The trick to aging gracefully is to enjoy it. But how do we enjoy it with inevitable age-related diseases? Recent studies have found that the benefits of berberine may be related to combating aging and age-related diseases. Some studies even proclaim that it has the same effects to lowering blood sugar levels and reducing insulin levels as metformin.
Benefits of Berberine
- Targets Insulin Resistance and Helps Treat Diabetes: berberine activates a protein called AMPK which sensitizes your body to insulin, activates fat-burning enzymes, and helps reduce body fat stores.
- Increases Mitochondrial Density and Boosts Metabolism: berberine increases the number of mitochondria which helps with increasing metabolism that can reverse the damage done by high sugar/high-fat diets that made our mitochondria run slowly and produce energy less efficiently.
- Induces Brown Fat Break Down & Increases Fat Break Down Overall: berberine enhances brown fat which increases body temperature to burn more fat and increases baseline metabolism, which increases weight loss.
- Lowers Inflammation in Fat & Liver Cells: berberine helps reduce general inflammation and hepatocyte inflammation (liver cell inflammation).
- Treats GI-Related Issues due to Antibacterial & Antifungal Effects: berberine can help lower intestinal inflammation in cases of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) or Small Intestinal Fungal Overgrowth (SIFO).
- Can be Used in Conjunction with Other Medications to Increase Effectiveness: berberine has been combined with metformin to increase weight loss effects, reducing insulin and managing blood sugar levels.
How does this help with aging?
- AMPK has been referred to as our metabolism’s “master switch”, which helps with weight loss and even fighting cancer.
- Due to berberine’s ability to activate AMPK, it helps create more efficient cell energy to boost metabolism, energy, heat, and burn fat.
- AMPK is considered a longevity pathway like a communication channel between cells and the body that can help offset age-related disorders (diabetes, obesity, fatty liver, gut health issues, etc.).
- Due to the master switch being activated, your cell has more power to fight off infection, bacteria, and fungus to help protect you from disease.
In conclusion, berberine can be a beneficial supplement, but the research is still determining if this is a safe alternative to treat diabetes or other diseases. We recommend talking to your physician to see if this would be an excellent supplement to add to your diet.
Sources:
How to use Berberine to Boost Weight Loss, Lower Blood Sugar & More
Berberine the Super Anti-Aging Antioxidant
The Longevity Pathways – How to Live a Happy, Healthy and Long Life
Role of inflammatory response in liver diseases: Therapeutic strategies
