Diabetes and weight problems often go hand in hand. They also typically lead to other metabolic disorders that can quickly send a person’s health down a long and unpleasant road.
So, for these reasons, it’s easy to understand the hype that came about when the diabetes drug Ozempic and its off-label version geared toward weight loss, Wegovy, proved successful for many people.
It seemed that the “magic pill” of our wildest dreams that could make managing diabetes and weight loss effortless was finally here.
But, as with most things that sound too good to be true, we learned about alarming side effects and insane medicine costs not always covered by insurance.
Over the past dozen years, research has been ongoing into a natural, plant-based compound that appears to have the ability to support blood sugar metabolism and other health benefits as well — including promising studies on weight loss — all without the side effects of medication.
Most recently, it’s been called “nature’s Ozempic.” Here’s what we know about it.
Is Berberine Natures Ozempic?
For more than ten years, science has investigated how natural barberry plant chemicals can help control type 2 diabetes.
Specifically, a phytochemical (natural plant compound) called Berberine seems to be doing the trick.
Berberine is also found in perennial flowers known as goldenseal and other plants, including Oregon grapes and turmeric trees. Most of these plants concentrate the compound in the root or stem.
It’s been used in traditional Chinese medicine for a long time as an anti-inflammatory agent. It may also help prevent fatty liver disease and bacterial infections and lower your risk of heart disease.
An examination of data from several independent studies (known as a meta-analysis) was conducted by researchers at British universities, and it was found that supplementing with barberry can indeed decrease insulin levels. Lowering insulin is the first important step to preventing type 2 diabetes.
Hyperinsulinemia (higher-than-normal insulin levels) is a sign of insulin resistance, where your pancreas is working overtime to secrete insulin because your body is not responding to it. Left untreated, this will lead to type 2 diabetes.
Both Glucose And Cholesterol Improve With Berberine Intake
Two earlier studies had already shown the effectiveness of berberine supplements in preventing diabetes.
In 2008, a Chinese study examined subjects with diabetes and dyslipidemia.1 Many people who are diabetic or prediabetic also have the triple whammy of dyslipidemia: good cholesterol (HDL) is low, bad cholesterol (LDL) is high, and triglycerides are high.
In the Chinese study, 116 patients were given either 1g of Berberine daily or a placebo for three months.
In the berberine group, fasting glucose levels decreased from 7mm/liter to 5.6mm/liter, and triglycerides dropped from 2.51mm/liter to 1.10mm/liter. The placebo group showed no significant changes.
Together With Lifestyle, Berberine Controls Blood Sugar As Well As Metformin
In a 2012 meta-analysis, four researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China reviewed data from 14 randomized trials2 that included over one thousand subjects.
Berberine controls blood sugar like oral diabetes medications such as metformin and shows effectiveness against dyslipidemia.
When combined with lifestyle changes to prevent diabetes, Berberine proved more effective in controlling blood sugar than metformin or similar drugs3 when combined with the same lifestyle changes.
Berberine And Weight Loss
In a 12-week study involving people with obesity, taking 500 mg of Berberine three times a day resulted in an average 5-pound weight loss.
A study has also shown that Berberine may help activate metabolism and increase brown fat in the body. Brown fat acts to crank up your energy burn, which cranks up your fat burn, resulting in weight loss.
To learn more about Berberine and how it affects diabetes and weight loss, get a FREE Consultation with one of our doctors (D.C) here.
Who can benefit from Berberine?
- Individuals seeking support for metabolic, cardiovascular, and GI health
- Anyone wanting to maintain normal blood sugar levels
- Individuals who wish to support healthy cholesterol levels
- Women seeking nutritional support for PCOS-related symptoms
- A person seeking nutritional support for metabolic syndrome
- Individuals who want additional support for maintaining a healthy gut microbiome
Benefits of Berberine
Support for metabolic health:
- Supports healthy metabolism in several ways
- Promotes healthy blood sugar metabolism and insulin sensitivity
- Maintains healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels
Support for weight management:
- Studies have shown that Berberine can be effective in helping maintain a healthy body weight
- Helps decrease abdominal fat and waist: hip ratio
- Supports metabolism of fat in the liver
- Benefits body composition
Support for GI health:
- Supports beneficial bacterial balance in the gut
- Helps to maintain a healthy microbiome
- Benefits diversity of intestinal flora
Nutritional support for women with PCOS:
- Supports healthy metabolism of fats and carbs
- Promotes hormone balance, like insulin and testosterone, that often doesn’t occur optimally in women with PCOS
- Promotes healthy skin
- Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes and Dyslipidemia with the Natural Plant Alkaloid Berberine — The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism ↩︎
- Berberine in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis — National Center for Biotechnology Information ↩︎
- Berberine is a potential therapeutic agent for metabolic syndrome via brown adipose tissue activation and metabolism regulation — National Library of Medicine ↩︎
