Who would’ve guessed it, apparently now raspberries can help you lose weight as well or maybe I should say that it is the chemical ketones in the raspberry that is supposed to affect a persons metabolism and increase lean body mass.
The famous television personality Dr Oz originally put raspberry ketones in the lime light when he did a show called “Raspberry ketone: Miracle fat-burner in a bottle” in early 2012.
Raspberry ketones have in fact been used as a flavor additive in food stuffs for generations and are added to perfumes as a natural, but expensive, fragrant. So why did it take so long to discover that they can be used to lose weight?
Needless to say, once Dr Oz started promoting these products they took off like wild fire and became the ‘must have’ weight loss supplements for hundreds of thousands of Americans.
What are Ketones?
Ketones are simple organic compounds (that is containing Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen atoms) which include several types of sugars and the popular solvent Acetone, from which they get their name.
Inside the body ketones are created when the body burns fat molecules for energy rather than carbohydrates. It is this association that implies that raspberry ketones are capable of breaking down and burning fat cells.
The Science behind Raspberry Ketones
Actually there is very little science to support the theory that these ketones are capable of aiding fat reduction. Most of the original evidence was based upon experiments with mice. Fed fattening diets, some of the mice also received high doses of the raspberry ketones and it was noted that although they gained weight, it was less than that gained by the other subjects.
It should be noted that the doses given where approximately one hundred times the recommended amount for human consumption and that no human trials were performed. Given the extensive use of raspberry ketones in the food industry it is considered that they are considered safe for human consumption in the doses available in pill form.
That’s not to say that raspberry ketone cannot aid weight loss, simply that there is no scientific proof that it does. Many people have bought these magic pills and although the majority of them appear to have not seen any measurable effects from taking them there are those that did.
The Ketone Diet?
So why not just eat a handful of fresh organic raspberries each day rather than buy an expensive supplement? The answer is that it takes an huge amount of raspberries to extract the required quantity of ketones that are needed to make supplements.
As a result it’s simply unfeasible to extract the ketones from real raspberries and so they are created synthetically using an industrial process based on the same molecular composition.
Where to Buy Raspberry Ketone Supplements?
With over 30% of Americans over weight it’s understandable that people are looking for a quick way to lose some excess weight hence the popularity of weight loss pills and supplements. The truth is that the best way to get back into shape is to eat well balanced meals and do some moderate exercise.
If you’re still interested in giving raspberry ketones a go then they are readily available online. The most popular dosage is the 100mg bottle but higher doses up to 300mg are also available.