What are Berberine Benefits & Drawbacks?

Berberine hydrochloride is a natural compound found in plants such as barberry, Oregon grape, tree turmeric, and prickly poppy. It is used in traditional Chinese medicine and is believed to have many health benefits, ranging from decreasing body fat and high blood sugar levels to treating heart disease and cancer. However, doctors caution that more research is needed to confirm berberine is safe and effective. Also, taking berberine with certain oral diabetes drugs can cause complications. Also, keep in mind that pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children should not take berberine since there is no data to support berberine’s safety and efficacy for these populations. Please continue reading to find out some of the benefits and risks of taking a berberine supplement.

What happens to your body when you take berberine?

Research has shown that berberine may have the following beneficial effects:

Scavenges free radicals and has an antioxidant effect.
Reduces inflammation and oxidative stress. This supplement has been found to be beneficial for people with high blood pressure and heart disease, including heart failure.
Interferes with plaque formation in the blood vessels as berberine has been found to reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol), total cholesterol, and even triglycerides.
Helps improve insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
Has a protective effect on the liver and kidneys
Has anti-inflammatory effects and protects against damage in autoimmune conditions
Lowers the risk of metabolic syndrome

What are the potential health benefits of taking berberine?

Bacterial infections

Studies have found that berberine can enhance the effect of antibiotics in treating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). It also has antibacterial activity against Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B strep).

Diabetes mellitus

Berberine may regulate blood sugar and be beneficial for people with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. There are various mechanisms by which this occurs, including its anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidant properties, as well as increasing insulin receptor expression. Studies have shown that berberine supplements are nearly as effective in lowering blood glucose as metformin, one of the oral diabetes drugs. In another study, berberine was also found to be more effective in lowering blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c compared to probiotics alone or placebo.

Obesity

An older study has shown that berberine may be beneficial for people with excess body weight. Thus, berberine may be an effective weight loss supplement. In this study, participants were taking 500 milligrams of berberine by mouth three times daily. After 12 weeks, participants in this study achieved a loss of about 5 pounds of body weight. It is believed that berberine interferes with the growth of fat cells, leading to weight loss.

High cholesterol

Randomized clinical trials have shown that the effects of berberine hydrochloride include lowering total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL (bad) cholesterol and raising HDL (good) cholesterol levels.

High blood pressure

Animal studies suggest berberine can delay the onset of high blood pressure and when already present, reduce the severity of hypertension. Berberine, along with lifestyle modifications, was found to lower blood pressure more than lifestyle changes alone or a placebo. Also, berberine combined with blood pressure medications was superior to blood pressure medications alone, with no serious adverse reactions reported.

Metabolic syndrome

As mentioned above, berberine lowers blood glucose and blood cholesterol. Due to its ability to lower blood pressure, berberine can have beneficial effects on the heart and blood vessels. Research suggests berberine can help with weight loss in obese individuals. These chronic diseases are risk factors for metabolic syndrome. Therefore, berberine supplementation could lower the risk of common metabolic diseases, which are associated with an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

Polycystic ovary syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal imbalance in females that can lead to infertility and other health issues. PCOS is often associated with other health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Diabetes medications such as metformin are sometimes prescribed to treat PCOS. Research suggests berberine is a promising treatment for women with PCOS and insulin resistance.

Cancer

One of the potential health benefits of berberine is its antitumor effect. Research suggests berberine, which contains natural compounds called alkaloids, may have inhibitory effects on many types of cancers, including lung, liver, colorectal, ovarian, prostate, and cervical cancer. Berberine may slow the progression of cancers by preventing the invasion and spread of cancer cells.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

Because of its positive effects on insulin resistance, glucose regulation, blood lipids, and obesity, berberine supplements may have health benefits for people with NAFLD.

What are the health risks of berberine?

Doctors caution that more research is needed to confirm the potential health benefits of berberine and its safety and efficacy in treating various ailments in the human body.

Taking berberine can cause side effects such as nausea, upset stomach, constipation, headache, and rash.

Berberine can interact with prescription medications, such as blood sugar-lowering medications, and cause serious adverse effects.

Supplements such as berberine are not regulated by the U.S. FDA and you cannot be sure how much of the active ingredient is actually present in a product. There can be a wide variation in the contents of berberine supplements, leading to confusion about dosing.

The use of berberine during pregnancy and in infants can cause serious adverse effects.

Why is berberine not good for long-term use?

Berberine has been studied for infections, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, polycystic ovary syndrome, cancer, heart disease, and other health conditions. This health supplement might be safe for most healthy adults when taken for the short term. However, very little information is available about the safety of taking berberine long-term. In other words, there is not enough reliable data to confirm that berberine is safe for long-term use.

Goldenseal is a popular supplement containing berberine as one of the active ingredients. It is also worth noting that supplements are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) funded a study that found that some commercially available dietary supplements that claimed to contain goldenseal did not in fact contain much of this ingredient and instead contained ingredients that were not listed on the product label.

Who should not take berberine?

Pregnant women and women who are nursing an infant with breast milk should not take supplements (berberine, goldenseal, or others) without talking to their doctor first. Also, berberine should not be given to newborn infants as it can cause or worsen jaundice and lead to kernicterus (potentially life-threatening brain damage).

What medications should not be taken with berberine?

Berberine can change how the body processes blood sugar-lowering drugs, for example, metformin. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health funded a study that found that levels of the diabetes medication metformin decreased by 25% in people who were given this medicine along with a goldenseal supplement (goldenseal contains berberine). Therefore, due to berberine’s effect in lowering blood sugar, taking berberine could affect blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes who are on metformin or other diabetes medications.

Besides berberine’s interactions with diabetes drugs, berberine may also interact with other medications. Always consult your healthcare provider before taking any supplement, especially if you are on prescription medications for health conditions.

How much berberine should you take?

The usual dose of berberine is 500 mg three times a day. However, make sure you check with your healthcare provider about how much berberine is safe to take and how long you should be taking it.

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