Update 9/14/19. What are raspberry ketones and do they work? Well, if you watch the Dr. Oz Show, you may have heard Dr. Oz call raspberry ketones “The #1 miracle in a bottle to burn your fat.” Since he made that bold statement, I've heard that raspberry ketone supplements are sold so fast that vitamin stores can't keep them on the shelves! So, what I'd like to do is review the raspberry ketone research — minus the hype that you have already heard about. Only in this way can you make an informed decision about whether raspberry ketone is right for you. Other names for this supplement include red raspberry ketone, and European red raspberry, as well as the more scientific names Rubus idaeus, Rubus strigosus and Framboise Rouge. I'm telling you these other names because if you just searched for “raspberry ketone” you may not find all of the information available. For this review, I'm pretty much going to stick to just calling it raspberry ketone.
What Are Raspberry Ketones?
Red raspberry ketones are one of many compounds in raspberries and are what gives raspberries their unique smell. Like all things that come from fruits and vegetables, raspberries contain a lot of substances that are healthy —including anthocyanins, vitamin C and beta carotene. As such, raspberry ketones are also antioxidants.
Raspberry ketones also “look” similar to synephrine and capsicum — two ingredients that have been used in many weight loss supplements over the years such as the fat burner promoted by Jillian Michaels. This similarity is likely why scientists considered raspberry ketones as a weight loss agent itself.
Weight loss supplements that contain raspberry ketones include QuickTrim — the Kim Kardashian supplement —and Apidexin. See my reviews on those products for more information.
Ketone trivia. The name ketone is a chemistry term. That's not important. I just thought people might like to know where the word came from. On some websites they spell ketone as “keytone” but this is an incorrect spelling of the word. Again, not important.
Tip. Keep in mind as you read this review that raspberry ketones are not the same thing as ketones that are made when people go on low-carb diets or in people who are diabetic. Those ketones are not the same as raspberry ketones.
Raspberry Ketones And Weight Loss
When Dr. Oz asked his fitness expert, Lisa Lynn (more about her below) on TV, how she found out about the weight loss properties of raspberry ketones, Lisa said “Research research research.” So, I looked up the research on raspberry ketones and this is what I discovered.
In a study published in 2005, titled the Anti Obesity Action of Raspberry Ketone, the supplement was given to mice that were fed a high-fat diet for several weeks. Mice were split into different groups, each getting the same calories but getting different amounts of raspberry ketones (either 0.5%, 1% or 2%).
The diets were about 40% fat in each group. Researchers noted that raspberry ketones — that made up between 1% and 2% of total calories — caused a reduction in body weight and fat buildup in the livers of mice after 10 weeks of use, compared to mice that only were fed a high-fat diet.
Norepinephrine (also called noradrenaline ) is a chemical made in the adrenal glands that act as a neurotransmitter and does many things, one of which includes helping to burn fat. This study also incubated isolated mouse fat cells in norepinephrine along with raspberry ketones to see what would happen.
The researchers observed that the combination of raspberry ketones and norepinephrine caused more fat to leave the fat cells than norepinephrine alone.
This is why Dr. Oz said raspberry ketones cause fat cells to shrink.
I'm telling you this because various websites claim that raspberry ketones increase levels of norepinephrine. However, this study did not show that.
Rather, the researches only showed that raspberry ketones appeared to improve the fat-burning ability of norepinephrine.
This is actually a good thing because too much norepinephrine can be bad. For example norepinephrine can raise blood pressure.
Oddly, this study noted that while a 1% intake of raspberry ketones tended to raise triglyceride levels in the mice, eating it at a concentration of 5% of total calories tended to reduce triglycerides.
These researchers also quoted previous studies noting that raspberry ketones raised metabolic rates—in rats. That's interesting, but where's the proof that raspberry ketones raise metabolism in people?
Bottom Line: This was just a mouse study —and a small study at that! Each group only had 6 mice.
