Is this viral TikTok drink the new Ozempic? Here is what experts are saying about 'rice-zempic'
For as long the market for weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy has boomed, people have been on the hunt for non-prescription and cheaper alternatives.
And people are flocking to social media to rave about a new natural alternative they claim works just as well as the medications: 'Rice-zempic.'
An increasing amount of people have begun drinking the beverage - consisting of rice-steeped water and lime juice - after videos have gone viral claiming it can help them drop 15 pounds in just two weeks.
TikTok user Alfredo Valenzuela, better known by his username, TheChorroKing, tried the trend, intending to shed weight before a vacation. When he started, he weighed 238 pounds.
By day three he clocked in at 235 pounds, even though he hadn't exercised that day, leading him to ask: 'Is this the miracle water?'
But despite his one-day three-pound weight loss, experts say the trend doesn't work the same as weight-loss injections and probably won't help you keep pounds off in the long-term.
Mr Valenzuela began the rice-zempic trend after taking part in a 60 day challenge where he drank blended up oats to try and lose weight - deemed oat-zempic
Soaking rice in water releases natural starches from the product, which might make a concoction that's more filling than a normal cup of water
This is something Mr Valenzuela dealt with, as his progress using rice-zempic quickly plateaued. This made the content creator stop the trend after 12 days.
'What the hell. I only lost five pounds,' he said in a TikTok on what would've been day 15.
According to experts, these lackluster results are to be expected.
'There is no evidence to suggest [the drink] has any properties that would significantly impact weight loss, especially in the manner that anti-diabetic medications like Ozempic [have],' Scott Keatley, the co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy told Health.
That's because Ozempic and Wegovy, as well as similar drugs like Zepbound and Mounjaro, have appetite-diminishing effects because they mimic a hormone the body releases naturally that controls digestion and hunger pangs.
For most people, taking these injections dampens their hunger - helping them feel fuller for longer - which in turn causes them to eat less and lose weight.
Drinking rice water, however, has no effect on hormones. When you soak rice in water, it releases starch - a filling nutrient that's found in potatoes, bread, and pasta.
So having a glass of starchy water might help you feel full for longer than a cup of normal water, Dr Mir Ali, the medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center in California, told Health.
Meanwhile, rice water is low in calories, so if people drink this instead of having meal, they'll be consuming less calories overall and may lose some weight, Dr Ali added. Experts don't recommend substituting whole food for this mixture.
Recipes for this elixir vary from chef to chef, but the majority of users on the rice-zempic diet combine an equal amount of white rice and room temperature water for five minutes. Some people let the concoction rest overnight.
People then drain the combination, removing the rice and leaving only the rice-water, and adding in the juice from half a lime or lemon.
TikTok user Olivia Dort followed a similar recipe and said she began taking part in the trend 'for fun' and 'to test it out', calling herself part of 'ChorroKing's tribe'.
Mr Valenzuela originally gained popularity for following a similar trend, which had users drinking blended oat water.
Ms Dort weighed 174.6 pounds when she started the rice water trend. On day four, she weighed 169 pounds.
Both oat-zempic and rice-zempic follow the same theory - drinking something that is more satiating than plain water and eating less food as a result.
Weight loss, in its most simplified terms, has to do with burning more calories than you take in through food.
But diets like these, which attempt to make drastic changes to weight in a short period of time, usually don't produce lasting results, Dr Ali said.
'Once you stop this kind of thing, the weight will come back,' Dr Ali said.
What's more likely to help you achieve weight loss goals is small, steady changes to both your diet and exercise routines - including eating a diet high in fibrous, nutrient dense vegetables and lean proteins.
This takes more patience than rice-zempic, but will yield better results in the long run, Dr Ali added.
