Ricezempic: is this viral weight loss trend safe?

From lemon coffee to oatzempic, there’s always a new weight loss hack people are buzzing about. The latest of these is ricezempic. It’s a limey drink of rice water, and hundreds of TikTok users are claiming it’s helping them lose weight. 

Does drinking rice water for weight loss really work as well as Ozempic? It’s not likely. Read on as we breakdown the rice hack for weight loss.

Ricezempic got its break on TikTok. The name combines “rice” and “Ozempic—rice for the ingredients, and Ozempic (semaglutide) for the purported weight loss. Some users have claimed the homemade drink helps them lose 14 pounds in one week. Followers of this trend claim you can make the supposed weight loss recipe using just cooked rice, warm water, and lime juice. 

Basically, you soak the rice and create a watery drink that some users drink first thing in the morning. It’s not meant to be a meal replacement, but rather a supplement.

Why are people turning to rice water for weight loss? The idea behind the TikTok trend is that rice—and rice water—contain a natural resistant starch that can help regulate blood sugar levels and slow down digestion, two effects that Ozempic also produces. The thinking goes that by removing the rice, you get the benefits of the starch without the calories, so you feel more full and less hungry, even though you didn’t really eat anything—leading to weight loss.

So, does this rice hack help you lose weight? Conceivably, the ricezempic challenge could lead to weight loss, if you use it to replace a meal. But, the effects of ricezempic are untested and unproven, so we don’t know if it really works for weight loss. 

Moreover, this rice hack will not produce the same weight loss effects as Ozempic. Ozempic does slow down digestion and helps control blood sugar, but that’s not the only way it works. Ozempic also has hormonal effects that regulate appetite and influence your brain’s sense of reward when it comes to food, resulting in fewer cravings and an average weight loss of 11 pounds in three months for people with obesity. While Ozempic’s average weight loss is less than the amount claimed by some proponents of ricezempic on TikTok, it’s been proven in multiple studies and clinical trials—unlike ricezempic. 

Having said that, there could be some benefits to this weight loss trend. But, you can enjoy these benefits by eating actual rice instead (which may also help mitigate the risks of ricezempic, which we’ll get into in the next section). For example, the resistant starch in rice offers the following health benefits:

• Improved blood sugar control

• Better gut health

• Improved immune function

• Neuroprotective effects

Early research (particularly in animal studies) suggests a diet rich in resistant starches may also help prevent the progression of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic conditions. But, again, you can get these benefits from simply eating rice, as opposed to drinking rice water. And, the resistant starch content in rice is highest when the rice is cooked and then cooled—which is not how ricezempic is created. 

Again, ricezempic hasn’t been studied. But, health experts have raised a few warning flags that it might not be the best—or safest—option for weight loss. “Ricezempic certainly does not bear any resemblance to the mechanism or effects of an actual GLP-1 agonist medication like Ozempic,” says Lauren Harris-Pincus, MS, RDN, and  Ro advisor. "Ricezempic is very low in protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants which are critical elements of an overall healthy diet.” 

While rice can be a great source of nutrients as part of a balanced diet, rice water isn’t the same thing. And, drinking rice water may lead you to consume higher levels of arsenic than ideal. In fact, studies have found that the most effective method for lowering the arsenic content in rice is to rinse it, cook it, and finally dispose of the water you used. However, the main concern with ricezempic is the overall low nutritional content, says Harris-Pincus. “[While] rice does contain some arsenic, I'm more concerned about the unbalanced nature of consuming rice, water, and lime juice and calling it a meal than I am about the arsenic level.”

It’s also worth noting that because you’re drinking the rice water, and not eating the rice, you’re getting less nutrients than you would by eating the rice. And while that can lead to weight loss, if you rely exclusively on the rice hack to lose weight, any weight loss you experience will likely come back once you return to your normal diet. For sustainable, long-term weight loss, you need to make permanent lifestyle changes, like eating better and moving more.

There are plenty of proven methods for weight loss, and thankfully, they don’t include drinking a limey rice concoction. Paying closer attention to what you eat—both how much and how nutritious it is—is step one. Next, consider how you can step up your exercise routine (a mix of aerobic and resistance training seems to be best for weight loss). Ensuring you’re getting enough sleep and staying hydrated on a day-to-day basis are also important for maintaining a healthy body weight.  

If you’re looking for more help with weight loss, talk to your healthcare provider. They can determine whether a weight loss medication like Wegovy (which contains the same active ingredient as Ozempic) could be a good fit for you.

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How we reviewed this article

Every article on Health Guide goes through rigorous fact-checking by our team of medical reviewers. Our reviewers are trained medical professionals who ensure each article contains the most up-to-date information, and that medical details have been correctly interpreted by the writer.

Current version

September 19, 2024

Written by

Amelia Willson

Fact checked by

Raagini Yedidi, MD

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About the medical reviewer

Raagini Yedidi, MD

Raagini Yedidi, MD, is an internal medicine resident and medical reviewer for Ro.