Raspberry Ketone Takes Web By Storm, Research Lacks But Users Swear By It

Raspberry ketone is emerging as the year’s most buzzed about supplement, after a highly popular segment on the popular Dr. Oz show singing the praises of the natural remedy’s fat burning abilities.

Raspberry ketone is, unlike many new pharmaceutical aids for weight loss, both currently available and not associated with any major side effects. In contrast, few approved drugs for weight-loss are available by prescription, and in the past, several have been linked with major resultant health problems — most memorably in recent years, the heart problems that caused Fen-Phen to be pulled from the market.

Raspberry ketone has likely in part become such a massive hit because it is a natural supplement that allows dieters to avoid the health problems that have been known to result from medications like Fen-Phen and Alli, a still-available weight-loss aid that has the unpleasant side effect of steatorrhea — which is very much like other symptoms ending in “orrhea.”

In comparison, raspberry ketone is considered relatively safe, and studies have shown that the supplement appears to be effective in boosting weight loss — with the caveat it is combined with diet and exercise, of course.

So while a diet of Big Macs and sedentary living will not likely lead to raspberry ketone weight loss success, the Los Angeles Times cites a 2012 Chinese study indicating overall positive results linked to the supplement:

“A 2012 study from China found that raspberry ketones had several health benefits — including improved insulin sensitivity and reduced fat in the liver — in rats fed a high-fat diet. Anton compares such results to early studies of resveratrol, a plant compound that first showed heart-healthy benefits in animals before it became a popular ingredient in supplements. Later studies suggest that it helps human hearts too.”

Have you tried raspberry ketone to jump-start a diet?