For the past year, many people have been talking about the wonders of raspberry ketones, those little molecules that make raspberries smell good… and supposedly help people lose weight. This has been the new “wonder drug,” so to speak, and with the likes of Dr. Oz promoting raspberry ketones, it’s no wonder that people are going crazy for them. Bottles of these supplements are flying off the shelves and people the world over are taking them and reporting their results.
These results are varied, of course. Just as many people say they don’t work as those who do. Of course, it could be the placebo effect talking here. Nevertheless, no one really knows if raspberry ketones actually work in helping people lose weight. Some say they do, and others say they’re hogwash. It doesn’t help that there has been no official human testing done, yet it has proven well for the rats it was initially tested on.
If you’re smart, then you’re probably wondering what the side effects are. For even if you can find this supposed wonder drug available for treat, you should never put something into your body that you haven’t researched extensively.
Sadly, just like there is little information on whether or not raspberry ketones work, there is also little information regarding the side effects. In fact, there is no official information at all. For the most part the rats it was tested on have done well and have never shown any serious side effects. But rats are rats and humans and humans.
Furthermore, the FDA has rated raspberry ketones as “Generally Regarded As Safe.” Keep in mind that high fructose corn syrup has the same exact rating, so you can’t take everything the FDA says as the word of God.
If you read online reviews from people who have actually tried the product, you find out that some have reported nausea, dizziness, racing hearts, and a few other side effects. Of course this is all anecdotal and could be true or not. But if you are prone to these sorts of side effects when you take dietary supplements, it may be worth passing on these ketones.
Nobody knows yet how well raspberry ketones work. Nor do we know what the long-term side effects may be in humans. (Or rats, for that matter.) They’re probably safe, but is it worth them not even working?
