If you spend any time looking at diet and lifestyle content on social media, you may well have encountered a variety of weight loss "hacks". or signup to continue reading One of the more recent trends is a homemade drink called , made by soaking uncooked rice and then straining it to drink the leftover starchy water. Sounds delicious, right? Its proponents claim it leads to weight loss by making you feel fuller for longer and suppressing your appetite, working in a similar way to the sought-after drug Ozempic - hence the name.
So does this drink actually mimic the weight loss effects of Ozempic? Spoiler alert - probably not. But let's look at what the evidence tells us. While the recipe can vary slightly depending on who you ask, the to make ricezempic are: advise that best results will happen if you drink this concoction once a day, first thing in the morning, .
The idea is that the longer you consume ricezempic for, the more weight you'll lose. Some claim introducing the drink into your diet can lead to a weight loss of up to in two months. Those touting ricezempic argue it leads to weight loss because of the resistant starch rice contains.
Resistant starch is a type of dietary fibre (also classified as a prebiotic). There's it makes you feel fuller for longer, but it does have proven health benefits. Studies have shown consuming resistant starch may help regulate , aid and improve .
Research has also shown eating resistant starch reduces the risk of , , and other chronic diseases. Resistant starch is found in . These include beans, lentils, wholegrains (oats, barley, and rice - particularly brown rice), bananas (especially when they're under-ripe or green), potatoes, and nuts and seeds (particularly chia seeds, flaxseeds and almonds).
Half a cup of uncooked white rice (as per the ricezempic recipe) contains around of resistant starch. For optimal health benefits, a daily intake of of resistant starch is recommended. Although there is no concrete evidence on the amount of resistant starch that leaches from rice into water, it's likely to be significantly less than 0.
6 grams as the whole rice grain is not being consumed. Ozempic was originally developed to help people with diabetes manage their blood sugar levels but is now commonly used for weight loss. Ozempic, along with similar medications such as Wegovy and Trulicity, is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist.
These drugs mimic the GLP-1 hormone the body naturally produces. By doing so, they slow down the digestive process, which helps people feel fuller for longer, and curbs their appetite. While the resistant starch in rice could induce some similar to Ozempic (such as feeling full and therefore reducing energy intake), no scientific studies have trialled ricezempic using the recipes promoted on social media.
Ozempic has a long half-life, remaining active in the body for about . In contrast, consuming one cup of rice provides a feeling of fullness for only a few hours. And simply soaking rice in water and drinking the starchy water will not provide the same level of satiety as eating the rice itself.
There are several ways to consume more resistant starch while also gaining additional nutrients and vitamins compared to what you get from ricezempic. Letting cooked rice cool over time its resistant starch content. Reheating the rice does not significantly reduce the amount of resistant starch that forms during cooling.
Brown rice is preferable to white rice due to its higher fibre content and additional such as phosphorus and magnesium. These are high in resistant starch and have been shown to promote when eaten regularly. Why not try a recipe that has , , or for dinner tonight? Cooking potatoes and allowing them to cool for at least a few hours their resistant starch content.
Fully cooled potatoes are a rich source of resistant starch and also provide essential nutrients like potassium and vitamin C. Making a as a side dish is a great way to get these benefits. Although many people on social media have reported benefits, there's no scientific evidence drinking rice water or "ricezempic" is effective for weight loss.
You probably won't see any significant changes in your weight by drinking ricezempic and making no other adjustments to your diet or lifestyle. While the drink may provide a small amount of resistant starch residue from the rice, and some hydration from the water, consuming foods that contain resistant starch in their full form would offer significantly more nutritional benefits. More broadly, be wary of the weight loss hacks you see on .
Achieving lasting weight loss boils down to gradually adopting healthy eating habits and regular exercise, ensuring these changes become lifelong habits. Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data.
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