Raspberry Ketone

Also called 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone, rheosmin, frambinone.

Best grade D across 2 graded outcomes Other Last checked

The short answer

From 11 sources

Raspberry ketone is the main aroma compound of red raspberries and a common flavouring. No published trial has tested it alone in people. The two human trials used blends with caffeine, capsaicin and bitter orange, so its own effect cannot be separated. Supplement amounts (100–1,400 mg/day) far exceed food exposure, and toxicity data are limited to rodents.

Every graded outcome on this page

2 rows · line = participants
  1. Grade DBody weight and fat mass with diet and exercise (multi-ingredient blend)Weight and body fatn 45
  2. Grade DBody weight and fat mass with diet and exercise (multi-ingredient blend)Weight and body fatn 36

Key facts

Isolated human trials
None published; the only human trials tested multi-ingredient blends124
Typical label amounts
Internet products recommended 100–1,400 mg/day3
In food
Up to 4.3 mg per kg of raspberries3
Safety margin
Based on a rat NOAEL of 280 mg/kg/day, the margin of safety was 165 at 100 mg/day and only 12 at 1,400 mg/day3
Mouse toxicity
A single 640 mg/kg dose killed 6 of 14 male mice within 2 days6
Label accuracy
In a 2025 lab analysis, 60% of supplements declaring raspberry ketone content did not match the label, most containing less10

What it is

Raspberry ketone is the aroma compound of red raspberries, sold in high doses as a weight-loss supplement.

How it works

Proposed

Cell and rodent studies suggest raspberry ketone activates PPAR-α and alters fat-cell metabolism, but the mechanism remains largely unknown. In high-fat-fed mice, raspberry ketone reduced food intake and body weight, yet had limited benefit on fat loss beyond the drop in food intake.45

Forms, side by side

2 forms named in our sources. The rest show what our data holds, and say plainly where it holds nothing yet.

Raspberry Ketone forms compared

2 forms
Raspberry Ketone forms compared: 2 forms by 3 attributes. Empty cells are labelled No data yet, or Not graded in the evidence row.
2 formsCapsulesWeight-loss blends containing raspberry ketone
Absorption in peopleNo human absorption data. In mice it was absorbed within about 15 minutes, and total exposure was almost double in obese mice.7No head-to-head human data.1
GI toleranceNo human tolerability data for raspberry ketone alone; toxicological studies are limited to acute and subchronic rat studies.3An 8-week blend trial reported no differences in heart rate, blood pressure, blood chemistry or adverse events versus placebo.1
Studied forNot tested alone in peopleDiet-and-exercise weight-loss trials (8 weeks)
  1. Raspberry ketone capsules
    Absorption in people
    No human absorption data. In mice it was absorbed within about 15 minutes, and total exposure was almost double in obese mice.7
    GI tolerance
    No human tolerability data for raspberry ketone alone; toxicological studies are limited to acute and subchronic rat studies.3
    Studied for
    Not tested alone in people
  2. Weight-loss blends containing raspberry ketone
    Absorption in people
    No head-to-head human data.1
    GI tolerance
    An 8-week blend trial reported no differences in heart rate, blood pressure, blood chemistry or adverse events versus placebo.1
    Studied for
    Diet-and-exercise weight-loss trials (8 weeks)
Every cell holds data from a cited page; citation numbers link to the page that holds them.Scroll the table for every column

What the human research says

Human trials only, one row per outcome. The form line shows what each trial actually tested. Grades follow our evidence-grading policy.

Trial map

2 graded outcomes, largest study first

2 graded outcomes: 1 improved, 1 no effect. The largest, a 2013 randomized trial of 45 people on body weight and fat mass with diet and exercise (multi-ingredient blend), found an improvement.

1. Body weight and fat mass with diet and exercise (multi-ingredient blend): improved, 45 people1
2. Body weight and fat mass with diet and exercise (multi-ingredient blend): no effect, 36 people2

1Body weight and fat mass with diet and exercise (multi-ingredient blend)

Improved · Grade D · RCT, 45 people, 2013

Adults with obesity on an 8-week calorie-restricted diet and exercise programme

Dose, result and source
Every graded outcome on this page, largest study first
OutcomeFoundPeopleStudyWho was studied
Body weight and fat mass with diet and exercise (multi-ingredient blend)Improved45Grade D · RCT, 2013Adults with obesity on an 8-week calorie-restricted diet and exercise programme
Body weight and fat mass with diet and exercise (multi-ingredient blend)No effect36Grade D · RCT, 2018Overweight men and women on 8 weeks of calorie restriction and supervised exercise
Each circle is one graded outcome on this page, numbered from the largest study down, and placed by how many people it studied (log scale). It shows who was studied and what was found, not advice about your dose.

