IS RASPBERRY KETONE IDEAL FOR WEIGHT LOSS?

Over the years, an increased number of products have been marketed as weight loss pills for tackling excessive weight. Despite how interesting the claims about these weight loss pills sound, my concern is if these pills truly do what they are portrayed to do? One phenolic compound that has gained wide popularity to tackle weight loss is the raspberry ketone. My question is: is raspberry ketone ideal for weight loss? 

Whenever the topic of weight loss pills arises, the key questions I normally tender to my questioners are (a) is it possible to consume only unhealthy foods and still expect miracles from the weight loss pills? (b) how effective are these weight loss pills? (c) do these weight loss pills have detrimental side effects? (d) what happens if the pill is stopped abruptly? (e) can these pills be effective even in the absence of healthy habits such as healthy eating lifestyle and regular exercises? Please feel free to share your opinions on these questions.

My theory on this is that it is outrightly meaningless for someone to do something at the expense of the other. Simply put, someone cannot just rely on weight loss pills at the expense of basic healthy habits. Even though we live in a free world and we are free to do whatever we want to do, yet we do not have the right to choose the consequences therein. 

I have seen some people who took these weight loss pills and slim down within a short period of time only for them to regain excessive weight within few months post-consumption of the pills. On the other hand, some chaps take these pills alongside changing their lifestyles such as regular exercises and healthy eating habits and the results were not only effective but long-term as well. 

Well, the ball is in your court for you to decide if these weight loss pills actually worth your penny!

Even though raspberry ketones are deemed safe for human consumption, yet their short or long-term effects on our overall health is still not clear. 

Raspberry is an excellent constituent of polyphenols, minerals, vitamins and aromatic raspberry ketones (4-(4-hydroxyphenyl) butan-2-one; RK). It is the raspberry ketone chemical that is believed to aid weight loss due to its similar structure to that of synephrine and capsaicin compounds. Several studies reveal that these compounds display anti-obese actions and can alter lipid metabolism. Due to the high demand of raspberry ketones and being that the natural ones are few and expensive, they are mostly biosynthesized from coumaroyl-coA.

It might also interest you to know that several studies have been conducted to determine the impact of raspberry ketones on overweight however, these experiments were not conducted using human samples for example;

(a) Morimotoa et al., (2005) conducted an experiment to determine if raspberry ketones can prevent obesity as well activate lipid metabolism in rodents. It was observed that raspberry ketones prevent and improve obesity, including the fatty liver in the examined animals. These effects are attributed to raspberry ketones ability to modify the lipid metabolism and increase the norepinephrine-induced lipolysis in white adipocytes. 

(b) Sekizuka et al., (2014) examined the impact of oral administration of raspberry ketones on the pharmacokinetics of midazolam (CYP3A substrate) in rats. Raspberry ketone tablets were administered at a dose of 50 mg/kg for every 12 hours for a period of 7 days, while 10 mg/kg midazolam was given orally at 24 hours after the final treatment. Also, St. John’s wort was given as a positive control. The result showed that there was no significant difference between the raspberry ketone-treated and the control groups.

Notwithstanding that raspberry ketone is effective for impeding the accumulation of body fat, the concern is that there is no reliable scientific evidence to support its efficacy and long-term safety in tackling overweight. Besides, existing studies on raspberry ketone have only been conducted in vitro using test tubes. 

Finally, it is noteworthy that the concentrations of raspberry ketones used in human body experiments cannot be the same with the studies conducted outside the body on single cells. Also, there is no scientific evidence highlighting its potential side effects.

Prevention is better than cure - Live a healthy lifestyle for a healthy weight and a healthier you!!!

Images are from pixabay

Here are my other articles that might interest you:

BENEFITS OF COCONUT WATER

OUTSTANDING BENEFITS OF RICE

HOW OFTEN DO YOU EAT FRUIT & VEGETABLES?

REASONS WHY PSYLLIUM IS HIGHLY BENEFICIAL

GREEN COFFEE BEANS EXTRACT: WEIGHT LOSS BENEFITS, USES AND SIDE EFFECTS

You can find this article as well as the references via https://globalfoodbook.com/raspberry-ketones-good-weight-loss