What do people use Berberine Supplements for?
– Diabetes
– Heart Disease
– Immune Support
– Cognitive Support
– Cholesterol Support
– Intestinal Infections
– Weight Control
– Joint Problems
What is Berberine?
Berberine is a natural yellow colored alkaloid found in a number of plants including Oregon Grape, tree turmeric, goldenseal and more. An alkaloid is essentially any of a class naturally occurring chemicals that mostly contain basic nitrogen atoms and have pronounced physiological actions in humans. Those actions can be positive or negative according to their specific chemical makeup. Berberine is an alkaloid that has positive health interactions with the human body.
Berberine has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and immune enhancing properties. These are all very beneficial! It is effective against a wide range of bacteria, protozoa and fungi. Though known for it’s antimicrobial activities, new research has shed light on Berberine’s potential clinical applications leading to an explosion of interest in this ingredient.
Berberine and AMPK
To truly appreciate the extraordinary effect Berberine can have on your body you must first understand AMPK or adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase.
AMPK has been called the metabolic master switch as it is enormously effective in regulating metabolism. AMPK essentially triggers a number of events in your cells involved in maintaining biological balance. Maintaining balance, or homeostasis, necessitates the regulation of lipid, glucose and energy imbalances.
When the biological pathways stimulated by AMPK are not stimulated, a host of maladaptive events occur including hyperglycemia, diabetes and energy imbalances.
AMPK helps coordinate the response to these stressors, shifting energy toward cellular repair, maintenance, or a return to homeostasis and improved likelihood of survival.
According to the Natural Medical Journal “Activating AMPK can produce the same benefits as exercise, dieting and weight loss – the lifestyle modifications considered beneficial for a range of maladies. One way to appreciate berberine’s potential is to think of it as having the same effect on a patient as increasing exercise while at the same time restricting calorie intake. Think of the effects of AMPK suppression as similar to those of eating a high calorie diet while leading a very sedentary lifestyle.”
Berberine is one of the few compounds known to active AMPK. Resveratrol is another.
Berberine and Diabetes
In a clinical trial published in Metabolism, people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes were randomly divided into groups and assigned to take Metformin (Glucophage) or berberine. Of Note: Meltformin is one of the most commonly prescribed medications to help control diabetes. Improvements were noted the very first week, and at the study’s conclusion, the average blood sugar and hemoglobin A1C levels significantly decreased in both groups. Remarkably, berberine helped fight diabetes every bit as effectively as Meltformin. The researchers concluded that the two had “identical effects in the regulation of glucose metabolism.”
Berberine and Healthy Weight Maintenance:
As stated before, Berberine stimulates the release of AMPK which precipitates a host of events related to metabolism. Triggering metabolic activity allows the body to successfully remedy energy imbalances.
This means berberine can help inhibit fat storage, especially visceral or gut fat. When functioning optimally the body will utilize lipids to meet existing energy demands through the metabolic process rather than storing that fat for later use. Berberine’s natural ability to trigger AMPK, the master metabolic switch, makes it a potent ingredient in one’s quest towards healthy weight management.
Dosage Recommendations:
Most studies of Berberine use 500mg dosage once or twice a day.