Every graded row

2 rows
Grade DBody weight and fat mass with diet and exercise (multi-ingredient blend)Weight and body fatImprovedRCT
n 45 · 2013

Improved Body weight fell 2.0% vs 0.5% with placebo and fat mass 7.8% vs 2.8%; waist and hip girth also fell more. No differences in heart rate, blood pressure, blood chemistry or adverse events.

Design
RCT, n = 45, 2013
Population
Adults with obesity on an 8-week calorie-restricted diet and exercise programme
Form
Blend of raspberry ketone, caffeine, capsaicin, garlic, ginger and Citrus aurantium
Dose
Daily blend (raspberry ketone amount not stated in the abstract)
Duration
8 weeks
Source
Reference 1 · PubMed 23601452 (opens PubMed)
Grade DBody weight and fat mass with diet and exercise (multi-ingredient blend)Weight and body fatNo effectRCT
n 36 · 2018

No effect Weight, fat mass and body-fat percentage fell in both groups; the abstract reports no between-group difference for these. Leptin fell and adiponectin rose more with the blend, and women on the blend lost more hip girth.

Design
RCT, n = 36, 2018
Population
Overweight men and women on 8 weeks of calorie restriction and supervised exercise
Form
Blend of raspberry ketone, capsaicin, caffeine, garlic and Citrus aurantium (4 capsules/day)
Dose
4 capsules/day (raspberry ketone amount not stated in the abstract)
Duration
8 weeks
Source
Reference 2 · PubMed 29111889 (opens PubMed)

Human observations on the skin (not graded)

1 note

Topical use, not supplements; no placebo group is described in the abstract.

Hair and skin
Applied to the scalp and face as a 0.01% solution, raspberry ketone was followed by hair regrowth in 5 of 10 people with alopecia at 5 months and higher cheek skin elasticity in 5 women at 2 weeks. The study was mainly in mice and too small and uncontrolled to grade.11

What the numbers add up to

Each point is worked out from the data and the sources numbered on this page, with the arithmetic shown under it. It adds no new data and is not medical advice.

A 100 mg capsule vs raspberries

At up to 4.3 mg per kg of fruit, 100 mg of raspberry ketone would take at least 23 kg of raspberries.3

How we got this: 100 mg ÷ 4.3 mg/kg ≈ 23 kg

Ingredient effect unknown

Both positive and neutral human results come from blends that included caffeine and bitter orange, which are stimulants in their own right.12

How we got this: Evidence table on this page

Labels are not a reliable guide

With 6 in 10 analysed products off their declared raspberry ketone content, the mg on a label may not be what a capsule contains.10

How we got this: 60% mismatch reported in the 2025 product analysis

Studied doses

Doses used in research, shown against the official limits. They describe the studies, not a recommendation for you.

Studied doses in research, not advice. These are amounts used in research, not personal advice. Your clinician or pharmacist can say what fits you.

Doses studied in human trials

Doses studied in human trials ranged from undisclosed amounts of raspberry ketone inside multi-ingredient blends for 8 weeks; neither trial abstract states the raspberry ketone content, and no trial has tested it alone. Label amounts of 100–1,400 mg/day are not research doses.123

Interactions and safety

Published interactions only: each row cites a source. No row means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe.

What Raspberry Ketone meets

0 cited rows 9 tested together

Medicines 0

No medicine rows in our sources.

Raspberry Ketone0 medicines · 5 supplements

Supplements and foods 5

  • Tested together in a graded trial
Also cited: 9 tested together

  1. Bitter OrangeBitter Orange page

    • Tested together

      Body weight and fat mass with diet and exercise (multi-ingredient blend). Graded on the Raspberry Ketone page; tested together is not a claim that they work better together.

    • Tested together

      Body weight and fat mass with diet and exercise (multi-ingredient blend). Graded on the Raspberry Ketone page; tested together is not a claim that they work better together.

  2. CaffeineCaffeine page

    • Tested together

      Body weight and fat mass with diet and exercise (multi-ingredient blend). Graded on the Raspberry Ketone page; tested together is not a claim that they work better together.

    • Tested together

      Body weight and fat mass with diet and exercise (multi-ingredient blend). Graded on the Raspberry Ketone page; tested together is not a claim that they work better together.

  3. CapsaicinCapsaicin page

    • Tested together

      Body weight and fat mass with diet and exercise (multi-ingredient blend). Graded on the Raspberry Ketone page; tested together is not a claim that they work better together.

