In fact, its effectiveness is comparable to the popular diabetes drug metformin (Glucophage) ( 2, 10). Many studies show that berberine can significantly reduce blood sugar levels in individuals with type 2 diabetes ( 9). Over time, high blood sugar levels can damage the body’s tissues and organs, leading to various health problems and a shortened lifespan. It is characterized by elevated blood sugar (glucose) levels, either caused by insulin resistance or lack of insulin. Type 2 diabetes is a serious disease that has become incredibly common in recent decades, causing millions of deaths every year. One of the main functions is activating an important enzyme called AMPK, which regulates metabolism. Bottom Line: Berberine affects the body at the molecular level, and has a variety of functions inside cells. This enzyme plays a major role in regulating metabolism ( 7, 8).īerberine also affects various other molecules inside cells, and may even affect which genes are turned on or off ( 4). It is found in the cells of various organs, including the brain, muscle, kidney, heart and liver.
This enzyme is sometimes referred to as a “metabolic master switch” ( 6). However, one of the main actions of berberine is to activate an enzyme inside cells called AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) ( 5). I am not going to get into much detail here, because the biological mechanisms are complicated and diverse. This is similar to how pharmaceutical drugs work. Inside the cells, it binds to several different “molecular targets” and changes their function ( 4).
It has been shown to have powerful effects on many different biological systems ( 3).Īfter you ingest berberine, it gets taken in by the body and transported into the bloodstream. Berberine has now been tested in hundreds of different studies.