Raspberry Ketone: Why the Evidence Is Still Insufficient

Raspberry ketone is the aroma compound that gives raspberries their smell, also called rheosmin. On the SodaSlim label it is listed as the compound itself, 130 mg per capsule, with no extract strength printed. The label does not say how or where it was produced.

No. NIH says raspberry ketone has been studied in people only in combination with other ingredients, in one 8-week study, and the research is insufficient to draw firm conclusions. No published human trial has tested it alone, so no effect can be credited to it.

Each SodaSlim capsule lists 130 mg of raspberry ketone, and the label says to take one capsule daily, so the daily amount is 130 mg. There is no studied human dose to compare it with, because raspberry ketone has never been tested on its own in people.

NIH found only one human study, an 8-week trial that tested raspberry ketone mixed with other ingredients. A mix cannot show which ingredient caused any change. Without a placebo-controlled trial of raspberry ketone alone, NIH calls the evidence insufficient to draw firm conclusions.

Human safety data are limited, because raspberry ketone has been tested only inside combinations. That leaves its own side effects poorly described. The SodaSlim label says to consult a physician first if you take a medication or have a medical condition, and not to use it under 18 or while pregnant or nursing.

The FTC's Gut Check guide lists seven false claims, including losing two pounds or more a week for a month without changing diet or exercise. Its consumer page adds that promises to lose weight without dieting or exercising are false and that no product works for everyone.

No study cited here tested raspberries for weight, so we cannot say. Whole fruit fits well in a balanced eating pattern, which NIH calls the basis for long-term weight loss along with fewer calories and more activity. A capsule of the isolated aroma compound is not the same as eating fruit.