What Is Black Seed Oil And Can It Help You Lose Weight?
First things first: What the heck is black seed oil?
Black seed oil, sometimes referred to as black caraway or black cumin, is made from the fruit seeds of the flowering nigella sativa plant, which is part of the ranunculales family (think: buttercup flowers).
Even though some of the variations on the name sound familiar, black seed oil isn’t related to the regular ground cumin or caraway seeds you might have lurking in the back of your spice cabinet.
You can cook with the seeds or oil, but be warned that they will affect the taste of your food. The seeds have a slightly bitter onion flavor, according to Smithsonian magazine, and the oil is spicy/peppery. (There are, however, an alarming number of Google searches related to the question, “Why does my black seed oil taste like motor oil?” so you’ll have to judge for yourself.)
You can also buy black seed oil as a soft gel or liquid supplement, and—like the seeds and oil—those can be found at pretty much any health food or vitamin store, or online at Amazon.
What about the claims that black seed oil can help with weight loss? Are they legit?
Black seed oil's three claims to weight-loss fame include that it "melts away" belly fat, boosts your metabolism, and curbs your appetite—all of which are unsubstantiated, says Brigitte Zeitlin, R.D., owner of BZ Nutrition. No one thing can do any of that stuff, she adds.
The studies out there aren't terribly convincing, either. One 2014 study published in the International Journal of Preventive Medicine, did show better weight loss results with a combination of oil supplementation and aerobic exercise, but the sample size was super small (only 20 people) and was more focused on “lipid parameters,” or reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, than actual weight loss.
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