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Trying to stay healthy by maintaining a proper weight, exercising every day, taking days to focus on your mental health, and to keep your body functioning can be difficult. Many people suffer from unwanted weight gain and trying to lose it can be much harder. Sometimes having a proper diet and exercising just isn’t enough.
Lots of people turn towards supplements in order to help them with different aspects of their health that they can’t seem to control on their own. Berberine is a supplement that can greatly help when it comes to weight loss by supporting a healthy metabolism, while also increasing energy levels to get a better workout at the gym.
If you’re struggling to lose weight like many people, berberine may be the supplement to try out, so check out what it is and when to take it!
Supplements can go a long way if taken correctly, but finding the best brand for you is another story. If you’re looking for a supplement brand that your body will respond to, Dr. Emil’s provides a brand that promotes holistic health all around. Dr. Emil brings you some of the best supplements on the market that are high in quality using the best ingredients available that are healthier for your body. Dr. Emil’s products can help improve your overall health, and his berberine supplement can help to promote healthy weight loss for results you’ll be thrilled with!
In this article, some of the topics we will discuss include:
- What Exactly is Berberine?
- When Should You Take Berberine for Weight Loss?
- Does Berberine Really Work?
What Exactly is Berberine?
Berberine is an incredible supplement that supports weight loss, but where does it come from?
It’s important to take supplements that work well for you and your body, and if you’re struggling with stubborn weight that just won’t seem to go away, berberine is a great option to choose.
What Does Berberine Come From?
Many supplements come from plants and berberine is no different since it is a chemical that is found in plants. To be more specific, Berberine comes from plants such as the European barberry, goldenseal, goldthread, the Oregon grape, tree turmeric, and even the phellodendron.
While berberine is a bitter tasting chemical that comes from these plants, it helps to promote weight loss, among many other benefits. Berberine is also a chemical that has been popular among Chinese medicine for years because of the numerous positive benefits it can have on all aspects of your body, not just weight loss.
Now that you know where berberine comes from, you may be wondering how it actually works. Berberine activates an enzyme in your cells called AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which works to regulate metabolism and energy levels within your body. It can also turn on/off specific genes, which may prevent any chronic health conditions that can cause damage to your body over time.
Benefits of Taking Berberine
Many people gravitate towards taking berberine not only for the weight loss aspect, but also for the other benefits it can have on your body. From boosting your metabolism and energy levels, to fighting against certain infections and diseases, berberine is a supplement with many positive benefits.
Some of the benefits of taking berberine supplements include:
- Supports metabolism
- Aids in weight loss
- Increases energy levels
- Strengthen the heartbeat
- Regulates sugar in blood
- Helps reduce swelling
- Helps with symptoms of diabetes
- Lowers high cholesterol
- Lower high blood pressure
- Prevents the build-up of a fatty liver
- Helps aid with certain heart conditions
- Reduces risk of heart disease
- Reduces the risk of heart failure
- Reduces the growth and the spread of certain types of cancers
When Should You Take Berberine?
Berberine is a supplement that can promote weight loss, but when should you be taking it?
Berberine supplements are known to help promote weight loss, but it is important to know what time of day to take them. Image courtesy of Amazon.
While the thought of taking berberine supplements is exciting for anyone, it is also important to know when to take them. From knowing how many times a day, what time of day to take them, and how much of a dosage are all key factors to successful use of the berberine supplement.
How Big of a Dosage of Berberine to Take
Taking too much could be potentially harmful to your body and cause the side effects to occur, or become worse, but taking too little won’t show any results at all.
Before taking berberine, or any supplement at all, it is in your best interests to talk to your doctor first to make sure that it is right for you. Your doctor is the person that knows what is right for your health and body and they can determine if it's a suitable choice for you and recommend a dosage.
