truth
As you have seen the several advantages (as given above) of raspberry ketones, which are discussed in most of the reviews, you might think it is the ideal supplement that you should try.
There are some hidden facts about this popular fast weight loss diet that are not commonly known to all.
First of all, most of the RK supplements sold in shops and online are not genuine.
Pure ketones extracted from raspberries could have all the health benefits we discussed above.
But the supplement you might buy will not have pure ketones in it.
Very little quantity of Ketones is found in the fruit.
It is estimated that at least a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of raspberry fruit is required to generate about 3 mg of ketone bodies.
At this rate, at least, 40 kilograms of raspberry fruit are required to make one dosage of the supplement.
Imagine how much it will cost to take 60 pills of this supplement for a month’s worth of use if it is the pure ketones extracted from raspberries.
What you buy is not pure ketones, but the exact chemical composition of the actual ketones that are synthetically manufactured.
The word “ketones’ itself is misleading; we think it to the biological ketones produced in our body, which help the body break down fat to generate energy when carbohydrate is not readily available.
The ketones found in raspberries have nothing to do with the biologically produced ketones in our body and do not have an exact effect either.
Side Effects
Raspberry is a common fruit we use. There are hardly any possible side effects of raspberry ketones, as we have been using them for years as food flavors and coloring substances.
Even the raw raspberry fruit we eat contains ketones in small quantities, which have never caused any negative effects on health.
The FDA has also rated raspberry ketone as GRAS (generally recognized as safe). There have also been no confirmed side effects of raspberry ketones to date.
However, there are some isolated anecdotal reports of jitteriness, increased blood pressure, and bloating; these incidents could be just coincidences or a problem with the particular brand of product.
Is It Worth Taking Raspberry Ketones For Weight Loss?
You may be just thinking of getting this weight loss supplement with so many positive health benefits. However, no scientific research on humans has been conducted to date on the effects of using raspberry ketones. It will not trigger ketosis or support a keto diet.
The only known human study so far done was the eight weeks of supplementation with a multi-ingredient weight loss product combination of substance 6 ingredients synephrine, ginger, caffeine, garlic, raspberry ketones, and capsaicin. In this study, the participants lost about 8% of their fat mass.
I have not found any concrete evidence of the effectiveness of this supplement, and most of the testimonials out there are not reliable either.
Some people claim to have lost a lot of weight after using the rasberry ketones diet, while others claim to have lost none.
Some brands of raspberry ketone capsules may also contain chemical weight-loss ingredients that produce good results.
The outcomes of raspberry ketones in humans are not always consistent. The quality of the particular brand of this supplement one is using might also make a big difference in the results.
As a supplement, 200 mg to 400 mg of ketones per capsule is recommended. Ideally, you can take one capsule twice a day, preferably 30 minutes before your meals.
Conclusion
As we have mentioned before, there is no concrete evidence to prove that this supplement lives up to its lofty promises. There is no evidence that raspberry ketones could cause weight loss in humans.
As we have already mentioned, it is hard to get pure raspberry ketones, as almost all brands of supplements available are only synthetically created in imitation of the actual ketones.
No supplement will get you the desired result without following a healthy diet plan coupled with regular workouts or physical exercises.
It is difficult to get pure raspberry ketone supplements. Overall, it isn’t an effective weight loss solution. Thank you for reading this raspberry ketone review.
Recommended reading list: