Purple Peel for Weight Loss Is Going Viral, but Does It Work? What Doctors Want You To Know
Experts share the purple-peel foods that work better than TikTok's shady supplements
Have you heard about women using “purple peel” for weight loss? It’s getting buzz lately thanks to viral ads for a purple-pigment-infused supplement that promises to melt fat better than diet or exercise. As you might guess, these claims are wildly exaggerated. In fact, evidence from human studies “is very limited and does not support the weight-loss claims made in many supplement ads,” says University of Alabama-Birmingham’s Holly Wyatt, MD, author of Losing the Weight Loss Meds. So the first bit of good news is that you can save your money. And we’ve got lots more good news too.
As we spoke to Dr. Wyatt and other experts for this story, we learned that anti-inflammatory purple compounds found in foods like berries and beets actually can make losing weight easier when used the right way. “I tell my patients to eat the rainbow, but double down on the blues and purples,” says Bariatric Journal obesity expert Hector Perez, MD. Turns out, the natural purple compounds—called anthocyanins—do pretty amazing things for our overall health and “support weight management in ways supplements can’t.” Keep reading to see what science says about purple peel for weight loss.
What is purple peel exactly?
Extra concentrated in the peels and skins of some of the world’s prettiest superfoods, “anthocyanins are natural pigments that give berries, grapes, purple cabbage and other deeply-colored plant foods their red, blue and purple hues,” says Dr. Wyatt. They act as antioxidants that help send important signals to the body’s cells, improving health from head to toe.
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For example, several smaller-scale studies show that regular consumption of anthocyanin-rich berries helped older adults score better on memory and reasoning tests. And a major Harvard study of more than 93,000 women found those who ate the most anthocyanin-rich foods were 34 percent less likely to have a heart attack.
When it comes to purple peel and weight loss, virtually everyone agrees that more research is needed, especially large-scale human studies. But keep in mind that anthocyanins are found in extremely healthy foods loaded with fiber and a wide range of nutrients, definitively proven to aid in weight control. So if you’re getting your “purple peel” from these foods—and particularly if you get them as part of a healthy diet overall—it’s all upside. Keep scrolling for a full list of your best bets. And remember: Just because more research is needed doesn’t mean there isn’t a preliminary cause for excitement.
What the latest science says about purple peel for weight loss
In 2023, a team of researchers from the Institute for Obesity Research looked at all human studies on anthocyanins conducted in the five years prior. They concluded there was evidence that the compounds led to “significant reduction of body weight and fat mass.” Like everyone, they call for more “studies on human subjects with obesity to corroborate the beneficial effects,” yet they also concluded that anthocyanins likely have therapeutic anti-obesity benefits and may help prevent weight gain.
3 ways anthocyanins may aid fat loss
Interested in giving anthocyanin-rich foods a try? Here’s what these beneficial compounds can do:
They reduce inflammation
A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that when adults at high risk of heart disease were given daily doses of high-anthocyanin bilberries (which are similar to wild blueberries), their markers of inflammation dropped by nearly 30 percent in eight weeks. This type of change is beneficial for the heart and many aspects of health.
How does it tie into weight loss? Inflamed tissue releases compounds that inhibit fat burning, experts say. So as inflammation subsides, slimming down gets a little easier. Plus, if reduced inflammation makes our joints feel better, we’re more likely to burn calories through activity and build metabolism-boosting muscle.
They promote better blood-sugar regulation
As part of the famous Nurses Health Study, scientists looked at over 70,000 women and found that those who consistently ate the most anthocyanins had better insulin function, reduced insulin resistance and significantly lower risk of diabetes than those who ate the least.
Again, this is a win for health in general. And it’s a win for waistlines specifically, since poorly-controlled blood sugar usually leads to chronically-high insulin levels—and insulin is a hormone that stores excess sugar primarily as belly fat. Another bonus: Better blood sugar control is also linked to reduced appetite and cravings.
Based on animal studies, researchers theorize that anthocyanins activate AMPK pathways, which are like little fuel gauges inside cells, telling them to burn blood sugar and fat when energy is low. “It’s like flipping the switch” that prompts cells to burn blood sugar and fat for energy, explains Arizona State scientist Carol Johnston, Ph.D.
They improve your gut health
The microbiome is the fancy name for trillions of bacteria that live in our GI tracts and can play a huge role in helping us maintain optimal health, including an optimal weight. And anthocyanins have proven very good at helping our microbiomes flourish.
A recent multi-university study in the journal Nutrients found that high-anthocyanin intake from berry juice led to as much as a 40 percent increase in certain beneficial bacteria, plus a more robust and diverse microbiome in just one week compared to a low-anthocyanin control group. The study also tested to see how this impacted factors that might help us lose weight—and it found that both blood sugar levels and fat burning significantly improved.
How to enjoy anthocyanins for weight loss
The foods with the most anthocyanins are “berries, cherries, red and purple grapes, purple cabbage, purple carrots, purple sweet potatoes, black rice and many deeply-colored fruits and vegetables,” says Dr. Wyatt. “Frozen versions still contain anthocyanins.”
Listen to your body, and eat as many of these nutrient-dense foods as you need to feel really good. In the beginning, “start with one to two servings of deeply-colored plant foods a day,” Dr. Wyatt suggests. “That can be a cup of berries, a handful of grapes, a scoop of black rice or adding purple vegetables to meals.”
While anthocyanins may not be the miracle promised by shady supplement companies, they can indeed do a lot of great things, says Dr. Perez, an advisor at BestSurgeons.com. And they just might start a domino effect that helps you reach your happy weight in glowing good health.
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