- What is berberine?
- Berberine supports the cardiovascular system
- Berberine has anti-diabetic properties
- Berberine and polycystic ovary syndrome
- berberine in diseases of the nervous system
- Berberine has anti-cancer properties
- Berberine for weight loss: does it help you lose weight?
- How to use berberine?
- Is berberine worth using?
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Berberine is a natural plant substance, an alkaloid known for its healing properties 2000 years ago. Supplements with berberine are one of the few that show real effects similar to drugs. Berberine is effective in preventing and treating insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and obesity. Yes, berberine does have a slimming effect! How to use berberine? What else helps?
What is berberine?
Berberineis aherbal substanceof great importance in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine. It is an isoquinoline alkaloid with an intense yellow color and a bitter taste. The interest of scientists in berberine has visibly increased in recent years. The reason is itsbiotoxicity and healing possibilities.About 100 publications on berberine appeared in 2000, and as many as 500 in 2022!
Berberine is one of themost effective natural dietary supplements . As one of the few, it is characterized by effectiveness similar to drugs and affects the body at the molecular level. Berberine has extensive intracellular effects, including the regulation of gene expression.
The plants that contain the most berberine areCoptidis rhizomeand numerous varieties of the barberry bush . This alkaloid is found mainly in the roots, bark and stems of plants. The first mentions of their therapeutic use come from 200 AD.
Coptidis rhizomeAlso calledCoptis chinensisandHuanglian isa plant commonly used in Chinese medicine.Berberine according to its principlesdries moisture(i.e. a pathogenic factor),cleans fire(fire is equated with the work of the heart) andeliminates toxins . On the other hand, barberry (its roots, stems, leaves and fruits) occupies an important place in the folk medicine of Europe and Asia. Modern science not only confirms the legitimacy of the use of berberine in Chinese medicine, e.g. in gastrointestinal disorders, but also shows its many other activities, including anti-cancer, supporting the work of the heart and lowering blood glucose levels.
Berberine hasenormous healing potential,but its very big disadvantage is low absorbability andbioavailability. Therefore, research is conducted to find the optimal form of administration of berberine and its derivatives with the same biological activity, but better absorbability.
Read also:Dietary supplements - are they worth using?
Berberine supports the cardiovascular system
Numerous scientific studies confirmthe beneficial effect of berberine on the cardiovascular system.It has an antiarrhythmic effect, strengthens the functions of the left ventricle and general physical efficiency in the case of heart failure, and also reduces blood pressure.
Berberine has a very beneficial effect on the lipid profile.Reduces the level of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.Berberine has been noticed:
- stimulates the uptake of LDL cholesterol from the blood and its removal
- reduces cholesterol absorption in the intestines
- increases excretion with faeces
- reduces the production of cholesterol and triglycerides in liver cells.
Thanks to its anti-inflammatory effect, berberinereduces damage to blood vesselsand contributes to the reduction of atherosclerotic lesions.
Read also:Diet to strengthen blood vessels
Berberine has anti-diabetic properties
The first mentions of berberine's anti-diabetic effect appeared in 1986. It is now known to beeffective in treating insulin resistancewhich leads to type 2 diabetes. Berberine has a blood glucose lowering effect comparable to that of metformin, which is the best known drug used in insulin resistance and in mild type 2 diabetes. One of the mechanisms of action of barberin ismodulation of the intestinal microflora, which leads to a reduction in insulin resistance.
Treatment with berberinehas been shown to reduce the apoptosis of podocytes(death of cells lining the glomerular basement membrane) caused by high glucose levels. Kidney damage is known to be a serious complication of diabetes. The use of berberine seems promising in this respect.
Read also: Kidney failure - symptoms and treatment
Berberine and polycystic ovary syndrome
Hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes are very important in the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome. Therefore, treatment of these conditions is part of the treatment of PCOS. It has been confirmed in clinical trials thatberberine increases ovulation in women with polycystic ovary syndromeby reducing insulin resistance. Beneficial in thisthe disease is also improved lipid profile. It was shown that the consumption of 500 mg of berberine daily for 3 months significantly improved the condition of the treated patients. Higher pregnancy rates and a lower incidence of severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome were observed. Another benefit of using berberine in PCOS was the reduction of body weight and BMI of patients.
berberine in diseases of the nervous system
Berberineprotects the central nervous system , making it a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease, stroke, depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. The neuroprotective effect of berberine is probably related to the early immune activation of peripheral lymphocytes. At the same time, there are also reports of the enhancement of neurodegeneration by berberine. Thorough and long-term research is required for the use of berberine as a medicine.
Research reports thatberberine inhibits stimulation of the brain's reward center after consuming drugssuch as cocaine and morphine, and after alcohol consumption. It is also known that berberine has the same mechanism of action as antidepressants. Like other alkaloids, berberine is fast acting, and its use in treating people with severe depression is being considered.
Read also:Depression treatment. How to treat depression?
Berberine has anti-cancer properties
Berberinehas a cytotoxic effect against many tumor cell lines , incl. various leukemias, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, bladder cancer or lung cancer.The anti-cancer effect of berberine is multifaceted . It includes arresting the cell cycle of cancer cells, inducing apoptosis, i.e. cell death, influencing the expression of mitogen-activated kinases (MPAK), inhibiting metastasis, inhibiting angiogenesis, i.e. the ability to form blood vessels within a tumor, and others. Berberine showsgreat potential in the treatment of cancer , but the scope of its action for specific types of cancer is narrow, it must be carefully selected in terms of time and dose used. It is also impossible to say whether the oral intake of berberine will have a similar effect as its direct application to cancer cells.