    • Tested together

      Body weight and fat mass with diet and exercise (multi-ingredient blend). Graded on the Raspberry Ketone page; tested together is not a claim that they work better together.

  4. GarlicGarlic page

    • Tested together

      Body weight and fat mass with diet and exercise (multi-ingredient blend). Graded on the Raspberry Ketone page; tested together is not a claim that they work better together.

    • Tested together

      Body weight and fat mass with diet and exercise (multi-ingredient blend). Graded on the Raspberry Ketone page; tested together is not a claim that they work better together.

  5. GingerGinger page

    • Tested together

      Body weight and fat mass with diet and exercise (multi-ingredient blend). Graded on the Raspberry Ketone page; tested together is not a claim that they work better together.

Rows as our evidence profiles cite them; links stay on this site. Line weight shows what backs a row, not how serious an interaction is. No line means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe. Not medical advice: ask your pharmacist.

Interactions

0 agents

None found in our sources.

Check with what you take

Kept on this device only

Add what you take. We list every interaction our evidence profiles cite between Raspberry Ketone and your picks, and between your picks.

Most cited:

Add a supplement or medicine you take to check it against Raspberry Ketone.

Starting from one medicine? The interaction checker rates how serious each pair is, on a curated list of 19 entries for 11 medicines. This cabinet has no severity rating: it lists every interaction row our supplement pages cite.

Not medical advice, and no dosing advice. An empty result means no row we cite names that pair, by name or through a drug class we can link the medicine to, not that a combination is safe. Where our sources name only a group of medicines we cannot match, the cabinet says so. Ask your pharmacist before you combine supplements and medicines.

Who should be careful

4 groups
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Computer (QSAR) models flagged possible effects on reproduction and development, and no human safety data exist. LactMed covers raspberry leaf but has no record for raspberry ketone.3
People with heart conditions
QSAR models flagged potential cardiotoxic effects; the blends tested in people also contained caffeine and Citrus aurantium (bitter orange).31
Anyone considering high doses
The lowest recommended supplement dose (100 mg) is 56 times the toxicological threshold of concern for this class of substance, and safety data are limited to rodents.3
Other medicines
No drug-interaction studies or case reports were found for raspberry ketone alone, so interaction data are lacking. The blends tested in people also contained caffeine and bitter orange, which carry their own interaction cautions.31
Talk to your pharmacist or clinician before starting a supplement, especially if you take prescription medicines.

Safety first

3 notes

High intake, few toxicity data.

Rodent findings
In mice, a single 200 mg/kg dose cut 24-hour food intake by 24% in males, and 640 mg/kg cut it by 49–77%; the authors say doses that reliably suppress feeding are linked to pathology: 640 mg/kg killed 6 of 14 male mice and caused white-fat atrophy, spleen changes and thymus shrinkage.6
Thin safety data
Toxicology studies are limited to acute and subchronic rat studies; the authors call for further testing given high supplement intakes.3
Legal status
US: FDA lists it as a synthetic flavouring substance (21 CFR 172.515); the FTC has acted against deceptive weight-loss marketing of products containing it. UK: the pure compound needs novel-food authorisation before marketing.893

How the body handles raspberry ketone

2 notes

Only animal data exist.

Absorption
In mice, raspberry ketone peaked in blood at about 15 minutes and was quickly converted into many metabolites.7
Body weight changes exposure
Obese mice had almost double the total exposure of normal-weight mice, and more of it in white fat.7

How to read the label

What to check on the Supplement Facts panel.

How to read the label

5 checks
Blend vs single ingredient

The only human trials used blends with caffeine, capsaicin and bitter orange; a raspberry ketone-only product has no trial behind it.12

Label amounts may be wrong

Among supplements declaring a raspberry ketone amount, 60% did not match the label in a 2025 analysis, most containing less.10

Label dose vs food exposure

Labels suggest 100–1,400 mg/day, while raspberries contain up to 4.3 mg/kg.3

Regulatory status

In the UK the pure compound is regarded as a novel food that needs authorisation before sale, though it remained on sale online in 2015.3

US status

FDA lists raspberry ketone (4-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone) as a synthetic flavouring substance under 21 CFR 172.515; the FTC settled charges in 2014 against a marketer whose ‘fat burner’ line included a raspberry ketone formula and made unsupported weight-loss claims.89

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to common questions; the numbers link to the sources below.

Common questions

7 answers
Does raspberry ketone help with weight loss?

No trial has tested it alone in people. Two 8-week trials of blends with caffeine and other ingredients gave mixed results alongside diet and exercise.12

Does raspberry ketone reduce appetite?

