There is a lot of “buzz” around Raspberry Ketones for Weight Loss. Here’s a good article explaining the “whys and wherefores” of this natural nutrient!
Raspberry Ketones Help Fat Cells Shrink
“We all have a fat-burning hormone in our body called adiponectin. When this hormone is working correctly, and we’re eating a healthy diet and healthy amount of food for our needs, we metabolize calories properly and don’t store them as fat reserves around our stomachs, hips and thighs. Adiponectin also enhances insulin sensitivity so we decrease blood sugar levels and use calories more completely. Adiponectin also helps to lower blood pressure, and prevent atherogenesis – hardening of arteries.
When we start overeating and not exercising enough, our adiponectin hormones become overwhelmed with the amount of calories to metabolize and become sluggish at burning them. That’s when the love handles and the belly fat and the cellulite start showing up – and that’s when my patients begin asking me how they can get rid of it fast!
Raspberry ketones are the primary ‘aroma’ compound of raspberries – it’s what gives raspberries their distinctive smell. Research has shown that high doses of these ketones in mice on high fat diets have resulted in preventing weight gain, both subcutaneously – beneath the skin, and viscerally – around organs. It also helped prevent fatty liver from developing. The ketones apparently stimulate adiponectin release, thereby increasing insulin release, decreasing blood sugar, boosting metabolism, increasing good, brown adipose tissue that turns metabolism heat up and burns the bad, stored white fat cells. In the same research, though, there was no effect on mouse body weight at 200 times the estimated amount of human intake. To date, there is no clinical evidence that raspberry ketones have the same effect on humans.
However, stories of people losing significant amounts of weight, some up to 5 lbs a week, while using daily raspberry ketones, has been noted, and endorsed, on popular television shows as well as the internet. As I tell my patients, since there are no reported side effects with raspberry ketones, they may help you get back on track with your weight loss efforts, or help you get off a weight loss plateau.
How To Take Raspberry Ketones
Taking 200-250 mg of pure raspberry ketones (one, 100-125 mg tablet in the morning and one at night) in a formula without added ingredients like caffeine, etc, is what to look for when buying this product. Be sure that ‘raspberry ketone’ is listed first, or very near first, in the list of ingredients. You may find cheaper products, but a pure raspberry ketone product, without added ingredients may cost about $30.
Now, of course, you want to resume healthy eating habits along with using raspberry ketones and resume getting the proper amount of exercise. These supplements are not a magic bullet and you shouldn’t rely on them to counter poor eating habits. Continuing to take in more calories, sugar and fat than your body can use at meals can lead to other problems with cholesterol and insulin levels, perhaps, leading to the development of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.”
