The truth about berberine, the plant-derived supplement dubbed nature's Ozempic trends now

The truth about berberine, the plant-derived supplement dubbed nature's Ozempic trends now
The truth about berberine, the plant-derived supplement dubbed nature's Ozempic trends now

The truth about berberine, the plant-derived supplement dubbed nature's Ozempic trends now

A dietary supplement dubbed ‘nature’s Ozempic’ is taking the internet by storm with thousands of people extolling its weight loss benefits.

The plant-derived weight loss tool is believed to help treat inflammation, high cholesterol, and diabetes, though evidence to support these claims is limited — but it is not yet clear whether the supplement is safe to take long-term.

As people on social media rave about the transformations they’ve witnessed in the forms of looser pants and a lower number on the scale, they have also shared uncomfortable side effects, including diarrhea and constipation.

Given berberine’s growing popularity, DailyMail.com gathered all the facts you need to know about what it claims to do and how effective it is.

What exactly is it?

Berberine is derived from the barberry plant, shown here. Its berries, rich in berberine, are also thought to have antioxidant properties

Berberine is derived from the barberry plant, shown here. Its berries, rich in berberine, are also thought to have antioxidant properties

The bitter-tasting chemical is found in certain plants including European barberry, goldenseal, goldthread, Oregon grape, phellodendron, and tree turmeric.

The compound has been a fixture in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years to treat myriad conditions including pink eye, itchy skin, high blood sugar, and urinary tract infections, among other bacterial infections.

Still, these benefits have not been confirmed in large-scale clinical trials.  

A bottle of 60 supplements, one taken before every meal, can be purchased on major retail sites including Amazon for around $30.

With thousands of positive reviews and glowing reports on TikTok, the chemical is quickly becoming known as a natural alternative to expensive Wegovy or Ozempic, prescription medications that are not always covered by health insurance.

But it works very differently from the prescription drugs, also called semaglutide.

Wegovy is a higher-dose version that has been approved for weight loss in people with a body mass index of at least 30, or in overweight people with a BMI of 27 or greater, who also have a weight-related medical condition.

Ozempic, meanwhile, is approved to treat Type 2 diabetes, but it is being prescribed 'off-label' for obesity.

Semaglutide spurs weight loss by mimicking the actions of GLP-1, or glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone in the brain that regulates appetite and feelings of satiety.

What are the benefits?

Despite anecdotal evidence that berberine can help users shed pounds – including one woman on TikTok who lost seven pounds in six weeks – its weight loss benefits have not been confirmed in large peer-reviewed studies.

The mechanism behind berberine supposedly working as a weight loss supplement is also unclear.

Still, the evidence is expanding. One 2017 review published in the Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences found that patients who took two capsules at 750 milligrams each every day for three months had ‘a significant decrease’ in weight.

A separate study published in the American Journal of Translational Research suggested that the supplement activates brown adipose tissue, or fat cells that tell the body to turn food into energy by burning calories.

The chemical has several other applications as well.

A 2019 analysis published in the read more from dailymail.....

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