Image courtesy of Newsweek.
Weight loss is something that can be hard to come by, so if you are trying to lose weight, you might be onto your next item on a long list of attempted remedies. Berberine is a remedy that can potentially work for you, but with your past experiences, it makes sense for you to be skeptical. And that is why we have compiled a few reviews that can give you an idea of how berberine might work for you.
It can be exhausting to have to try every weight loss remedy out there before you can figure out if it works for you or not, especially when you constantly have to deal with the side effects. Graciously, many berberine users have described their experiences with it online so that you don’t have to test it out for yourself. You can go into it knowing what results and side effects you may experience before you even try it. You can also figure out if this is a remedy that you should skip or one you should rush to buy. Keep reading to learn more information about berberine and to get firsthand accounts from users.
What Is Berberine?
Berberine is a weight loss inducing chemical that is found in some plants. It is a yellow colored substance with a bitter flavor that you can find in Oregon grapes, goldenseal, and tree turmeric. It is commonly used to control diabetes, cholesterol, and high blood pressure. It is known as nature’s Ozempic due to its weight loss properties, and is also used to treat canker sores, burns, swelling, and a number of ailments. It can be taken by mouth or rubbed onto skin, and can be found in several stores.
Berberine has been gaining recognition, and a big reason for that is its impact on weight loss. Weight loss is often a tough goal, and since berberine is purported to help, it is selling more than ever before. But does berberine really have the effect that you’re hoping for? Check out some reviews we’ve dug up to find out!
Berberine’s Benefits
Berberine is known for helping people lose weight. It can especially help someone who has a BMI of 30 or higher. Studies have shown that taking berberine for three or so months can result in a large amount of weight loss. This is caused by the way that berberine controls and manages the fat cells in your body. Berberine also helps lower cholesterol, which is done differently from traditional cholesterol medications. Because of this, berberine is a great go-to for someone who happens to be resistant to other cholesterol medication.
Berberine can help prevent diabetes. Berberine controls the production of insulin in the body, which controls its sugar levels and keeps everything in equilibrium. When the body has enough insulin, it keeps the liver from producing too much glucose. It can also lower blood pressure in people who are struggling with high blood pressure.
Berberine is also known for its positive effects on the heart. When combining berberine with traditional heart treatments, studies found that berberine helped improve heart conditions. It also did it without adding on any side effect on top of what traditional treatments already caused. Berberine can also help with the symptoms of PCOS which include trouble losing weight, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance.
How Does Berberine Work?
Berberine functions by latching onto parts of your body’s cells and changing the way they work. Berberine does this process to all kinds of cells and enzymes, including DNA and RNA. By latching onto many cells and enzymes and changing their functions, berberine can lower levels of bad cholesterol in the body. Berberine can reduce LDL cholesterol by 0.5 mmol/L, and increases HDL cholesterol by 0.06 mmol/L. High levels of LDL raise your risk of suffering from a stroke or a heart attack, and HDL levels result in the opposite. HDL cholesterol absorbs cholesterol in the blood and transfers it to the liver where it will be flushed from the body.
Berberine also works to regulate how the body manages the sugar in blood. It lowers overall blood glucose levels, A1C, insulin, and triglycerides. A1C means a person’s average blood sugar levels over the course of a few months, triglycerides are a type of fat found in the blood, and insulin allows your pancreas to use sugar for energy for the rest of the body. This is why berberine is sometimes used as treatment for people with diabetes. It can help regulate the sugar in the body when used on its own or combined with other medications. Doctors recommend you take it either right before or after a meal.
Berberine’s Side Effects
The side effects that come with berberine primarily impact the gut. Those side effects can include symptoms like nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, gas, constipation, and diarrhea. These symptoms can be frustrating, but they don’t affect everyone. And even those who are impacted by berberine’s digestive symptoms typically don’t have to deal with them for long. On average, these symptoms usually last about four weeks. So if these symptoms are enough to make you want to quit taking berberine, wait it out for a bit, and you may soon find that the symptoms have disappeared.
Another side effect that comes with berberine is a lowered blood pressure. This symptom is a positive one for anybody who has too high of a blood pressure, but can be harmful for anyone with a normal or lower blood pressure. Too low of a blood pressure can be dangerous, so make sure that your blood pressure levels are right for berberine use with your doctor before you start taking it.
Berberine can manage to have negative effects on people who are pregnant or breastfeeding. While it won’t harm the mother, pregnant women are advised not to take berberine because of the effects that it can have on the infant. Berberine can worsen jaundice in infants, and can also cause kernicterus, a neurological disease in infants that can result in various symptoms like irritability and apnea.
