TikTok’s latest weight loss trend is being compared to Ozempic — but can drinking rice water really help you shed unwanted pounds?
The latest challenge sweeping TikTok claims to help suppress appetite and speed up weight loss, all by drinking a simple beverage every morning.
Started by a creator who goes by “The Chorro King,” the trend consists of soaking rice in warm water before draining it, preserving the liquid, and mixing it with the juice from a lemon or lime. He claims that drinking the concoction every morning will substantially aid with weight loss, resulting in effects akin to those produced by Ozempic and other blockbuster weight loss drugs.
The trend caught on quickly — as these trends often do — with many users posting videos about all the weight they’ve lost thanks to “rice-zempic.”
@laniilovee2 Rice water update #rice #ricewater #ricewater #chorrocheckfr #chorroking #fyp #fyp #chorroking #chorrokingapproved ♬ original sound - Lanii Lovee
Similar to the “Oatzempic” trend that circulated earlier this year, the ‘rice-zempic’ trend is one of many to have caught on like wildfire without much verification or research. A recent study demonstrated just how easily social media users are convinced by new health and wellness trends, finding that 57% of Millennial and Gen Z users reported being influenced by or frequently adopting nutrition trends they’ve found on the platform.
The same study found that only 2.1% of nutrition content on TikTok was fully accurate when compared to public health and nutrition guidelines — highlighting the need for caution and critical thinking when encountering any health and wellness trend online.
The facts about ‘rice-zempic’
“[This trend] isn't going to result in ‘magical weight loss,’” says Taylor Grasso, RD, a dietician and TikTok creator.
However, while it isn’t the “natural Ozempic” some are making it out to be, Grasso says there is some explanation as to why drinking “rice-zempic” may somewhat aid with weight loss.
Rice water contains soluble fibers such as resistant starch and oligosaccharides, she explains. Fiber is considered a prebiotic because it helps to feed the beneficial bacteria — or probiotics — that exist in the gut microbiome. Prebiotics cannot be digested and ferment in the colon as a result, where they feed good gut bacteria. Consuming prebiotics can help improve gut health overall and aid with digestion.
@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 ♬ original sound - Jessica Chasteen
Fiber also helps to increase feelings of fullness and satisfaction, which may explain why TikTok has called this beverage an appetite suppressant.
“The reason that fiber has this effect is because it slows down digestion of carbohydrates or starches,” Grasso says. “Rice water also naturally contains insolitol, which is an antioxidant that may help with insulin sensitivity.”
But soaking rice in water is far from the most effective way to get these benefits. Instead, try cooking rice or potatoes and cooling them down before consuming them. This turns them into resistant starches that provide plenty of prebiotics for the gut.
“Rather than drinking rice water, I would focus on adding in more fiber to the diet with real food to reap the benefits of both the fiber and the nutrients,” Grasso says.
Healthy sources of fiber include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, and legumes.
Instead of quick trendy fixes, she recommends focusing on consuming balanced meals and snacks by pairing complex carbohydrates with protein, fat, and fiber.
Balanced plates are filled with about one quarter protein and carbohydrates, roughly two tablespoons-worth of healthy fats, and half fruits and vegetables, she says.
Kaitlyn Rundle, RD, lead clinical dietitian at OhioHealth, meanwhile tells Healthnews that likening a beverage made from rice to Ozempic is just plain misleading and incorrect.
"While I applaud anyone trying to positively impact their health, this is simply not the way,” Kaitlyn Rundle says. “We cannot compare this method to diabetic medications that impact hormones in the body and have been well studied and documented in the literature.”
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