In mice, single doses cut food intake (24% in males at 200 mg/kg, more at 640 mg/kg), but the doses that reliably suppressed feeding were linked to organ changes and deaths. There are no human appetite data for it alone.65

Do raspberry ketone labels list the right amount?

Often not. A 2025 lab analysis found that 60% of supplements declaring raspberry ketone content did not match their labels, most containing less.10

Is raspberry ketone safe?

Human safety data are lacking. A risk assessment found small safety margins at label doses, and high doses harmed mice.36

How much raspberry ketone is in raspberries?

Up to 4.3 mg per kg, far below the 100–1,400 mg/day suggested on supplement labels.3

Does raspberry ketone interact with medicines?

No interaction studies or case reports were found for raspberry ketone alone. Many blends add caffeine and bitter orange, which are stimulants with their own cautions.31

Is raspberry ketone natural?

It occurs naturally in raspberries and is used as a flavouring; most supplement amounts cannot come from fruit.3

Sources

11 sources: trial abstracts, NIH fact sheets and reference databases. Numbers in the text link here.

Sources cited on this page

11 sources
  1. 1Eight weeks of supplementation with a multi-ingredient weight loss product enhances body composition, reduces hip and waist girth, and increases energy levels in overweight men and women.RCT J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2013 · PMID 23601452
  2. 2The Combined Effects of Exercise, Diet, and a Multi-Ingredient Dietary Supplement on Body Composition and Adipokine Changes in Overweight Adults.RCT J Am Coll Nutr, 2018 · PMID 29111889
  3. 3Raspberry ketone in food supplements--High intake, few toxicity data--A cause for safety concern?Review Regul Toxicol Pharmacol, 2015 · PMID 26160596
  4. 4Pharmacological Exploration of Phenolic Compound: Raspberry Ketone-Update 2020.Review Plants (Basel), 2021 · PMID 34209554
  5. 5Raspberry ketone fails to reduce adiposity beyond decreasing food intake in C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet.Animal study Food Funct, 2017 · PMID 28378858
  6. 6Acute feeding suppression and toxicity of raspberry ketone [4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone] in mice.Animal study Food Chem Toxicol, 2020 · PMID 32565406
  7. 7Influence of Diet-Induced Obesity on the Bioavailability and Metabolism of Raspberry Ketone (4-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)-2-Butanone) in Mice.Animal study Mol Nutr Food Res, 2020 · PMID 32052560
  8. 8Substances Added to Food: 4-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone (raspberry ketone)Database U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026 · hfpappexternal.fda.gov
  9. 9FTC Settlement Bans Marketer Behind ‘Fat Burner’ Diet Pills from Manufacturing, Marketing Weight-Loss ProductsSafety communication U.S. Federal Trade Commission, 2014 · ftc.gov
  10. 10Evaluation of quality and authenticity of raspberry ketone supplements by a multianalytical approach.Lab study J Chromatogr A, 2025 · PMID 40513409
  11. 11Effect of topical application of raspberry ketone on dermal production of insulin-like growth factor-I in mice and on hair growth and skin elasticity in humans.Open-label trial Growth Horm IGF Res, 2008 · PMID 18321745

What changed

Every dated change to this page: what changed, who made it and why.

Change log

4 entries
Dated changes to this page
DateChangeWho and why
key facts, who should be careful, label guide, research notes, insights, FAQAudit check: PubMed searched for raspberry ketone human trials 2017–2026; no new oral trial exists, so the evidence table is unchanged. Interactions checked (no NCCIH, ODS, LactMed or MSKCC entry; no published case or PK study), so the list stays empty with a note. Added a 2025 label-accuracy analysis (PMID 40513409) and a small topical human observation as an ungraded research note (PMID 18321745).Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: A–Z page audit
allIndependent adversarial review: corrected the mouse feeding note (feeding fell at 200 mg/kg too; the abstract links only the doses that reliably suppress feeding to pathology); added US status from FDA’s Substances Added to Food listing (synthetic flavouring, 21 CFR 172.515) and the 2014 FTC action against raspberry ketone weight-loss marketing.Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: review
allAdversarial review pass: every evidence row, key fact, interaction, safety note and FAQ re-read against its PubMed abstract or source page, and every number machine-checked against the cited source text. Retraction, expression-of-concern and withdrawn checks on all PMIDs: none flagged. Fixes: unsupported "industry-associated" and "synthetic" descriptors removed.Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: review
allInitial editorial evidence review (first draft). Every PMID checked against NCBI E-utilities esummary (titles and years taken from the record) and the abstract read for each cited row. Studied doses are reported as research doses, not dosing advice.Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: new page

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