The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) states that it is recommended to take 900 to 1,500mg of berberine per day in order to see the results from taking the supplement. It is also up to you when it comes to how much to take at once. Many doctors recommend for people new to the supplement to take 500mg dosages three times a day to see effective results. Once your body has adjusted to the supplement, then you can take the dosage all at once, or increase or decrease it as needed.
When Should You Take Berberine for Weight Loss?
Berberine is a supplement that commonly many people take before eating, and it is recommended to do that for the best results possible. Doctors recommend taking berberine before eating a meal, or shortly after to help regulate your blood glucose, and take advantage of the lipid spike you get when you eat. Lipids help your body regulate energy levels by storing energy in your body.
It is also a better alternative to take berberine before eating to avoid any of the common side effects that you could experience if taken without food in your stomach. People who take berberine on an empty stomach can experience the symptoms of an upset stomach.
Berberine can be taken at any time that you’re planning on eating a meal. It is important to eat three healthy meals a day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner because it allows your body to fuel up with energy and the nutrients it needs in order to function properly.
What Form of Berberine to Take
If you’re someone who isn’t a fan of swallowing pills, capsules, or any type of supplement, berberine comes in many different forms. Berberine can be taken a few different ways, including in capsule form, in a drinkable powder, and can even be applied topically.
How you take berberine all comes down to what works best for you and your body, but normally it is taken orally in a capsule. You can take 900mg to 1,500mg of the capsule form of berberine, but you can also measure out 500mg of a powder form of it to mix in with a drink of your choice to get the same benefits and absorption.
It’s also important to note that a lot of people enjoy taking the powder form of berberine because it is free of gluten, soy, gelatin, dairy, and even extra additives that can be potentially harmful to your body.
Side Effects to Taking Berberine
An important factor to note with any supplement is the side effects that you may potentially experience while taking berberine. While the side effects are very minor if you’re taking the correct dosage and at the right time, it is still important to follow doctor’s orders on if it’s the right supplement for you and the instructions on how to take it.
Some of the common side effects of berberine customer experience include:
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Gas
- Upset stomach
Side effects of any supplement can affect people in many different ways, but it is important to note that it is crucial that pregnant women do not take berberine. If berberine is taken while pregnant, it can come in contact with the placenta and potentially harm the fetus. The most common type of birth defect that can harm unborn babies with the use of berberine is Kernicterus. This is a type of brain damage that is developed in newborns who are exposed to berberine that can cause long-term damage and is irreversible. It is known to cause hearing loss and even cerebral palsy in infants.
Does Berberine Really Work?
It’s important to know if berberine really works and what some of the long-term effects of it can be!
There are a lot of questions surrounding supplements and how well they work overtime. Many people see good changes within their body that can help them to look and feel healthier on the inside and outside. But others feel that after a while, the supplements stop working. Berberine is a useful supplement that can help promote weight loss, but knowing if it really works can help people decide if it’s right for them or not.
What Does Long-Term Use of Berberine Look Like?
When it comes to any supplement, it’s important to glance at the long-term use of it to see if it is a healthy option for you. For berberine, long term use of the supplement can actually prove to be harmful to the body, as it could harm proteins in your body, along with the DNA of certain bacterial variants. This means that the bacterial variants could cause inflammation to areas of your body such as the heart, or even the liver, which could trigger diabetes.
Many doctors recommend taking berberine for three months consecutively and then stopping and picking back up after three months of not using it. This can help avoid any unwanted side effects of the supplement, and also help you avoid any inflammation to occur in your body, or other long-term issues.
It is normal to experience very little nausea, or in some extreme cases vomiting when stopping berberine for a short period of time. Once again, it is important to talk to your doctor about what is right for your body and how you should be taking the supplement to avoid any long-term health effects and to gauge what is right for your health.
Berberine can help with weight loss and is the main reason why many people end up taking it. It’s a supplement that can help improve your overall health, but knowing when to take it can help make sure you’re getting the most out of it.
Make sure to take berberine before any meal to enjoy some of the best benefits that it has to offer!
