A compound called berberine is one of the most effective natural supplements available.
It has very impressive health benefits, and affects your body at the molecular level.
Berberine has been shown to lower blood sugar, cause weight loss and improve heart health, to name a few.
It is one of the few supplements shown to be as effective as a pharmaceutical drug.
This is a detailed review of berberine and its health effects.
What Is Berberine?
Berberine is a bioactive compound that can be extracted from several different plants, including a group of shrubs called Berberis.
Technically, it belongs to a class of compounds called alkaloids. It has a yellow colour, and has often been used as a dye.
Berberine has a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine, where it was used to treat various ailments.
Now, modern science has confirmed that it has impressive benefits for several different health problems.
How Does It Work?
Berberine has now been tested in hundreds of different studies.
It has been shown to have powerful effects on many different biological systems.
After you ingest berberine, it gets taken in by the body and transported into the bloodstream. Then it travels into the body’s cells.
Inside the cells, it binds to several different “molecular targets” and changes their function. This is similar to how pharmaceutical drugs work.
I am not going to get into much detail here, because the biological mechanisms are complicated and diverse.
However, one of the main actions of berberine is to activate an enzyme inside cells called AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK).
This enzyme is sometimes referred to as a “metabolic master switch”.
It is found in the cells of various organs, including the brain, muscle, kidney, heart and liver. This enzyme plays a major role in regulating metabolism.
Berberine also affects various other molecules inside cells, and may even affect which genes are turned on or off
It Causes a Major Reduction in Blood Sugar Levels
Type 2 diabetes is a serious disease that has become incredibly common in recent decades, causing millions of deaths every year.
It is characterized by elevated blood sugar (glucose) levels, either caused by insulin resistance or lack of insulin.
Over time, high blood sugar levels can damage the body’s tissues and organs, leading to various health problems and a shortened lifespan.
Many studies show that berberine can significantly reduce blood sugar levels in individuals with type 2 diabetes.
In fact, its effectiveness is comparable to the popular diabetes drug metformin (Glucophage.
It seems to work via multiple different mechanisms.
- Decreases insulin resistance, making the blood sugar lowering hormone insulin more effective.
- Increases glycolysis, helping the body break down sugars inside cells.
- Decrease sugar production in the liver.
- Slows the breakdown of carbohydrates in the gut.
- Increases the number of beneficial bacteria in the gut.
In one study of 116 diabetic patients, 1 gram of berberine per day lowered fasting blood sugar by 20%, from 7.0 to 5.6 mmol/L (126 to 101 mg/dL), or from diabetic to normal levels.
It also lowered hemoglobin A1c by 12% (a marker for long-term blood sugar levels), and also improved blood lipids like cholesterol and triglycerides.
According to a big review of 14 studies, berberine is as effective as oral diabetes drugs, including metformin, glipizide and rosiglitazone.
It works very well with lifestyle modifications, and also has additive effects when administered with other blood sugar lowering drugs.
If you look at discussions online, you often see people with sky-high blood sugars literally normalizing them just by taking this supplement.
This stuff really works, in both the studies and the real world.
Berberine May Help You Lose Weight
Berberine may also be effective as a weight loss supplement.
So far, two studiesTrusted Source have examined the effects on body weight.
In a 12-week study in obese individuals, 500 mg taken three times per day caused about 5 pounds of weight loss, on average. The participants also lost 3.6% of their body fat.
Another more impressive study was conducted in 37 men and women with metabolic syndrome. This study went on for 3 months, and the participants took 300 mg, 3 times per day.
The participants dropped their body mass index (BMI) levels from 31.5 to 27.4, or from obese to overweight in only 3 months. They also lost belly fat and improved many health markers.
The researchers believe that the weight loss is caused by improved function of fat-regulating hormones, such as insulin, adiponectin and leptin.
Berberine also appears to inhibit the growth of fat cells at the molecular level.
However, more research is needed on the weight loss effects of berberine.
It Lowers Cholesterol and May Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease
Heart disease is currently the world’s most common cause of premature death.
Many factors that can be measured in the blood are associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
As it turns out, berberine has been shown to improve many of these factors.
According to a review of 11 studies, it can.
- Lower total cholesterol by 0.61 mmol/L (24 mg/dL).
- Lower LDL cholesterolTrusted Source by 0.65 mmol/L (25 mg/dL).
- Lower blood triglycerides by 0.50 mmol/L (44 mg/dL).
- Raise HDL cholesterol by 0.05 mmol/L (2 mg/dL).
It has also been shown to lower apolipoprotein B by 13-15%, which is a very important risk factor.
According to some studies, berberine works by inhibiting an enzyme called PCSK9. This leads to more LDL being removed from the bloodstream.
Keep in mind that diabetes, high blood sugar levels and obesity are also major risk factors for heart disease, all of which seem to be improved with this supplement.
Given the beneficial effects on all these risk factors, it seems likely that berberine could drastically reduce the risk of heart disease.
Other Health Benefits
Berberine may also have numerous other health benefits:
- Depression: Rat studies show that it may help fight depression (23Trusted Source, 24Trusted Source, 25Trusted Source).
- Cancer: Test tube and animal studies have shown that it can reduce the growth and spread of various different types of cancer (26, 27Trusted Source).
- Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory: It has been shown to have potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in some studies (28, 29Trusted Source, 30Trusted Source).
- Infections: It has been shown to fight harmful microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites (31Trusted Source, 32Trusted Source, 33Trusted Source, 34Trusted Source).
- Fatty liver: It can reduce fat build-up in the liver, which should help protect against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (35, 36Trusted Source).
- Heart failure: One study showed that it drastically improved symptoms and reduced risk of death in heart failure patients (37Trusted Source).
Many of these benefits need more research before firm recommendations can be made, but the current evidence is very promising.
Dosage and Side Effects
Many of the studies cited in the article used dosages in the range of 900 to 1500 mg per day.
It is common to take 500 mg, 3 times per day, before meals (a total of 1500 mg per day).
Berberine has a half-life of several hours, so it is necessary to spread your dosage to several times per day to achieve stable blood levels.
If you have a medical condition or are on any medications, then it is recommended that you speak to your doctor before taking it.
This is especially important if you are currently taking blood sugar lowering medications.
Overall, berberine has an outstanding safety profile. The main side effects are related to digestion, and there are some reports of cramping, diarrhea, flatulence, constipation and stomach pain.
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