Berberine benefits
Berberine for your health and vitality
Berberine is one of the natural supplements that can set you on the right track towards ageing healthily and gracefully. It’s a compound whose roots date back over 3000 years to Chinese and various South Asian cultures, where the barberries were cultivated for its healing properties. Specifically, it was used to treat various infections and help the digestive tract.
Berberine is also called Berberine hydrochloride or berberine sulfate. It’s still found in several plants, such as berberis (also known as the barberry), goldenseal, and oregon grapes. Berberine is extracted from the roots and barks of some of these plants and is bright yellow. Because of its colour, it’s also sometimes used as a natural dye. The beliefs held by the ancient cultures cultivating berberine for its healing properties have since been confirmed by modern researchers. Berberine is still being researched for its potential use in treating other conditions, but we have an overview here of the ways in which we already know it’s a useful supplement to take1.
Blood sugar regulation
If you’re looking for a natural and convenient way to help regulate your blood sugar levels, Berberine might be the right choice for you. It does this mainly through regulating your body’s production of insulin and glucose. Berberine activates the enzyme AMPK2, short for AMP-activated protein kinase, which aids cellular metabolism.
One of the ways in which berberine helps you regulate your blood sugar is through its effect on the insulin sensitivity of cells3. Berberine makes your cells more sensitive to insulin, which means they become more responsive to the presence and signals of insulin. They therefore require relatively lower levels of insulin activity to respond and pick up glucose from your bloodstream. This can make it a highly valuable supplement for those struggling to regulate their blood sugar, or for patients with diabetes type 2.
Cholesterol and cardio-vascular health
In addition to your blood sugar, berberine can improve your heart health because it lowers your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. It’s also been shown to lower your blood pressure and improve circulation4, which contributes to your overall cardiovascular health as well.
If we’re talking about cholesterol, it’s important to know that we generally refer to two different types of cholesterol that are sometimes lightheartedly called the “bad” cholesterol and the “good” cholesterol. The “bad” cholesterol refers to LDL cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein that transports cholesterol from the liver to other tissue. An excess of LDL can accumulate and stick to arterial walls where it forms a plaque that narrows our veins. The “good” cholesterol refers to HDL cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein. This carries cholesterol from different tissues back to the liver where it can be broken down and removed from the body. Higher levels of HDL cholesterol are often associated with a lower risk for different cardiovascular diseases5.
What berberine does for your cholesterol is that it increases the amount of HDL cholesterol in your body, allowing for more cholesterol to be taken to the liver for breakdown and removal. At the same time, berberine decreases the amount of LDL cholesterol, which lessens the risk for cholesterol-related cardio issues because there’s less of an excess of LDL in your veins6.
Berberine and weight
As mentioned, berberine activates an enzyme called AMPK. This enzyme, which is usually activated during exercise or when fasting when cellular energy is low, helps the cellular metabolism and glucose intake to regulate your blood sugar, but that’s not all it can help you with. It increases your glucose intake, yes, but it also gives a boost to your metabolism, and helps your body burn fat through its targeting of fatty acids and its regulation of fat storage in your body. When berberine activates AMPK, it reduces the fat storage in your body and can help you lose weight7.
Berberine’s anti-inflammatory properties
Inflammation doesn’t have to be a bad thing, acute inflammation is even beneficial to your body’s healing process, but chronic inflammation can be very detrimental to your overall health. Chronic inflammation can lead to conditions such as arthritis or heart disease, and if you’re suffering from chronic or constant inflammation, it’s important to try and do something about it. Berberine might just be that something for you.
Berberine’s effect on enzymes like COX-2 as well as inflammatory cytokines makes it an effective supplement in fighting inflammation. Cytokines are proteins which serve as molecular messengers between cells in your body, regulating your immune system, various cellular processes, and also inflammation. Berberine reduces chronic inflammation by suppressing the production of certain cytokines, including interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, which promote inflammation8. Similarly, the enzyme COX-2 is involved in your body’s inflammatory response, and by inhibiting that enzyme, berberine fights inflammation.
Berberine’s role as an antioxidant
Berberine’s antioxidant properties work to tone down the presence of free radicals in your body. Free radicals are atoms, molecules, and ions that are unstable and highly reactive, sometimes produced as a natural byproduct of cell metabolism. While they’re relatively safe in very small and contained quantities, they can pose a threat to surrounding molecules such as proteins and DNA. Free radicals’ chemical reactivity can also negatively affect the risk of heart disease and our body’s ageing process.
Oxidative stress and damage occurs when there is a lack of balance between reactive free radicals and your body’s ability to break them down. It can lead to damage in your organs and tissue. Berberine has the ability to scavenge for these free radicals, so to speak. It also supports and activates antioxidant pathways like nrf2 and akt pathways, which enhance the body’s protection against oxidative stress and the resulting damage9.