Also, if we really want to be technical, all the mice were male. What about female mice? Would raspberry ketones have the same weight loss effects in female mice —or more importantly —women?
In another study, published in 2010, researchers found that red raspberry ketones inhibited weight gain and improved fat burning in mice that were fed a high-fat diet. Researchers also noted that raspberry ketones increase levels of adiponectin, a hormone made in fat cells.
The Wikipedia page on adiponectin goes into more detail, discussing how the hormone does a variety of things including improving the sensitivity of insulin— (good for diabetics).
Dr. Oz said that Adiponectin was the “hormone that tricks the body into thinking it's thin.”When we put on weight, we reduce the ability of the adiponectin hormone to work.”
Sounds good, but red raspberries have only been shown to reduce adiponectin in mice. What about people? Have raspberry ketone supplements been proven to help people lose weight by raising adiponectin levels? Nope. Not yet.
Tip. There is more evidence that exercise raises adiponectin levels than for raspberry ketones —and exercise has been shown to work in people!
One study from 2013 appeared to show that a supplement – containing raspberry ketones – helped weight loss. But there were several ingredients in that supplement. Also, of the 70 people who originally signed up, only 45 people made it to the end. That's a big drop amount.
There is a study published in 2017 that noted, that raspberry ketones might reduce food intake in mice who were fed a high-fat diet. Again, this is a mouse study.
So, what's the evidence for raspberry ketones and weight loss? It looks like some mouse studies. What about people?
Are Raspberry Ketones Better With Capsaicin?
Capsaicin is found in chili peppers and synephrine is an extract from oranges. Both have been used in weight loss products in the past. Because raspberry ketones “look” like both capsicum and synephrine, I predict that you will see weight loss products that have all three of these ingredients.
But, would they all work better together? I don't know because there is no proof either way. Because of that, I recommend you save your money on weight loss pills that combine (“stack”) capsaicin, synephrine, and raspberry ketones.
Synephrine, in particular, is not without problems. It can raise heart rate and blood pressure which can make it dangerous for a lot of people.
Who Is Lisa Lynn?
Dr. Oz called Lisa Lynn a “fitness expert” on his TV show when he did a segment on this supplement— but who is she? I checked into her background and found her website (LynFit.com) that notes that Lisa Lynn was the personal trainer of Martha Stewart.
Her website does indicate that Lisa holds multiple personal training certifications.
All this is fine but on her website, we see Lisa Lynn also has her own line of supplements (called “Lyn Fit”) She even has a 
raspberry ketone supplement on her website.
In a previous segment of the Dr. Oz show, Lisa Lynn also extolled the virtues of the metabolism booster/weight loss supplement, Coleus Forskohlii. Lisa has this supplement on her website also.
See the review on Coleus Forskohlii for more information.
Look, I'm sure she's a nice person and a great personal trainer —and I am all for capitalism – but where is all the raspberry ketone research? As far as I see, it's just some mouse studies.
How Much Raspberry Ketones Do You Need?
If raspberry ketones help people lose weight, how much works? Nobody knows because there are no human studies of raspberry ketones and weight loss. If we believe the mouse studies (which I don't), it appears that a concentration of 1% of total calorie intake might help weight loss. If that is correct, then the number of raspberry ketones needed would be different for different calorie intakes.
For example, a person who consumes 1800 calories per day would need less than a person who eats 2000 calories per day.
When asked “how much works” on the Dr. Oz Show, Lisa Lynn said to take 100 mg at breakfast— and if that didn't help, to go to 200 mg. Where did she get these numbers from? She doesn't tell us.
I guessing that this might be the human dose, extrapolated from what researchers gave the lab mice? But, I see no good proof that 100-200 mg of raspberry ketones per day helps people lose weight. It might—but I just don't know.
In this toxicology report on raspberry ketones, the authors mention a dosage of 100-1400 mg per day is often mentioned on the internet. That is a pretty big range, which again, says to me, nobody has any idea.
