The juice shown to be a 'potent tool' for weight loss – and how much you should drink daily

01/13/2025 09:08 AM

DRINKING a specific type of fruit juice for as little as a week can act as a “potent tool” for weight loss, scientists claim.

The juice of a little-known berry could improve your metabolism and lead to positive changes in your gut bacteria, Washington State University researchers said.

The “underappreciated” fruit in question is the elderberry, a small, dark purple berry found on elder trees native to Europe.

Brits will be more familiar with another part of the plant, as its aromatic blossoms are used to produce elderflower fizz and cordial.

According to researchers, tart and earthy elderberries are commonly used as a medicinal plant and supplement to promote immune function.

Now, a study published in the journal Nutrients suggests their juice may also help spur on weight loss.

The research found that drinking about 12 ounces – about a cup and a half – of elderberry juice daily could alter bacteria living in the gut for the better and improve the body's glucose tolerance and fat oxidation.

Fat is the process your body uses to break down and use fats for fuel, while glucose tolerance is a measure of how well your body controls levels of sugar in the blood.

Higher blood sugar levels tend to be indicative of diabetes.

Study co-author Professor Patrick Solverson said: “Elderberry is an underappreciated berry, commercially and nutritionally.

“We're now starting to recognise its value for human health, and the results are very exciting.”

The researchers tested the effects of elderberry on metabolic health in a clinical trial with 18 overweight adults.

Participants consumed either elderberry juice or a placebo with similar colour and taste alongside a standard diet.

Tests showed that participants who consumed elderberry juice had significantly increased amounts of beneficial gut bacteria – including firmicutes and actinobacteria – and decreased amounts of harmful bacteria, such as bacteroidetes.

Previous research has shown that having a healthy gut microbiome is key for nutrient absorption and can help support physical and mental health.

Drinking elderberry juice also seemed to improve participants’ metabolism.

The study showed that the elderberry juice reduced participants' blood glucose levels by about 24 per cent, indicating it could improve the body’s ability to process sugars after consuming carbohydrates.

Elderberry juice drinkers also showed a 9 per cent decrease in insulin levels.

The results also suggested that elderberry juice can enhance the body's ability to burn fat.

Participants who drank the juice showed significantly increased fat oxidation – meaning breakdown of fatty acids – after a high carbohydrate meal and during exercise.

This could be down elderberry's high concentration of anthocyanins, which are plant-based bioactive compounds known to have anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and antimicrobial effects, scientists suggested.

Other berries also tend to contain anthocyanins, but usually in smaller amounts.

According to Prof Solverson, a person would have to consume four cups of blackberries a day to achieve the same anthocyanin dose contained in six ounces of elderberry juice.

He said: "Food is medicine, and science is catching up to that popular wisdom.

"This study contributes to a growing body of evidence that elderberry, which has been used as a folk remedy for centuries, has numerous benefits for metabolic as well as prebiotic health."

The team plans to look into whether elderberry juice could help people coming off weight loss medications to maintain their weight. 

But they noted that further studies are needed to confirm their initial findings and to determine the long-term effects of elderberry in various populations.