4 Health Benefits of Berberine

Although there are some pretty cool new studies on Berberine that I’m excited to share with you, there’s nothing new about Berberine itself.

A quick literature search reveals over 20,000 research articles published about Berberine since 2020 alone - with hundreds of thousands before that.

Here’s one highlight from all that research: according to a 2012 meta-analysis of 14 different studies including more than 1,000 people, Berberine was able to help with blood sugar control as much as the common diabetes medication metformin - and with far fewer side effects. Talk about powerful!

In this post, I’m going to cover 4 of the biggest root causes of poor health that Berberine can help with, specifically:

• gut health

• autoimmune regulation

• nerve and brain protection

• fat loss

I’m also going to touch on a few common questions folks have asked me about adding this antioxidant powerhouse to your daily routine - including the importance of quality and what to expect in terms of side effects.

But first, let’s talk about what Berberine is and where it comes from.

Berberine is a natural compound found in plants like goldenseal, oregon grape, tree turmeric, and barberry.

It is an isoquinoline alkaloid, which is an important class of natural products that have a wide range of biological activities.

It is known for it’s bright yellow color and bitter taste - which is why high-dose supplemental forms are encapsulated or in a tablet form instead of powder or chewable.

That bitterness is one of the factors that make Berberine useful specific to our first health benefit - improving gut function and microbial balance.

Believe it or not, your gut has bitter taste receptors similar to the ones on your tongue, and stimulating these receptors can cause changes in gut motility and gastric emptying, which can help improve digestion and satiety.

It also influences the release of gut hormones like GLP-1 and ghrelin - you may recognize these as important for blood sugar balance, hunger signaling, and fat storage - more on this later.

But Berberine isn’t just another bitter food - it’s also a powerful antimicrobial against potentially pathogenic bacteria, yeasts, viruses, and even parasitic protozoa that cause imbalances in your gut microbiome.

The most important thing to understand about the microbiome is that it plays a crucial, life-sustaining role in your survival as a human.

You could not live without your microbiome - it talks to your immune system, your brain, your liver, your lungs, and other body systems - keeping things balanced and functional by partnering with your own cells.

And when the bacterias, yeasts, and other microbes in your gut are imbalanced, we call that dysbiosis.

An unhappy microbiome can cause all sorts of problems, including blood sugar imbalance from poor digestion and absorption of your food, gas and bloating, diarrhea and constipation, chronic inflammation, depression and anxiety, hormone imbalance, and of course fat gain and or trouble losing weight.

Thankfully, our friend Berberine can help us with this!

Berberine is useful for getting rid of a common yeast called Candida that has a tendency to overgrow and cause problems like heartburn and reflux, bloating and gas, constipation, and even skin conditions like eczema and acne.

Not only does it help handle overgrowth of unhelpful bugs, Berberine can also increases the amount of gut bacteria that produce short- chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which serve as an energy source for the cells of your intestines.

One recent study found that Berberine significantly alleviated ulcerative colitis by inhibiting a specific anti-inflammatory receptor in the gut.

Berberine also increases the amount of a very special bacteria called Akkermansia, which regulates inflammation and improves gut barrier integrity, also known as leaky gut.

Akkermansia does a lot of other cool stuff, which I talk about in several videos on my YouTube channel.

Now, getting rid of unhelpful yeasts and potentially pathogenic bacteria is ultimately a good thing, but it can come with some unpleasant symptoms.

And if your gut microbiome is really unbalanced, or you have particularly nasty bugs living in your intestines, they can kick up a fuss when Berberine enters the scene.

This is one of the reasons that some folks have digestive side effects when they take Berberine - especially at high doses.

If Berberine is shaking things up in their your microbiome, it can cause temporary stool changes, gas, and bloating.

Ultimately, this is a good thing! By getting rid of bad microbes, Berberine can also relieve those very same symptoms over time.

I always tell folks to investigate their gut microbiome health if they notice anything beyond mild, temporary side effects like these when taking Berberine - those symptoms are pointing you toward a deeper issue that needs to be resolved.

My first step would be an advanced functional stool test - I’ll include some info about at-home digestive testing options in the video description in case this sounds familiar.

The second health benefit of Berberine that we’re covering is autoimmune regulation.

If you have an autoimmune condition, you already know that conventional medicine has little to offer in terms of root-cause treatment.

But modulating the immune response is something Functional Medicine does very well, and Berberine is a great tool in your Functional toolbox.

One way that it can help calm autoimmunity is by lowering systemic inflammation - which it does by reducing the release of inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species, and influencing other complex inflammatory pathways.

A 2024 study found that Berberine modulated multiple mechanisms involved in the progression of multiple sclerosis, particularly the immune T cells that trigger autoimmunity.

And it’s also been shown to inhibit the inflammatory responses associated with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease in human or animal models.

By promoting a healthy gut microbiome, Berberine also helps prevent and reverse gut barrier dysfunction - sometimes called gut hyperpermeability or leaky gut, which is a known trigger of autoimmune disorders, including Hashimotos thyroiditis and MS.

Third, we need to talk about the benefits of Berberine for your brain and central nervous system.

