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Berberine as a Natural Alternative for Weight Loss

Berberine as a Natural Alternative for Weight Loss

Shed pounds naturally with berberine. Learn about its benefits, side effects, and how to incorporate it into your routine.

Written By Shelley Balls, MDA, RDN, LDN
Updated on
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A guide on berberine as a natural alternative for weight loss

Table of contents

Key Takeaways

  • Berberine, a plant-derived compound, is gaining attention for its potential weight loss benefits. It has been shown to regulate blood glucose, lower cholesterol, and improve heart health.
  • Research suggests that berberine can promote weight loss by regulating gut microbiota, influencing gene expression, and improving intestinal permeability.
  • Berberine can elevate hormones like GLP-1, GLP-2, and PYY, which can help suppress appetite, slow digestion, and increase metabolism.
  • While berberine offers potential health benefits, it's important to be aware of potential side effects, especially at high doses.

With the extremely high price of weight loss drugs, especially when insurance doesn't cover them, and the possible side effects that come with them, it may be worth your time to consider natural herbs and dietary supplements that have been shown to promote weight loss.

Berberine for example is an over-the-counter dietary supplement that has been gaining attention for its potential weight loss effects. Berberine is a plant-derived compound found in plants such as European barberry, goldenseal, goldthread, Oregon grape, phellodendron, and tree turmeric.

Berberine is not only effective for weight loss, but it can improve other areas of your health such as diabetes, heart health, and cancer risk. The benefits of berberine has been used in the past to help regulate blood glucose, and help lower blood cholesterol and high blood pressure, but recently has gained popularity for weight loss.[1]

Research Evidence for Weight Loss

Short-term human studies have consistently shown that berberine promotes weight loss, decreased body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference, but the effects of long-term supplementation of berberine are still lacking.[2-4]

How Does Berberine Work for Weight Loss?

Berberine aids in weight loss in a few different ways, which include gut microbiota regulation, gene regulation, intestinal permeability, and hepatic gluconeogenesis. Berberine modifies gut microbiota by elevating intestinal peptides such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2), and peptide YY (PYY) and decreases gastric inhibitory polypeptides.

GLP-1 is a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar, appetite, and digestion, and an increase can help reduce appetite, slow down digestion, and slightly increase metabolism. Berberine also elevates GLP-2, which is a hormone that helps with nutrient absorption and gut health.

Gut health is a popular topic, and for good reason as it’s connected to so many functions in the body, including your weight loss efforts. PYY is another hormone that is elevated with berberine intake and it affects appetite, gastric motility, and water and electrolyte absorption.

PYY is released by the gut in response to food intake, and its levels increase after eating and decrease after fasting. Berberine intake elevates GLP-1, GLP-2 and PYY in the intestines, which can help suppress appetite, slow digestion, and increase metabolism to aid in your weight loss efforts.

Benefits of Berberine for Weight Loss

Berberine is also known to have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antibacterial, antiparasitic, and fungicide properties.

When looking at anti-inflammatory properties specifically, berberine can help decrease systemic inflammation and aid in weight loss, and overall health with disease prevention.

When it comes to gene regulation, berberine plays a role in regulating the expression of certain genes, which can suppress tumor cancer cells.[5]

Potential Side Effects and Safety Concerns

Some side effects of berberine have been reported in research studies at high intake levels, that include nausea, abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea.

Certain populations and conditions may pose safety concerns with berberine intake. For example, berberine has been linked to a buildup of bilirubin in infants, which can cause brain damage.

Therefore, infants should not take berberine and it may also be unsafe for use during pregnancy or while breastfeeding because of possible effects on the fetus or infant.[6]

Who Can Benefit from Berberine

Individuals who may consider taking berberine for its health benefits include those seeking support for weight loss, cardiovascular health, gastrointestinal health, and blood sugar control.

Dosage of Berberine for Weight Loss

When looking for a berberine supplement, look for one that contains approximately 200-500 mg to help you retain the benefits shown in human studies.

Make sure your supplements are from a reputable source to ensure safety and quality.

If you do decide how to take berberine for weight loss, you should still pair it with a healthful lifestyle and balanced eating pattern to see healthy changes in yourself!

About Shelley Balls

Shelley has been a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for over 7 years. She has worked in various capacities helping to optimize the nutritional status of clients, communities, and residents.

References

  1. Zamani M, Zarei M, Nikbaf-Shandiz M, Hosseini S, Shiraseb F, Asbaghi O. The effects of berberine supplementation on cardiovascular risk factors in adults: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. Front Nutr. 2022;9:1013055. Published 2022 Oct 14. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.1013055 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36313096/
  2. Ilyas Z, Perna S, Al-Thawadi S, et al. The effect of Berberine on weight loss in order to prevent obesity: A systematic review. Biomed Pharmacother. 2020;127:110137. doi:10.1016/j.biopha.2020.110137. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32353823/
  3. Li Z, Wang Y, Xu Q, et al. Berberine and health outcomes: An umbrella review. Phytother Res. 2023;37(5):2051-2066. doi:10.1002/ptr.7806. - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36999891/
  4. Asbaghi O, Ghanbari N, Shekari M, et al. The effect of berberine supplementation on obesity parameters, inflammation and liver function enzymes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2020;38:43-49. doi:10.1016/j.clnesp.2020.04.010. - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32690176/
  5. Seyed Hasan Ayati, Badrieh Fazeli, Amir Abbas Momtazi-borojeni, Arrigo F.G. Cicero, Matteo Pirro, Amirhossein Sahebkar. Regulatory effects of berberine on microRNome in Cancer and other conditions. Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology. 2017; 116: 147-158. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28693796/
  6. Chan E. Displacement of bilirubin from albumin by berberine. Biol Neonate. 1993;63(4):201-208. doi:10.1159/000243932. - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8513024/