Where to Get Berberine?
Berberine can be found in several online stores. It isn’t the most popular substance on the market as of now, so you may not find it in many stores you walk into. Your best bet is to find berberine online. You can buy it from major retailers like Amazon and Walmart online, as well as from Dr. Emil, HUM Nutrition, and Luma Nutrition. The tough part is figuring out what’s the best berberine to purchase.
Berberine Reviews
To really get a taste for how berberine works for weight loss, it is best to get some first hand accounts. Thankfully, there are people sharing their experiences with using berberine for weight loss on various websites. Reading positive and negative experiences alike will help you figure out if berberine is the right choice for your weight loss journey. Here are some reviews that will help you make the right choice:
Dr. Emil
- All natural. Dr. Emil’s Berberine Plus is made with the contents found in the bark, roots, stems, and barberry of plants.
- Contributes to weight loss. This supplement controls blood lipids and liver enzymes, supports immune health, and contributes to a healthy gut. All of this combined contributes to maintaining a healthy weight.
“I have taken Berberine for a while and I like your brand because it's better quality.”
“Berberine has helped me a great deal with my acid reflux. I have been feeling great taking this product.”
Web MD
Web MD is an encyclopedia of medical information that knows everything you need about every kind of disease and medication. On top of all the technical knowledge, they have provided reviews so readers can learn about berberine from firsthand accounts. Here’s what WebMD users had to say.
“Took for 7 months. Built up to 1500 mg of Berberine a day. Due to stomach issues. helped with gut, decreased belly fat, decreased sugar cravings, lost 5-7 lbs. I stopped it for 2 months and just started back on it. Noticed difference in healthier gut. Waiting to lose the weight again. No side effects after picking where I left off. Very good product.”
“I wrote a review below and would like to add the following about Berberine. It takes 3 months for full effects. I started taking it slowly ! 1/2 gummy . Next day 1 full gummy and the next day 1 gummy in morning same day 1 gummy afternoon. Please do not overdose. Sugar levels , blood pressure can drop and can make you dizzy. I am a female . Starting weight 162 in one week 158 with dancing 2 X a week. Berberine HCL has curved my appetite. You will not overeat because you will feel sick.”
GoodRX
GoodRX is a healthcare company with a telemedicine platform that helps users track prescription drug prices. They also provide users with firsthand information they’ve learned from using certain drugs themselves. Here’s what GoodRX users had to say.
“But then, the side effects went away, and Kimberly started to notice she had more energy. After taking berberine for 6 years — cycling on it for 3 months and then off it for 2, at the advice of her doctor — Kimberly has lost 40 lbs. But the biggest benefit, she says, is the fact that she’s been able to maintain her progress and avoid on-an-off weight gain.
Losing the weight and keeping it off helps everything else,” she says. “It’s easier to walk. It’s easier to sleep well. It’s easier to have more energy. And it’s been the one thing that’s kept me off of medications that no one wants to be on at the age of 40.”
“Keep in mind, not everyone should take berberine. You should not take berberine if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, have a weakened immune system or have had an organ transplant, or have kidney or liver problems. Berberine can interfere with certain medications. If you’re taking any prescription or over-the-counter medications, talk with your healthcare provider before taking berberine.”
Amazon
Amazon is a major online retailer that ships any item you might need from all over the world. They sell anything from food to furniture and medicine, and offer a review page for every item on their website. Here’s what berberine users on Amazon had to say.
“I still think this is the best! I am going to a naturopath who put me on “doctor” products that had berberine in them. So I decided to stop taking this berberine around November of last year. I had been losing weight like crazy on this, but I figured I am still getting berberine so I will be ok.
Well the weight loss screeched to a halt, and by the end of February I was trying to figure out what changed. I finally started taking this berberine again and whoosh! The weight loss started again. I feel so good using this. My body just loves it. I feel happy and my blood sugar is good and the weight just drops off and nothing else has changed. I can’t recommend this product enough and again I give it 5 stars.”
“Been taking it for a month and am on my second bottle, no special effects yet. But maybe it does cut my appetite a bit but nothing major. Have not lost weight yet, but it keeps me regular and I watch what I eat. I have one more bottle which I will finish, but am not sure if I will continue taking this. It has a big hype so I have to see.”
Berberine is a chemical that manages to work well for weight loss depending on an individual’s needs and body chemistry, so we hope these reviews are a start to helping you understand how it might work for you. But if you need more information, you can always go straight to the sources and read as many reviews as you need.