Berberine seems to bea very promising substance in cancer preventiondue to its anti-inflammatory effects and inhibits the transmission of neoplastic stem cells, which are involved in tumor initiation, metastasis and play an important role role in resistance to cancer therapy.Many authors of the publication suggest that berberine is an effective agent in preventing inflammatory neoplasms such as colon cancer.
Read also:Cancer classification
Berberine for weight loss: does it help you lose weight?
Berberine isa potential drug supporting the fight against obesity . One of its mechanisms of action isreduction ofadipogenesis (fat cell formation) andlipogenesis(fat formation). In studies on the fat cell line (adipocyte), berberine was found to reduce the size and number of fat droplets accumulated in adipocytes.
The use of berberine hasa long-term effect on weight loss . The positive slimming effect is related to the increased secretion of the ATGL enzyme, which accelerates the first lipolysis reaction and increases the breakdown of triglycerides in adipocytes. In addition, berberinewas observed to inhibit adipocyte differentiation as well as pre-adipocyte proliferation and differentiation . Simply put, we can say that berberineslows down the formation of fat cells .
Of great importance in losing weight areregulated carbohydrate metabolism , balanced blood glucose level and adequate insulin secretion. Berberine helps control these factors to support weight loss.
In a 2012 study, 17 men and 20 women with obesity and metabolic syndrome used 300 mg of berberine three times a day for 12 weeks. They reportedsignificant improvement in many parameters of the metabolic syndromeand a decrease in BMI from 31.5 ± 3.6 to 27.4 ± 2.4.
| Before treatment | After treatment | |
| Age of participants (years) | 41.1 ± 7.3 | 41.1 ± 7.3 |
| BMI (kg / m2) | 31.5 ± 3.6 | 27.4 ± 2.4 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 97.3 ± 10.5 | 92.1 ± 9.10 |
| Blood pressure (mm Hg) | 146.1 ± 14.9 / 95.5 ± 8.7 | 134.0 ± 13.3 / 88.5 ± 10.3 |
| Total cholesterol (mM) | 6.69 ± 1.04 | 5.74 ± 0.84 |
| HDL cholesterol (mM) | 1.09 ± 0.36 | 0.92 ± 0.36 |
| LDL Cholesterol (mM) | 3.68 ± 0.85 | 2.86 ± 0.57 |
| Triglycerides (mm) | 3.03 ± 2.05 | 1.86 ± 0.90 |
| Fasting glucose (mM) | 7.37 ± 0.72 | 6.13 ± 0.85 |
| Fasting insulin (mIU / L) | 16.90 (11.6 ~ 20.1) | 12.50 (9.7 ~ 14.8) |
| HbA1c (%) | 7.10 ± 0.64 | 6.04 ± 0.62 |
| Leptin (μg / L) | 8.01 (2.04 ~ 15.17) | 5.12 (1.88 ~ 12.89) |
| Adiponectin (mg / L) | 8.42 (4.75 ~ 14.81) | 10.02 (5.13 ~ 15.59) |
A study in which obese subjects were given 500 mg of berberine three times a day for 12 weeks showed an average weight loss of about 2.5 kg for participants and an average decrease in body fat by about 3.5 percent.
Berberine is one of the very few substances thathas a visible slimming effect(not spectacular, but visible) without even making changes to your diet or lifestyle. However, as a supporter of a holistic approach to he alth and rational nutrition, I encourage you to combine the use of berberine for slimming with a he althy diet . The slimming and prophylactic effect on he alth will certainly be much better.
Read also: Simple and complex carbohydrates in the diet: sources, needs
How to use berberine?
The doses of berberine most commonly used in research arefrom 900 to 1500 mg per day . The half-life of berberine is several hours, so to keep blood levels constant, you shoulddivide the daily dose into threeservings. Consider taking 300 to 500 mg of berberine three times a day before your main meals.
If you are using any solid medications, consult your doctor before taking berberine. You should be especially careful if you are taking medicines to lower glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure every day, as berberine has a strong effect in this direction.
Berberine is asafe dietary supplement . The side reactions observed so far are associated only with digestive problems - stomach pain, a feeling of pressure, diarrhea or constipation.
Is berberine worth using?
Berberine is one of the few dietary supplements for which you can definitely say - yes, it is worth using. Berberine is worth taking because scientific research clearly confirms thatthis alkaloid works with similar power to many approveddrugs. When buying a supplement, however, you need to pay attention to the berberine content in one capsule and take daily doses that have been shown to work in publications. A very important difference is also whether we buy, e.g.powdered barberry root, in which berberine makes up 1 percent. of all compounds, or an extract containing 98 percent. berberine. Of course, forsupplementation to be effective, extracts should be selected.
Bibliography:
- Och A., Podgórski R., Nowak R., Biological Activity of Berberine - A Summary Update, Toxins, 2022, 12, 713; doi: 10.3390 / toxins12110713
- https: //www.researchgate.net/publication/296384677_Bioactivities_of_Berberine_An_Update
- https: //www.researchgate.net/publication/301217951_Berberine_New_Insights_from_Pharmacological_Aspects_to_Clinical_Evidences_in_the_Management_of_Metabolic_Disorders
- https: //pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18442638/
- https: //www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0944711312001870
- https: //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3478874/
- https: //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3310165/
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