The REAL Reasons to Use BERBERINE | Weight Loss, Blood Sugar, Cholesterol

Dr. Stengler: Berberine is a phenomenal supplement, but you have to know what conditions it can be used for and how to use it. Berberine is an extract — it's not a plant in and of itself. Berberine is an extract from herbs and other plants. You've heard of goldenseal, which has naturally occurring amounts of berberine in it. You've heard of Oregon grape, which has naturally occurring berberine. There are also many Chinese herbs that contain berberine, and that's where we have the most historical use of berberine. Now you can see why these Chinese herbs have been so effective over many thousands of years in helping many conditions — due in part to berberine, and other important components as well.

Let me get into the general overview of why berberine is helpful for so many conditions. First, berberine has been shown to lower glucose levels and improve insulin resistance, and as I'll talk about later, it's as effective as the common type 2 diabetes drug metformin. It also lowers different types of cholesterol and improves the good cholesterol. A lot of people aren't familiar with the research showing it reduces body weight by affecting appetite and regulating genes involved in fat cell metabolism. It's been shown to lower blood pressure, and because it helps with insulin resistance, it's been shown in published studies to help women with polycystic ovarian syndrome. It's been shown to be anti-inflammatory, to reduce atherosclerosis (in one study of the carotid arteries, it reduced plaque in the arteries that feed the neck), and to prevent mild cognitive impairment. We also use berberine for infections of the digestive tract — bacterial infections, parasitic infections, candida overgrowth, and small intestine bacterial overgrowth — so it's quite a versatile plant extract.

How does it help people reduce fat, not only their weight but fat deposition around the waist? Number one, improving insulin resistance lessens fat deposition; the hormone insulin, when too high for too long, causes fat to be deposited on the abdomen and internal organs like the liver. Berberine also inhibits fat-forming, lipogenic genes involved in fat distribution and metabolism, so it has a fat-protective effect. Number two, it increases the genetic expression of muscles to enhance heat production, oxygen consumption, and glucose and fat metabolism, improving muscle metabolism. It also activates a chemical messenger known as AMPK, which increases energy production and reduces energy storage, improving your metabolism so you're burning calories better. It also transports glucose and free fatty acids into your mitochondria to burn for energy, which is good for your energy level. Berberine improves inflammation, and it improves LDL clearing by the liver, helping people with elevated LDL levels.

Let's talk about the type 2 diabetes studies, which really put berberine to the test. In one review of 37 studies in people with type 2 diabetes, the studies used doses ranging between 0.9 grams and 2.4 grams of berberine daily, lasting at minimum 2 weeks and up to 6 months. Researchers found a statistically significant reduction in blood glucose levels and hemoglobin A1C levels — and hemoglobin A1C is the marker that demonstrates your blood sugar average over 2 to 3 months. They also found that using berberine alone or in combination with diabetic drugs like metformin did not increase the incidence of adverse events, so it's safe to use with many of these drugs. Reviews of 18 studies for people with metabolic disorders found berberine can improve obesity and hyperlipidemia — reducing triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol, and increasing the good HDL cholesterol. It improves insulin resistance and improves liver enzymes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in people with type 2 diabetes.

In one study of 80 people with type 2 diabetes, they gave berberine 480 milligrams or metformin 1,000 milligrams daily for 3 months. The result: berberine was as effective as metformin in reducing blood glucose levels and controlling type 2 diabetes — a head-to-head study. People in both groups lost weight, whether they took metformin or berberine, and this is why I use berberine before metformin: it works just as well and the side effect potential is much less. How about weight loss studies? A review of 12 studies in people with obesity found a moderate effect in decreasing body weight — on average, people lost almost 5 pounds, waist circumference reduced by almost half an inch, body mass index improved, and inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein improved. The dose used was 600 to 1,500 mg daily, with most studies lasting 3 months. Berberine is something you should use along with an effective diet and exercise program.

In terms of cholesterol, on average berberine reduces LDL cholesterol about 20 to 50 points, reduces triglycerides 25 to 55 points, lowers total cholesterol, and increases the good HDL cholesterol. One of the mechanisms is that it enhances the expression of LDL receptors in the liver, which take up and bind LDL so your liver breaks it down, and it also reduces the intestinal absorption of cholesterol. The mechanism of berberine is different than statin drugs and different than red yeast rice extract, which is also commonly used in integrative medicine to lower cholesterol.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a very common condition in women — about 10% of women have PCOS — and berberine has been shown to help. A review of five studies comparing berberine with pharmaceutical drugs for PCOS found that berberine improved the distribution of fat around the midsection, reduced visceral fat mass (the fat in internal organs like the liver), improved insulin sensitivity similar to metformin, improved lipids, improved ovulation rates, improved fertility and live birth rates, reduced acne, and reduced excessive levels of testosterone in women with PCOS, who tend to have higher levels of androgens such as testosterone and DHEA.

People often ask about taking berberine long-term — does it imbalance the gut flora? This was studied in a paper published in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology in 2021, titled "Effects of Berberine on the Gastrointestinal Microbiota." What they found was that no, it actually had favorable effects on the flora of the gut, which also helped with anti-inflammatory activity, blood sugar regulation, liver disease, obesity, hyperlipidemia, and atherosclerosis, by modifying the microbiome of the gut. By modifying the microbiome, you can affect the activity of the different organ systems and biochemical pathways in the rest of the body.

What about safety? Berberine is very safe; in the published studies, side effects are uncommon. A small percentage of people get digestive upset, constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, or abdominal discomfort, but this is rare. I've found that if you use highly absorbable berberine, such as berberine phytosome, side effects are even rarer, and that's what I typically use. A meta-analysis of 29 randomized controlled trials found no problems with adverse events in people with type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. One thing to be aware of: there's a class of antibiotics known as macrolides, and you're not supposed to take berberine when using that class of antibiotics. One downside of berberine is that it has very low absorption, which is why I use berberine products shown in published studies to have very high absorption — in our line, we use berberine phytosome, which has a significantly increased absorption rate, so you can use lesser amounts, avoid digestive problems, but get high blood levels and therapeutic effects.

There you have it with berberine — it's very versatile. It's very important for people with pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and weight issues, especially related to insulin resistance. It's excellent for people with cholesterol imbalances, lowering LDL and total cholesterol and improving HDL. It's great for women with polycystic ovarian syndrome, helping with ovulation, fertility, and hormone balance. If you want to see more information on berberine, other herbal extracts, nutrition, and other integrative approaches, you can see these videos on my YouTube channel. Make sure you subscribe, and I look forward to giving you more information in my next video.

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