Raspberry Ketones And Appetite
Various websites make the claim that supplements can reduce appetite. But I see no proof of this. Even the mouse studies, do not state that raspberry ketone supplements suppress appetite.
Anti-Aging Effects Of Raspberry Ketones
Can raspberry ketone supplements slow down the aging process? Do they reduce wrinkles? Well, red raspberry ketones do have some antioxidant effects but it's a long shot to go from that to say that they are “anti-aging.”
Raspberry ketones may be found in some cosmetics because they seem to have a skin whitening effect —at least in skins of mice. That's fine, but I recommend you save your money on raspberry ketone anti-aging supplements. They are not an “anti-aging superfood.”
For those who really want a “superfood,” eat raspberries! Here's why: antioxidants work best in small amounts and when they are eaten in combination with the other ingredients in food. Because of this fact, raspberries are better than raspberry ketone supplements when it comes to being healthy.
Raspberry Ketone Side Effects
In healthy people, raspberry ketones are probably safe. That said, those who are not healthy or take medications should speak to their doctor/pharmacist first. Here are a few things to consider when taking this supplement. This list is not complete.
- Start with less than recommended for the first week
- Pregnant or nursing women should also speak to their doctor
- Stop taking the product at least 2 weeks before having surgery
There are only trace amounts of raspberry ketones in raspberries so they are no the same thing as supplements. This toxicology report states that there is only 4.3 mg per 2.2 pounds of raspberries. Just because raspberries are safe does not mean concentrated supplements of raspberry ketones are also safe.
One of the mouse studies summarized above noted that raspberry ketones raised triglyceride levels. Does this mean they also raise triglycerides and cholesterol levels in people?
Since raspberry ketones appear to have some chemical similarity to synephrine, be careful if you have high blood pressure or heart conditions. Synephrine might raise blood pressure and heart rate.
A report from Denmark publishedhas raised some concerns that the supplement may have toxic potential but there is little human evidence for this.
Some have speculated that these supplements may be inappropriate for those with cancers that are sensitive to estrogen levels. This is based on a concern that raspberry ketones may have estrogen-like properties. Cancers that might be affected by this include breast cancer, fibroids of the uterus, endometrium cancer, and uterine cancer.
In the book Herbs of Choice raspberry leaf is said to help with pregnancy issues such as morning sickness and labor pains. The book also notes (p. 140) that raspberry appears to promote contraction of the uterus. That would not be good for pregnant women. Would the same be true for raspberry ketone supplements? I don't know.
Do these supplements raise blood pressure? I do not know, but if the leaf of raspberries cause the muscles of the uterus to contract, what effect would they have on the muscles of the blood vessels? Would they also contract (and raise blood pressure) or would they relax (and decrease blood pressure)? I don't know.
Remember, some raspberry ketone supplements may contain more than just raspberry ketones. Always check the labels to see what other ingredients a supplement may contain.
See What Weight Loss Supplements Work for a list of things I feel have evidence
Do Raspberry Ketones Work?
The research on raspberry ketones for weight loss is in its infancy. As such, I just don't know if this supplement helps people lose weight or not. The majority of research is a lab rat and lab mice research. Raspberry ketones may benefit in mice but what about humans? I'd like to see a real-life study of of 100 people followed for at least 6 months under real-life (not laboratory) conditions to judge its weight loss power.
If you are still thinking about trying raspberry ketones to help you lose weight, I suggest you go to your doctor and get your blood work done first —cholesterol, blood pressure, weight, liver enzymes, the works—and then get it done again in a couple of months to see if anything has changed.
There are a LOT of websites that sell raspberry ketones. If you read the comments here, you'll see how some people talk about how their credit card was charged more than once after they purchased a product. Know who you deal with. Make sure the raspberry ketone websites you deal with have a contact phone number with customer support people who can help you have questions.
