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The new Ozempic? -

A viral TikTok trend is claiming that rice water is as effective for losing weight as the GLP-1 medication Ozempic. Is there any truth to this claim?

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The new Ozempic? -

Those making the claims advise soaking unwashed rice in warm water for 30 minutes, adding a little lime juice, and finally straining the rice before drinking the remaining water.

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Digestive resistant starch -

The key to the theory is the rice's digestive-resistant starch content. It is a fact that rice contains digestive-resistant starch, but what does it do? 

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Promotes weight loss -

The follow-up claim is that digestive-resistant starch promotes weight loss. This may be partially true, but there's more to it than that.

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Soaking and extraction -

By soaking the rice in water and adding citric acid, it's claimed it's possible to separate the resistant starch from the rest of the rice. This, again, is partially true.

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Starch: storing carbohydrates -

Starch is the way the plant kingdom stores carbohydrates. It has a similar function in plants as glycogen does in humans.

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Glucose molecules -

Starch packs even more glucose molecules, aka energy, into a small space, and comes in two structures: amylose and amylopectin.

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Glucose molecules -

The way these glucose molecules are structured determines how our digestive juices break them down to send the glucose into our bloodstream (amylopectin) or not (amylose).

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DS vs. RS -

In other words, we refer to amylopectin as digestive starch (DS) while amylose is known as resistant starch (RS). There are four different types of RS.

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RS1: Inaccessible to digestive enzymes -

RS1 isn't accessible to digestive enzymes because it's trapped within the food matrix. It's not limited to being a resistant starch—it could also be a digestive one—but due to the protective layer around it, the digestive enzyme amylase can't penetrate it for digestion.

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RS2: Amylose -

RS2 is inaccessible to amylase due to its structural conformation. In other words, it's what's referred to as amylose.

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RS3: Cinderella starch -

RS3 goes from being DS to RS, once it's been cooked and refrigerated, hence why it's sometimes referred to as the Cinderella starch.

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RS3: Cinderella starch -

This starch goes from being fattening to weight-reducing in the fridge, because some of the starch turns into amylose configuration during cooling after being taken off the stove.

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RS4: Chemically altered -

RS4 refers to starch that's been chemically altered in order to be more resistant to digestive enzymes.

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Rice and resistant starch -

While it's true that rice contains resistant starch, so do most plants consumed by humans. Of the 70-80% starch content in rice, only 1.2-1.7% is RS. 

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An Ozempic alternative? -

However, there actually is some logic behind the claim that RS could act as a small-scale alternative to Ozempic for those looking for a weight loss aid.

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RS promotes weight loss -

The higher the amount of RS in food, the less energy the food will give us. This energy deficit may help the scale to move over time, and this is the first way RS promotes weight loss.

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Ozempic-like action -

The second way RS promotes weight loss is less obvious. It works in a similar way to Ozempic’s molecule, Semaglutide, which is a so-called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonist.

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Ozempic-like action -

The gut naturally releases the hormone GLP-1 when food makes its way to the ileum of the small intestine, activating the GLP-1 receptors of the brain and pancreas.

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Curbing your appetite -

When GLP-1 is released, it causes a chain reaction in the body that increases insulin production and feelings of satiety (fullness), while reducing blood glucose and appetite.

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Curbing your appetite -

However, this effect doesn't last. In contrast, Ozempic keeps the GLP-1 receptors engaged so that the effect continues.

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RS naturally engages GLP-1 receptors -

With RS, it's incapable of being digested in the small intestine. Instead, it's sent to the large intestine where specific bacteria ferment it to form butyric acid.

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RS naturally engages GLP-1 receptors -

Butyric acid is a short-chain fatty acid, which improves the function of the microbiome and naturally promotes a sustained increase in circulating GLP-1.

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RS is supportive to gut health and promotes weight loss -

In studies, results have suggested that eating a diet rich in RS is a way to help protect against diabetes and can lead to sustainable weight loss.

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Rice-Zempic method -

Soaking rice in hot water will extract starch, part of which is RS. Soaking the cooked rice in ascorbic acid-enriched water increases the amount of RS available.

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An inefficient method -

While it's true that RS can support weight loss, drinking rice water is unlikely to yield the kind of results you can expect from Ozempic.

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Consuming more RS -

However, researchers take RS seriously and consuming more foods rich in RS could help to support a healthy weight and blood sugar levels.

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Gut-brain axis -

The health of our gut and its microbiota plays a key role in releasing hormones, demonstrating the importance of consuming gut-health-friendly foods.

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Manage expectations -

So while this TikTok trend might not be dangerous per se, manage your expectations if you're considering consuming rice water prepared this way. While it contains RS, the amount is minimal and the effects are unlikely to mimic those of Ozempic.

Sources: (YourTango)

See also: What happens when you stop taking weight loss drugs

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