‘Ricezempic’ Is the Latest Viral Trend Claiming to Be a GLP-1 Alternative: Doctors Are Not Sold
One proponent says she lost six pounds in just two days from drinking rice water
Yet another weight loss trend emerges on TikTok in the form of what is referred to as “ricezempic.” This is another experiment that many people are trying as a kind of natural alternative to popular GLP-1 agonist medication Ozempic. We asked doctors to weigh in with their thoughts on the new trend and whether this is truly an effective method for weight loss.
What is the ‘ricezempic’ trend?
As the name suggests, claims surrounding this sensation suggest that soaking rice in water for five minutes and then drinking the leftover water mixed with lemon juice daily leads to significant weight loss by way of resistant starch. The ozempic alternative has gained a significant following on social media.
@garden_variety_jess Todays episode of “thats not magic its science” is dedicated to the ChorroKing and his #ricezympic 😎 resistant starches for the win! #resistantstarch #prebiotic #weightloss
Doctors weigh in on ‘ricezempic’ for weight loss
Ozempic has become one of if not the most popular brand name for the class of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist (GLP-1 AR) drugs. Ozempic is used to treat type 2 diabetes and its risk factors in adults, and is not FDA-approved specifically as a weight loss medication. However, weight loss is a common result of the medication as the drug helps to regulate appetite, slow digestion and lower blood sugar levels, which has led to frequent weight loss drug off-label use.
Resistant starch is a type of fiber that is slow to be digested so that fewer calories are absorbed, helps healthy gut microbiota thrive and increases satiety. Does this really mean their mechanisms are similar? Doctors have a few important thoughts about the ricezempic trend as an Ozempic alternative for weight loss.
“To answer the question of whether this can act similarly to a GLP-1 medication, it absolutely cannot,” says Alexandra Sowa, MD. “One, there is no alternative to the efficacy we see with the GLP-1 medications when it comes to weight loss across any modalities, from other FDA-approved medications to diet and lifestyle interventions. Moving beyond that, people are saying that the breakdown of rice, which can be a resistant starch, decreases appetite. However, there’s no evidence for that type of starch decreasing appetite in a meaningful way for weight loss.”
Admittedly, you may lose some weight in the short term because you are decreasing your calories so significantly and tricking your body into fullness, explains Dr. Sowa. However, this is not sustainable in the long term for weight management, nor worth replacing medications, she says.
“People are claiming the resistant starch, a prebiotic dietary fiber, helps with satiety or feeling full, as well as blood sugar regulation,” notes Katrina Mattingly, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Options Medical Weight Loss . “Fiber does help with satiety but so does ingesting the rice water liquid itself. It may be beneficial because it provides liquid to help curb appetite. A lot of time people believe they are hungrier than they are, when in fact they are just a bit dehydrated and would eat less if they drank more water.”
Rice water can provide a small amount of dietary fiber, Dr. Mattingly explains, although not as much as eating the grains of rice, and its effects would be based on the ingestion of water and the small amount of starch and nutrients seeped into the water.
While resistant starch can make you feel fuller for longer, Ozempic is an actual hormone-like effector that decreases your appetite centrally, offers César Lara, MD, board-certified weight loss doctor and Erchonia spokesperson. It slows down your body’s digestion and decreases insulin resistance. In general, though, there is no scientific evidence behind rice water boosting weight loss aside from the psychological belief that it may help you, he says.
An extra word of caution about ‘ricezempic’
“I think that it is more important to recognize that rice water does have some potential benefits in supplements with some of the vitamins that come with the rice,” Dr. Lara says. “But when it comes to the rice water, I think we also need to recognize that rice can potentially be a high source of arsenic. That is a toxin that could be potentially poisonous and is associated with developing cancer and type 2 diabetes.”
Keep reading for weight loss tips that really work:
Shed Pounds and Boost Calorie Burn With Our Walking Plan for Weight Loss
The Best Yogurt for Weight Loss: A Recipe That Really Works
Psyllium for Weight Loss: How the Supplement Can Help Women over 50
This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. First For Women does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