If they are going to work, keep in mind that it might take 6 months before raspberry ketones help you lose weight. Oh, and if you watched the Dr. Oz show, you also heard that you still have to exercise and watch what you eat too. So, you have to eat right and exercise as well as take raspberry ketones. That sounds less like “a miracle in a bottle to burn fat” and more like common sense.
ive taken the raspberries and lost 5 lbs in a week, this may work for some and not for others just like anything out there. Dr oz does try his products and the one time he was WRONG and fooled in to something he came out on his show and apologized
Erin do you happen to remember what product Dr Oz was fooled by?
Used Raspberry Ketones for about two weeks, experienced weight gain (about 3 pounds) and a LOT of anxiety, so much so that it affected my sleep. From the information above, it is probably due to its estrogen effects.
I checked in on a product that DR OZ was promoting. I had to fill out an information form to submit just to get the price. I decided not to go further and dropped off the page. I got 3 phone calls from his sales team.
I told the first one I was busy at the moment and he said to me “What your too busy to loose weight and improve your life?” That was rude considering he called me. The next call was telling me how the deal was too good to pass up.
The third and final call I told them to quit calling me. The product was way more expensive through them and that I did not even complete the online form in the first place. I did not appreciate the aggressive nature of the company one bit.
lulu, I dont think the product was affiliated with Dr Oz but I agree they were very aggressive. When in doubt, dont give your information to anybody just to find out the price. I think companies do this so that even if you dont buy their product, they can always sell your info to somebody else who may try to sell you other products.
I heard that if you use the phrase “Put me on your ‘do not call’ list,” companies are legally obligated to do so and that from that point on they are open to legal action if they call you again. I have used this on aggressive telemarketers and it has seemed to work well.
I’ve read, that actual raspberries only contain such a miniscule amount of keytone, that you’d have to eat mounds and mounds of them in order to get the dose that is apparently offered in the supplement.
Rhianna, thats true but Ive never seen any research showing that raspberries – even though they only have a little raspberry ketones – were not effective. They are definitely healthier.
Wow, I am an individual that believes almost anything. I can honestly tell you that anything Dr. Oz has supported on his shows, regarding weight loss, I have bought. My medicine cabinet is full of “Miracle Pills” I have tried with no results.
I am so tired of Dr. Oz and his phony crap. It seems like every week he is rambling about a new “Miracle Pill”. I don’t watch his show anymore. And instead of taking a stupid pill, after reading your article I am opting out for the real thing.
So I will be eating the actual fruit and will record my weight loss and report to you, IF there are results to share. Thanks again Joe for saving me on not replacing my medicine cabinet LOL.
Felisa, glad you found me and do keep me posted on your progress 🙂
Joe, absolutely I did. It was my default after I stopped using the ketones. Unfortunately it didn’t do the trick. Thanks for asking though.
I know that the estrogen tie-in is pretty much speculation, but having been through bc, anything with a mention of the possibility of estrogenic properties is a frightening proposition. My onc checked with the head of integrative medicine at my treatment center (a major cancer center in the US) and his response was that if here was any possibility at all, why chance it. So that was the end of that for me.
Gwen, well at least you tried. thats whats most important. I agree with the doctor – even if there is a possibility, thats too much of a chance for me. If you are exercising – walking daily for example – remember that you are still healthier than skinny people who dont exercise. And thats true even if you dont lose any weight. I hope that gives you some comfort.
I was using raspberry ketones in combination with glucomannan and my clothes were starting to hang off me. That was with no change in my routine whatsoever. Then in researching it for a friend who has COPD I also noticed that it is not recommended for people who have had estrogen-positive breast cancer. That would be me. I checked with my oncologist and subsequently stopped taking it. The weight has all come back. I waited my entire life for the perfect pill for weight/fat loss. For me, that was it. 🙁
Gwen, so sorry to hear about this! the idea that raspberry ketones might be bad for some types of cancer is mostly speculation as far as I know. Its sad there is not better research on this. Have you tried just using glucomannan by itself? Maybe that was what was helping you lose weight and not the raspberry ketones? I think its worth a shot if you have not tried it.
