Is this viral TikTok drink the new Ozempic? Here is what experts are saying about ‘rice-zempic’

For as long as the market for weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy has been booming, people have been looking for cheaper, over-the-counter alternatives.

And people are flocking to social media to rave about a new natural alternative that they claim works as well as the drugs: ‘Rice-zempic.’

More and more people have started drinking the drink, which consists of rice water and lime juice. Videos have gone viral claiming it helped them lose 15 pounds in just two weeks.

TikTok user Alfredo Valenzuela, better known by his username TheChorroKing, tried the trend, intending to lose weight for a holiday. When he started, he weighed 238 pounds.

On day three, he weighed 235 pounds, even though he hadn’t exercised that day, prompting him to ask, “Is this the miracle water?”

But despite his three-pound weight loss in one day, experts say the trend doesn’t work the same as weight-loss injections and likely won’t help you keep the pounds off in the long run.

Soaking rice in water releases natural starches from the product, which can create a brew that’s more filling than a regular cup of water

This is something Mr. Valenzuela has had to deal with as his progress using rice zempic quickly stalled. As a result, the content creator stopped the trend after 12 days.

“Well, damn it. I only lost five pounds.” he said in a TikTok on what would have been day 15.

According to experts, these mediocre results are to be expected.

‘There is no evidence to suggest this [the drink] has properties that would significantly affect weight loss, especially in the way that anti-diabetic drugs such as Ozempic [have],” Scott Keatley, co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy told Health.

That’s because Ozempic and Wegovy, as well as similar medications like Zepbound and Mounjaro, have appetite-reducing effects because they mimic a hormone the body naturally releases that regulates digestion and hunger.

For most people, taking these injections dampens their hunger, making them feel full longer, which in turn causes them to eat less and lose weight.

Drinking rice water, however, has no effect on hormones. Soaking rice in water releases starch – a filling nutrient found in potatoes, bread and pasta.

So drinking a glass of starchy water can keep you feeling full longer than a cup of regular 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 it instead of eating it, they will consume fewer calories overall and possibly lose some weight, Dr. Ali added. Experts do not recommend replacing this mixture with whole foods.

Recipes for this elixir vary from chef to chef, but the majority of users of the rice zempic diet combine an equal amount of white rice and room temperature water for five minutes. Some people let the brew sit overnight.

People then drain the combination, remove the rice leaving just the rice water, and add the juice of half a lime or lemon.

TikTok user Olivia Dort followed a similar recipe and said she joined the trend “for fun” and “to try it out.” She called herself part of ‘ChorroKing’s tribe’.

Mr. Valenzuela originally became popular for following a similar trend of 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: drink something more satiating than plain water and, as a result, eat less food.

Weight loss, in the most simplified terms, is about burning more calories than you consume through food.

But diets like these, which try to make drastic weight changes in a short period of time, usually don’t produce lasting results, Dr. Ali said.

“If you stop doing these things, the weight will come back,” Dr. Ali said.

What will likely help you achieve your weight-loss goals are small, steady changes in both your diet and your exercise routines — including eating a diet rich in fiber-rich, nutrient-dense vegetables and lean protein.

This requires more patience than rice zempic, but will yield better results in the long run, Dr. Ali added.