Raspberry Ketone - What is it & How to use

Raspberry ketone is a chemical from red raspberries that is thought to help for weight loss. Some research in animals or in test tubes shows that raspberry ketone might increase some measures of metabolism. It might also affect a hormone in the body called adiponectin. Adiponectin can increase the rate at which the body burns fat and reduce appetite. However, it is important to keep in mind that there is no reliable scientific evidence that raspberry ketone improves weight loss when taken by people.



The effectiveness ratings for RASPBERRY KETONE are as follows:

Insufficient evidence to rate effectiveness for…

  • Hair loss (alopecia areata). Early research shows that applying a raspberry ketone solution to the scalp might increase hair growth in people with hair loss.
  • Male pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia). Early research shows that applying a raspberry ketone solution to the scalp might increase hair growth in people with male pattern baldness
  • Obesity. Early research suggests that taking raspberry ketone plus vitamin C might decrease weight and body fat in healthy people. Other research suggests that taking a specific product (Prograde Metabolism, Ultimate Wellness Systems) containing raspberry ketone (Razberi K, Integrity Nutraceuticals) and other ingredients twice daily for 8 weeks reduces body weight, fat mass, waist and hip circumference when used with dieting compared to dieting alone in overweight people. The effects of taking raspberry ketone alone are not clear.
  • Other conditions.

More evidence is needed to rate raspberry ketone for these uses.


The appropriate dose of raspberry ketone depends on several factors such as the user’s age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for raspberry ketone. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.

Safety Concerns

There isn’t enough reliable information available to know if taking raspberry ketone alone is safe. There are some concerns about the safety of raspberry ketone because it is chemically related to a stimulant called synephrine. Therefore, it is possible that raspberry ketone might cause feelings of jitteriness, increase blood pressure, or rapid heartbeat. In one report, someone who took raspberry ketone described feelings of being shaky and a pounding heart beat (palpitations).

Special precautions & warnings:

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There is not enough reliable information about the safety of taking raspberry ketone if you are pregnant or breast feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.

Diabetes: Raspberry ketone might lower blood sugar levels. In theory, raspberry ketone might make blood sugar drop too low in people already taking medications for diabetes.

Interaction with medication

Be cautious with this combination.
Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs)
Raspberry ketone might decrease blood sugar. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Taking raspberry ketone along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to get too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed.

Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (Diabeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, metformin (Glumetza, Fortamet, Glucophage, Riomet), pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), and others.

Stimulant drugs
Stimulant drugs speed up the nervous system. By speeding up the nervous system, stimulant medications can make you feel jittery and speed up your heartbeat. Raspberry ketone might also speed up the nervous system. Taking raspberry ketone along with stimulant drugs might cause serious problems including increased heart rate and high blood pressure. Avoid taking stimulant drugs along with raspberry ketone.

Some stimulant drugs include amphetamine, caffeine, diethylpropion (Tenuate), methylphenidate, phentermine (Ionamin), pseudoephedrine (Sudafed, others), and many others.

Warfarin (Coumadin)
Warfarin (Coumadin) is used to thin the blood and prevent blood clots. There has been one report of a person taking warfarin (Coumadin) who also took raspberry ketone. In this person warfarin (Coumadin) did not work as well after raspberry ketone was taken. The dose of warfarin (Coumadin) had to be increased in order to maintain the effect of warfarin (Coumadin) and prevent blood clots. If you take warfarin (Coumadin), talk with your health provider before taking raspberry ketone.