Hi Joe, I work out 5-6 days a week. I mix up my workouts every week to keep my muscles confused, I am in my late 40’s and in great shape, but no matter what I do, I could not drop 5% bodyfat or 5-10 lbs. I came across a company that was displaying products about losing bodyfat. They mentioned the Dr. Oz recommendation, so at this point I didn’t watch the show and decided to look it up first to see if it was true.
I didn’t see anything bad. It sounded good and I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try it. It was using the combination of Rasberry Keytone (200mg) along with a green coffee bean and green tea extract tea. They suggested that taking the two together, you see better results.
It suggested to take both 30 min. before breakfast or lunch, then again 30 min. before dinner. It also say it suppresses your appetite. I did notice I didn’t eat as much. They say you can eat normal and still loose weight, but in my mind, I eat healthy anyways so I continue to eat healthy.
Most people think this would be a miracle drug and take this and still eat badly and lose weight. I don’t think that is possible. Well, I took this for 30 days and to my surprise, I actually lost 7% body fat. In terms of weight I lost about 5lb. Keep in mind, I have never been able to do this no matter how hard I tried.
So I was off of this for another month and weight wise and bodyfat I would go up and down a few pounds and a percentage or 2 depending what I ate that week which is normal. But it did stay down below what I was initially.
I started up again to try to loose another few % body fat or as a maintenance and to my surprise it has. My husband was on it also, he’s a bit on the heavier side but he was not as consistent with his eating and taking the supplements as I was, so he said he did not lose anything but then again he didn’t measure is progress. I think it results or anything vary with different people. But just wanted to report that I am happy the results in taking the Rasberry Ketone and Green coffee bean extract.
Hi
Thanks for comments. Great to access info so easily and helped me understand. Simple words and straight comments.
Stopped me doing an impulse buy!!
Pam
Couldn’t we just eat raspberries? Surely that’s safer and much more natural. Or am I missing something?
Andreas, I’d think that would work.
You would have to eat over 90 pounds of Raspberries
Bonny how do you arrive at that number?
I really have to agree with the author on asking how can a company prove the effectiveness of any drug or herbal supplement. There’s actually several phases that go along with drug testing. First and foremost, there are the pre-clinical tests. In the pre-clinical trials, both isolated systems and animal tests are preformed to determine if a drug shows promise to be safe for use in humans and effective at treating a specific condition with minimal side-effects. Once the drug has passed pre-clinical trials, it goes onto clinical trials performed on humans. These are split into THREE phases.
Phase one involves between 20 – 100 patients, taking several months, with the purpose of maintaining safety.
Phase two can involve several hundred patients, lasting between several months to two years, with the purpose of researching short-term safety and primarily effectiveness.
Phase three involves several hundred to thousands of patients, lasting one to four years, while researching the safety, dosages, and effectiveness of the drug.
Now, mind you, manufacturers of supplements do not have to register their products with the FDA or get FDA approval before producing and selling their products.
However, to authenticate their claims of fat loss, the companies invested in Raspberry Ketones seemed to have skipped all the important trials, and going directly to the shelf. Personally, I think the consumer should demand more research and the full round of clinical trials to determine if this really does assist in weight loss, if it has any side-effects, or if it’s really just a scam.
~from your friendly Pharmacy technician
Holly thanks for that breakdown – and thats a cool email address ya got too 😉
That’s accurate for prescription medication, but there is no such requirement for supplements. In fact, no testing is required if the ingredients are all GRAS or better.
Caterina, when a product is considered GRAS (generally recognized as safe) its been in the food supply for at least 50 years and as such is considered safe for general use. So what you say is true, no testing is needed.
Hi Joe,
You keep saying that your info is unbiased but just like dr oz you don’t seem to know what might happen to humans.
You refer to the two mice studies and their insufficiency to prove RK works for humans.
Major drug studies are indeed done on mice and not on humans.
