In spite of the fact that this chemical compound is called “raspberry” ketone, most people don’t know that it can also be found in a number of other fruits or plants, such as rhubarb. Given the fact that it has been intensively used as a food additive in the past decades, raspberry ketone is considered a safe compound by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration ever since 1965.
Weight loss use
The first paper that talked about the uses of raspberry ketone in reducing fat was first published in 2005 by several Japanese researchers. They have found that raspberry ketone was able to reduce visceral fat in mice. The starting point of this study was an observation according to which raspberry ketone has a similar chemical structure to ephendrine and synephrine. These two compounds can be found in various plants and they seem to work much like adrenalin, being able to activate certain receptors found in fat cells, thus promoting weight loss.
The experiment conducted by the Japanese researchers used two separate groups of mice and lasted over six weeks. In order to see the effects of the raspberry ketone, their diets were modified to encourage weight gain. However, apart from the regular diet, one of the groups of mice was also administered 1% raspberry ketone. It was this exact group that showed less increase fat tissue levels.
After trying to figure out just how raspberry ketone works, the Japanese researchers found that this chemical compound also needs noradrenalin in order to be effective in the weight loss process. Moreover, the study also showed that raspberry ketone is not able to attach to certain receptors that are found on the surface of adipose cells.
One other study that involves raspberry ketone was conducted by Dr. Tim Ziegenfuss and other members of an Ohio Research Group. This study also involved two groups, but of professional athletes, not mice. One group was given raspberry ketones and the other one was given a placebo. As it turns out, the group that took raspberry ketones presented an elevated level of oxygen consumption for about 30 minutes after a workout. This led the researchers to conclude that the compound could have increased the metabolism of fatty acid towards the end of the workout.
Further studies have showed that the raspberry extract can also prevent fat from being synthetized and can even block the increase of serum triglyceride as a result of consuming a meal that is high in fat.
Anti – inflammatory use
A group of researchers from the Michigan State University studied the anti – inflammatory properties of raspberry ketone. It turns out that the chemical compound contains anthocyanins which can also be found in several other fruits, such as strawberries, cherries, blackberries and cranberries. The researchers found that, apart from cherries, raspberries have the highest levels of anthocyanins, being comparable with the effects of Ibuprofen or Aspirin.
The anti – inflammatory properties of raspberry ketone were discovered as a result of another study, where the compound was incredibly effective in treating severe arthritis in mice.
