Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Oct;73(1):196-200.
doi: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2015.06.022. Epub 2015 Jul 6.

Raspberry ketone in food supplements--High intake, few toxicity data--A cause for safety concern?

Affiliations

Raspberry ketone in food supplements--High intake, few toxicity data--A cause for safety concern?

Lea Bredsdorff et al. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2015 Oct.

Abstract

Raspberry ketone (4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone) is marketed on the Internet as a food supplement. The recommended intake is between 100 and 1400 mg per day. The substance is naturally occurring in raspberries (up to 4.3 mg/kg) and is used as a flavouring substance. Toxicological studies on raspberry ketone are limited to acute and subchronic studies in rats. When the lowest recommended daily dose of raspberry ketone (100 mg) as a food supplement is consumed, it is 56 times the established threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) of 1800 μg/day for Class 1 substances. The margin of safety (MOS) based on a NOAEL of 280 mg/kg bw/day for lower weight gain in rats is 165 at 100 mg and 12 at 1400 mg. The recommended doses are a concern taking into account the TTC and MOS. Investigations of raspberry ketone in quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models indicated potential cardiotoxic effects and potential effects on reproduction/development. Taking into account the high intake via supplements, the compound's toxic potential should be clarified with further experimental studies. In UK the pure compound is regarded as novel food requiring authorisation prior to marketing but raspberry ketone is not withdrawn from Internet sites from this country.

Keywords: 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone; Flavouring; Food supplement; Margin of safety; Natural; Novel food; Raspberry ketone; Threshold of toxicological concern; Toxicity; Weight loss.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types