Don’t you like dr oz?please don’t be offended but most of the comments seemed to just say dr oz is a new age fraud without trial of the product and thanking you for saving them money(what do you think of big time gyms and their supplements)
Hi Anushka, I like Dr Oz and I dont have a problem with the medical advice Dr Oz gives people – in fact I like it. I think that the pressures of doing a TV show 5 days a week coupled with the desire to really help people – and knowing peoples desire for natural alternatives – opens the door to recommending supplements that have little good proof. The producers who do these TV shows are under a lot of pressure too and I think they sometimes make mistakes in the supplement vetting process.
As for “major drug studies are indeed done on mice and not humans” This is not true. The mice studies are just the first step. If researchers see good things in mice studies, they are followed up later by human trials. In the case of raspberry ketones, there were only mice studies. What will human trials find? I dont know because they have not been done yet.
recently heard of this product through twitter. No one else in the UK is talking of this yet. Just ordered my first course through amazon and will report back.
Hello… and thank you for this posting! I hope it is okay… I just shared this info on my FB. I am a homeopathic nurse (RN… who strives to teach more on natural cures and healing from within than push sythetics) 🙂 I found your research to be quite interesting and accurate! Good work! Peace to you… Niki
Niki, glad you found me. Thanks for the kind words and of course, feel free to share away 🙂
Don’t waste your money or time on this. I have been using it and gained weight and got really hungry. I wish I could get my money back.
I weigh 300+ pounds and I have tried just about every diet known to man. I have been taking Nutrifrenzy RK (pure with no additives) for a week along with a sensible diet, but no exercise (yet). I have dropped ten pounds.
Now I understand that a lot of that is probably water weight but I haven’t felt this good in months. I don’t know if the ketones have anything to do with it but I’ve noticed that my acid reflux has subsided, my energy levels during the day are up, and my bowel movements have regulated.
I also sleep through the night without getting up, not even once. That’s a big deal because I am night time eater and I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I haven’t gotten up in the middle of the night with some sort of craving.
So far, so good. The only side-effect that I have experienced is going to restroom more than I normally do (#1 not #2). I am drinking lots of water though, so who knows. I am very happy so far. We’ll see how the next several weeks go.
Curious on an update.. would like to know if the energy and weight loss continued and if any side effects resulted from continued use.
I have been eating healthily, drinking 2 pts water a day and walking for an hour 5 days out of 7. Tried everything but cant shift weight. Am very tempted by rk for a temporary time but have bouts of atrial fibrillation and very low platelet count. Need help!
Margaret, if you are at risk for atrial fibrillation, I would not chance it. Atrial fibrillation can lead to a stroke. Nothing is worth that risk.
Thanks for this sound advice Joe. Offering a quick fix for the complicated problems associated with being overweight is at least irresponsible and at worst downright dishonest. I run wellness and weight loss holidays where the emphasis is upon what goes on in your head rather than what you put in your mouth.
If influential weight loss gurus were more concerned about empowering people and teaching them to eat mindfully rather than selling them false promises the world would be a happier place.
I had used RaspK Raspberry Keytones for approximately 1 month. I did notice a slight drop in body fat percentage and weight, but not without side affects. I had to stop taking them because they caused my stress/anxiety levels to rocket sky high.
I constantly felt on edge, like I had WAY too much to accomplish and no time to accomplish anything and I was snappy and ill tempered due to my stress. I stopped taking them an one week later I went back to normal.
I asked a friend of mine about this side affect (she’s a naturopathic physician) and she explained that Rasperry Keytones react on a stress hormone, thus causing blood pressure to rise and so on.
I definitely wouldn’t suggest Raspberry Keytones to anyone.
I later tried TriAdalean and had better results, with less side affects….still some side affects, but less. I saw a more rapid loss of fat percentage and weight with TriAdalean than Raspberry Keytones. However, you need to be in relatively good health in order to use TriAdalean as well.
Rhianna, tried looking up TriAdalean but didn’t see a website for it. Ive added it to my list of products to review in the near future.
PS Thanks for putting this together.