Berberine is unique in that it can cross the blood-brain barrier, giving it direct access to the nerves and supporting cells that make up the command center of your body.

By reducing brain inflammation and oxidation and promoting cell growth and survival, Berberine has been shown to decrease anxiety and stabilize mood by supporting healthy levels of neurotransmitters.

It has also been shown to improve symptoms and reduce progression in degenerative neurologic diseases like Parkinsons and Alzheimer’s - which is a really big deal given the increasing prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and the utter failure of conventional medicine to develop an effective treatment for this devastating disease.

Alzheimer’s has also been linked to blood sugar dysregulation in the brain - with some experts calling it “type 3 diabetes.”

As we’ll talk about in a minute, Berberine is excellent at improving blood glucose levels and sensitizing insulin receptors, giving it another avenue to prevent and treat CNS dysfunction.

If you have a family history of dementia or you struggle with symptoms like brain fog, anxiety, depression, poor focus, or memory issues, supplementing with a high-quality Berberine is a great option.

And just a note on quality - unfortunately there are a lot of products out there that have not been third-party tested, meaning that you can’t know for sure that what’s on the label is actually in the product - which is why I recommend very specific, practitioner-grade Berberine supplements from companies that have proven themselves trustworthy.

If you’d like to know which Berberine supplement gets my seal of approval, you can download my free Functional Fat Loss Trio HERE.

You can purchase these suggested supports - including my favorite Berberine - for a nice discount using my Fullscript dispensary.

Last, but absolutely not least on our list of benefits of Berberine is fat loss.

I said it before and I’ll say it again, Berberine is one of the most powerful tools in my tool kit for helping folks overcome weight loss resistance.

One of my 1:1 clients, who had been struggling with consistent weight gain for years despite a really healthy diet, lost 5lbs within just one week of starting my favorite Berberine. 

But how does Berberine help you lose body fat and overcome weight loss resistance?

There are a few mechanisms.

First, Berberine helps keep blood sugars and insulin levels from being too high or too low. Instead, it keeps them in the range of “just right.”

When your blood sugar stays balanced, it not only helps your body burn stored fats, but it helps prevent type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol.

Second, Berberine has been shown to activate a regulatory compound called adenosine monophosphate kinase or AMPK, which is known as the “master metabolic switch” in fat and muscle cells.

Improving metabolism on a cellular level improves insulin sensitivity and reduces fat accumulation in the body, which is especially important because your metabolism tends to slow down with age and decline along with hormones like testosterone and even thyroid hormone.

Third, Berberine helps boost your body’s production of Glucagon-Like Peptide 1, aka GLP-1.

When you eat, the GLP-1 hormone sends a signal to your pancreas that causes the release of insulin, which tells your cells to take in glucose from your blood, lowering your blood sugar.

This is why GLP-1 agonist medications like Ozempic were originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, a condition where your cells become resistant to insulin’s actions over time. GLP-1 hormone also improves satiety, or the sense that you’ve had enough to eat by activating certain areas of your brain.

That’s why it can help lower appetite and food cravings. GLP-1 slows down how quickly food moves from your stomach to your intestines, a process called gastric emptying. This keeps you feeling “full” longer so you eat less, which can result in weight loss for some people.

GLP-1 agonist medications don’t stimulate the release of GLP-hormone by your cells. Instead, they mimic the effects of GLP-1 hormone by activating the same receptors as your home-made hormone.

Instead of working with your body to help your gut make more GLP-1 on it’s own, these medications hijack the system, giving you exponentially increased GLP-1 activity without your body actually making more of it.

This is how drugs like Ozempic can result in such dramatic weight loss.

Unfortunately, for some people, it can also result in very negative side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea - one study reported that 50% of patients taking GLP-1 agonists experienced nausea while taking them.

And because you’re not assessing and addressing the reasons that your own gut isn’t making enough GLP-1 to help you lose weight, you’re stuck taking the meds.

A 2022 study showed that participants who discontinued GLP-1 agonist treatment gained most of their weight back within 1 year.

BUT - this doesn’t mean that supporting your body’s production of GLP-1 hormone is a bad idea!

It can absolutely help you lose weight, balance your blood sugar, prevent chronic disease, and even feel BETTER digestively, not worse.

And you can boost your secretion of GLP-1 naturally, using food, micronutrients, and nutraceuticals like Berberine!

One meta-analysis showed that just 1 gram of concentrated berberine significantly lowered cholesterol, BMI, weight, fasting glucose, HbA1C and other metabolic markers!

It’s important to note that Berberine is not the same as Ozempic, and it is not a singular strategy for weight loss, protecting your brain, reversing your autoimmune disease or fixing your gut.

Food choices, movement, stress resilience strategies, and many other factors need to be considered as well.

That said, if you’re on a health improvement journey with diet and lifestyle but are still struggling, Berberine could be just the boost you need! And it’s a great tool in your Functional prevention tool kit as well.

If you’d like to learn more about my specific suggestions, including which Berberine product gets my “thumbs up,” tips and tricks for dosing, and a heads up on what to expect when taking Berberine, you’re welcome to download my free Functional Fat Loss Trio guide.