As the demand for Ozempic — the injectable diabetes
medication that has become coveted for inducing weight loss — continues to
intensify, people across TikTok are posting about alternatives. Some gush about
other diabetes drugs, like Mounjaro; some promote so-called generic Ozempic
from compounding pharmacies. While some are trumpeting what they say is a
cheaper option, readily available in pharmacies and online: “nature’s Ozempic,”
better known as berberine.
اضافة اعلان
Berberine is a chemical compound extracted from plants like goldenseal
and barberry and often sold as a supplement, typically in capsules filled with
yellow-tinged powder.
A 2,000-year-old remedy
The compound has been used in Asia for at least 2,000 years,
and physicians have long employed it to treat diarrhea and other
gastrointestinal complaints. More recently, researchers have looked to
berberine as a potential aid in treating conditions like high blood pressure
and insulin resistance.
Berberine is vastly different from semaglutide, the active
ingredient in Ozempic, though. Experts say that while berberine has proven
metabolic effects on the body, whether it can actually induce weight loss
remains murky.
Some limited studies have indicated berberine could play a
role in weight loss, which is possibly where the Ozempic comparisons stem from,
but there isn’t high-quality data from large clinical trials.
“Generally, it’s a really good compound that has some good
evidence behind it,” said Dr. Melinda Ring, an integrative medicine specialist
at Northwestern Medicine. However, she said, the online hype around berberine’s
weight loss effects is grossly overstated. “Don’t think that you’re going to
take this and the pounds are just going to drop off,” she said.
A growing body of research over the last 20 years — some in petri
dishes, some in mice, and a few small, but encouraging, trials in humans —
suggests that berberine can potentially help lower cholesterol and regulate
blood sugar. Researchers have examined whether the compound can be helpful for
patients with diabetes, particularly when used alongside other treatments.
Antimicrobial properties
Berberine also has antimicrobial properties, meaning it may
help clear out detrimental bacteria in the gut and improve the overall
composition of your microbiome, said Dr. Yufang Lin, an integrative medicine
specialist at the Cleveland Clinic. Those antimicrobial perks may play a role
in how berberine could alleviate gastrointestinal complaints.
Weight loss claims are patchy and preliminary
But when it comes to weight loss, the studies involving
berberine have been patchy and preliminary.
There have been very few trials assessing weight loss in
humans, said D. Craig Hopp, a deputy division director at the National Center
for Complementary and Integrative Health, and none have been robust. “There’s a
whiff of plausibility there,” he said, adding that animal models have indicated
the supplement could lead to weight loss — but there’s a big gap between
evidence and marketing, he said.
“It’s an interesting thought, but I don’t think clinically
it’s been panning out,” added Lin.
Most people taking berberine will tolerate it well, Ring
said, but it does come with some documented side effects. People ingesting the
supplement, even at standard doses, may feel nauseated and vomit; their blood
pressure may rise and their hands and feet might tingle, said Dr. Pieter Cohen,
an associate professor at Harvard Medical School who studies supplements.
Berberine also could contribute to uterine contractions in people who are
pregnant, Lin said.
An added ingredient could possibly cause harm
But while the supplement itself isn’t necessarily dangerous,
Cohen worries more about the possibility that supplement manufacturers could
add another ingredient, like a stimulant, which could cause harm.
Weight loss supplements are among the most likely
supplements to be adulterated and potentially contaminated with banned
substances, Cohen said. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention shows that herbal products marketed for weight loss are the type of
supplements that most frequently send people to the emergency room, with
patients often reporting adverse effects like palpitations or chest pain.
“If the manufacturer is trying to cram something into that
pill, legal or illegal, that would lead to noticeable weight loss, that’s when
you’re going to be taking a risk,” he said.
Particularly troubling is how berberine might interact with
other medications. Berberine acts as a “perpetrator,” Hopp said, meaning that
when you take certain drugs alongside berberine, you effectively get a higher
concentration of the drugs in your blood. For instance, mixing berberine and
Metformin, a medication used to treat Type 2 diabetes, can be particularly
dangerous, Hopp said, because the Metformin could act more potently and the
combination could potentially cause hypoglycemia.
“If patients are just thinking, ‘Oh, let me just add this
because this is a natural substance and it has benefit,’ you can actually get
into trouble without realizing it,” Lin said.
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