If TikTok and Reddit influencers are to be believed, the plant-based compound called berberine can be a replacement for such popular diabetes and weight loss drugs as Ozempic and Wegovy.
Using berberine as a supplement has become so trendy, in fact, that it has been dubbed 鈥� by social media users. Some manufacturers are jumping on the trend.
鈥淏erberine has become my new BFF because it has been helping me with my weight loss,鈥� one believer gushed, adding that one of the herbal supplement鈥檚 manufacturers is offering her 鈥� and a few of her lucky viewers 鈥� a year鈥檚 supply.
Some medical experts CNN spoke with, however, had concerns about the use of this unregulated supplement. As an extract from plants such as goldenseal, barberry and various poppies, berberine is considered a by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is thus regulated as a food, not a drug.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the problem with berberine and all of these herbal substances 鈥� they鈥檙e typically not rigorously studied in the type of large, randomized clinical trials that we put actual drugs through. So, you have to be very careful,鈥� said Dr. Caroline Apovian, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and codirector of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at Brigham and Women鈥檚 Hospital in Boston.
鈥淎s for it being nature鈥檚 Ozempic, there鈥檚 no evidence to suggest that is true,鈥� added Apovian, who was the lead author for the Endocrine Society鈥檚 for the pharmacological management of obesity.
IS BERBERINE'S WEIGHT LOSS EFFECT MEANINGFUL?
That doesn鈥檛 mean that the herb has no impact at all on the body鈥檚 metabolic systems, however. A of a number of small clinical studies on berberine鈥檚 impact on cardiovascular risk factors, including obesity, found a very small, but statistically significant weight loss benefit.
鈥淏ut statistical significance does not mean clinically meaningful,鈥� said Dr. Justin Ryder, a pediatric obesity researcher and associate professor of surgery and pediatrics at Northwestern University鈥檚 Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
鈥淲hat do I mean by that? On average across the studies, the pooled response was about a 0.25 reduction in body mass index or BMI compared to placebo,鈥� he said. Body mass index is a measurement of a person鈥檚 body fat based on height and weight.
鈥淔or Ozempic and Wegovy, the decrease in BMI compared to placebo was 4.61 BMI units, or 18 times more effective than berberine, Ryder added. 鈥淪o, does berberine have an effect? The data would suggest yes. Is the effect meaningful? Probably not.鈥�
HISTORY OF BERBERINE
Some of the roughly 500 different species of plants that belong in the genius Berberis have been used for centuries in Ayurveda and to fight inflammation and heal wounds, cure constipation and hemorrhoids, and battle infections of the ear, eye, mouth and digestive tract.
鈥淚t鈥檚 part of the arsenal of herbs used by naturopathic doctors,鈥� said Dr. Joshua Levitt, a naturopathic doctor in Hamden, Connecticut.
鈥淲hen it comes to glycemic control and for regulation of cholesterol and other lipids and antimicrobial uses, there鈥檚 some cool stuff to be done with herbs and nutrients.鈥�
In fact, the of Assyrian emperor Ashurbanipal has clay tablets dating back to 650 BC stating the tangy fruit of the barberry plant was used as a blood-purifying agent.
鈥淚t鈥檚 usually used in its whole plant extract form 鈥� leaves, roots, bark all made into a tincture powder or something,鈥� Levitt said.
Scientists were able to extract berberine as the active ingredient in these plants over 100 years ago, he said, and began to study the compound for metabolic issues such as cholesterol, diabetes and obesity.
Berberine may enhance the body鈥檚 natural production of , or glucagon-like peptide 1, a gastrointestinal hormone that鈥檚 used in Ozempic and other new weight loss drugs. That鈥檚 how the compound 鈥渇its into this discussion. However, in terms of its weight loss benefits, they are modest at best,鈥� he said.
BERBERINE'S POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS
Berberine can have side effects when mixed with other medications, including the medication , which is often prescribed for people with diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome and, more recently, for weight loss.
鈥淢etformin lowers blood sugar, and berberine lowers blood sugar,鈥� Levitt said. 鈥淎nd if you take two items that lower blood sugar at the same time, you could have a problem like excessive hypoglycemia, when blood sugar crashes.鈥�
In addition, berberine is 鈥渄irectly antimicrobial,鈥� which was its most common use in historical herbal medicine, Levitt said: 鈥淎ntimicrobial effects can irritate the GI tract so unless a person has an overgrowth of bad bugs it can cause digestive distress.鈥�
Berberine can be dangerous if taken with an immunosuppressive drug used to treat organ rejection post-transplant, as it might heighten that drug鈥檚 effects and possible side effects. Another known interaction is with sedative drugs, as berberine can cause additional sleepiness and slowed breathing, according to the
In addition, berberine should not be taken while pregnant or breastfeeding.
鈥淏erberine can cross the placenta and might cause harm to the fetus. Kernicterus, a type of brain damage, has developed in newborn infants exposed to berberine,鈥� the National Library of Medicine .
For these reasons, it鈥檚 important to check with your doctor first if you鈥檙e considering taking berberine or any other unregulated supplement.
Despite research investigating the herb鈥檚 potential impact on diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease, the FDA has 鈥渘ot yet approved berberine for any prescription or over-the-counter drug use, and it has sent notices of violation to companies that have made drug claims on their Web sites,鈥� according to the