How berberine can achieve these effects
The most important way in which berberine is able to have an effect on your body is through its activation of important enzymes and pathways that help your body stay healthy. The previously mentioned AMPK enzyme is the main aspect of this: not only does it regulate cell metabolism, but it also works to pick up glucose from your bloodstream, break down fatty acids in your body, and fight oxidation when cellular energy is low.
Another pathway that berberine activates is nrf2 (nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2), a pathway that regulates proteins and enzymes involved in defending your body against oxidation and inflammation. It also activates MAPK, or Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase, which aids your body’s stress response, cellular productivity, and fights inflammation10. The pathways and enzymes that berberine activates and supports allow it to be exceedingly helpful in keeping your body healthy through regulating blood sugar, glucose intake, fat storage, cholesterol breakdown, and the inflammation and oxidation in your body.
Furthermore, berberine interacts with your gut microbiome or microbiota, the large group of bacteria living in your gut and keeping your GI tract running. Berberine’s antimicrobial properties let it reduce the amount of harmful bacteria in your gut, while selectively supporting more beneficial bacteria to build a healthier balance that allows your gastrointestinal tract to function the way you want it to.
Side effects and safety
Berberine is a generally safe supplement to take, but like any form of medication or supplement, it should be taken with care and awareness of potential side effects and interactions.
The generally recommended dose is 500 mg at a time, taken two or three times a day alongside a meal for a total of 1000 to 1500 mg a day. It’s recommended to start slowly, and assess your body’s response to the supplements before taking more.
Potential side effects of taking berberine, especially if you take the capsules without a meal, include digestive issues like mild diarrhea, constipation, or stomach cramps. These are mild symptoms that can generally be avoided by eating enough as you take your supplement.
Most importantly, if you have underlying conditions or take other medications, you should consult with your GP or pharmacist about your ability to take berberine in combination with them. If you’re already taking medication to lower your blood sugar or increase your insulin sensitivity, for example, you should consult with your doctor before taking berberine because it might end up overcorrecting itself and causing your blood sugar or insulin levels to drop too much.
And of course you should be mindful that berberine, like any supplement, should not be taken as a replacement for a healthy diet and lifestyle. Make it a part of your nutritious diet and your other steps to a healthy life, but don’t expect it to replace regular exercise or healthy food.
Conclusion
Barberries have been cultivated for centuries for their healing properties, and not without reason. Berberine is a remarkable supplement that will help you regulate your blood sugar and your cholesterol, aid in weight loss and support your gut microbiome, and fight off inflammation and oxidation in your body. It does this in a safe and natural way by activating existing pathways and enzymes in the body, with minimal side effects. Combined with a nutritious diet and a healthy amount of exercise, it’s a great addition to your journey towards a lifestyle that will let you age healthily and comfortably.
If you have any questions or concerns, contact your healthcare provider or ask Boinca directly.
References
1: WebMD. “Berberine.” WebMD, https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1126/berberine.
2: Ma, X., Egawa, T., Kimura, H., Karaike, K., Masuda, S., Iwanaka, N., & Hayashi, T. “Berberine-Induced Activation of 5′-Adenosine Monophosphate-Activated Protein Kinase and Glucose Transport in Rat Skeletal Muscles.” Metabolism, Nov. 2010.
3: NutraIngredients-USA. “Berberine May Help Manage Blood Sugar Levels for Prediabetics.” NutraIngredients-USA, 10 May 2024, https://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Article/2024/05/10/berberine-may-help-manage-blood-sugar-levels-for-prediabetics.
4, 7: Cleveland Clinic. “Berberine for Insulin Resistance & Weight Loss.” Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic, https://health.clevelandclinic.org/berberine-for-insulin-resistance-weight-loss.
5: Cleveland Clinic. “Cholesterol Numbers: What Do They Mean?” Cleveland Clinic, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11920-cholesterol-numbers-what-do-they-mean.
6: ONS Voice. “What the Evidence Says About Berberine for Lowering A1c, Diabetes and Cholesterol.” ONS Voice, https://voice.ons.org/clinical-practice/what-the-evidence-says-about-berberine-for-lowering-a-diabetes-and-cholesterol.
8: Li Z, Geng YN, Jiang JD, Kong WJ. “Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of berberine in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.” Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3942282/
9: Mombeini, M.A., Kalantar, H., Sadeghi, E. et al. “Protective effects of berberine as a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent against nephrotoxicity induced by cyclophosphamide in mice.” Naunyn-Schmiedeberg’s Arch Pharmacol. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00210-021-02182-3.
10: Farooqi AA et al. “Regulation of Cell Signaling Pathways by Berberine in Different Cancers: Searching for Missing Pieces of an Incomplete Jig-Saw Puzzle for an Effective Cancer Therapy.” Cancers (Basel). 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6521278/.