Benefits of Taking Berberine

Kobi Nathan

Berberine is a plant alkaloid with clinical evidence suggesting multiple health benefits, particularly in support of metabolic disorders.
Glycemic Control: Berberine has been shown to significantly lower fasting blood glucose, postprandial (after-meal) blood glucose, and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels.
It improves insulin resistance by stimulating glycolysis, (the metabolic process that converts glucose into energy), enhancing insulin secretion, and inhibiting gluconeogenesis and adipogenesis in the liver.

Gluconeogenesis is the metabolic process of synthesizing glucose from non-carbohydrate sources like amino acids, lactate, and glycerol.
It occurs primarily in the liver and kidneys to maintain blood glucose levels, especially during periods of fasting or low carbohydrate intake.
Essentially, it's the body's way of producing glucose when dietary carbohydrate sources are not readily available.

Adipogenesis is the process where the body creates fat cells.
It happens when extra energy from food is stored in the body as fat for later use.

Lipid Profile Improvement:
Berberine effectively reduces total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides, while increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C).
This lipid-lowering effect is comparable to that of some statins.
Anti-Obesity Effects:
Berberine has been documented to aid in weight loss and reduce body mass index (BMI) by modulating fat metabolism and improving gut microbiota.
Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Properties:
Berberine exhibits anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and prostaglandin E2, and it reduces oxidative stress markers.
Cardiovascular Benefits:
Berberine has cardioprotective effects, including improving endothelial function, reducing blood pressure, and lowering the risk of atherosclerosis.
Antimicrobial Activity:
Clinical evidence suggests berberine has broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties against bacteria, fungi, and protozoa.
Neuroprotective and Antidepressant Effects:
Berberine has shown potential in protecting against neurodegenerative diseases and improving depressive symptoms, although more research is needed in this area.
Interpretation of existing literature needs to be done very carefully in this context without jumping into unsupported medical claims.
Overall, berberine is considered a safe and effective supplement for improving various metabolic and cardiovascular parameters.

References:


  1. Berberine, a Herbal Metabolite in the Metabolic Syndrome: The Risk Factors, Course, and Consequences of the Disease. Och A, Och M, Nowak R, Podgórska D, Podgórski R. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). 2022;27(4):1351. doi:10.3390/molecules27041351.
  2. A Mechanistic Review on How Berberine Use Combats Diabetes and Related Complications: Molecular, Cellular, and Metabolic Effects. Askari VR, Khosravi K, Baradaran Rahimi V, Garzoli S. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland). 2023;17(1):7. doi:10.3390/ph17010007.
  3. Overall and Sex-Specific Effect of Berberine on Glycemic and Insulin-Related Traits: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Zhao JV, Huang X, Zhang J, et al. The Journal of Nutrition. 2023;153(10):2939-2950. doi:10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.08.016.
  4. Meta-Analysis of the Effect and Safety of Berberine in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Hyperlipemia and Hypertension. Lan J, Zhao Y, Dong F, et al. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2015;161:69-81. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2014.09.049.

  5. Berberine, a Plant Alkaloid With Lipid- And Glucose-Lowering Properties: From In vitro Evidence to Clinical Studies.     Pirillo A, Catapano AL. Atherosclerosis. 2015;243(2):449-61. doi:10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2015.09.032.
  6. Berberine: Pharmacological Features in Health, Disease and Aging. Gasmi A, Asghar F, Zafar S, et al. Current Medicinal Chemistry. 2024;31(10):1214-1234. doi:10.2174/0929867330666230207112539.
  7. Therapeutic Effect of Berberine on Metabolic Diseases: Both Pharmacological Data and Clinical Evidence. Xu X, Yi H, Wu J, et al. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & Pharmacotherapie. d021;133:110984. doi:10.1016/j.biopha.2020.110984.
  8. Berberine on the Prevention and Management of Cardiometabolic Disease: Clinical Applications and Mechanisms of Action. Cao RY, Zheng Y, Zhang Y, et al. The American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 2021;49(7):1645-1666. doi:10.1142/S0192415X21500762.

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