If you have metabolic syndrome, you may have noticed that your body is storing too much fat, especially around your abdomen. Well, new Chinese research shows how an ingredient found in several common Traditional Chinese herbs helps inhibit fat storage and improves insulin sensitivity.
Metabolic syndrome involves a number of conditions related to obesity and insulin resistance as well as disorders with lipid metabolism. According to this study, berberine, which has been used historically as an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial, might now be a strong contender for helping all of us with regulating blood sugar and keeping our waistlines thinner.
Berberine is found in the roots and bark of a number of plants, including barberry, Oregon grape, Chinese phellodendron, and tree turmeric, and has been used in TCM since 3000 BC. It's still in use today, and for good reason: Berberine is known for its antibacterial, antimicrobial, antitumor, and anti-inflammation effects. Prior to this study, research showed that berberine is helpful in resolving lipid metabolism disorders, as well as lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease. So the researchers wanted to know if it could also help with weight.
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For this study, researchers followed 37 participants between the ages of 32 and 68 with newly diagnosed metabolic syndrome. They gave the participants 0.3 g of berberine three times a day for 12 weeks. Before and after the study, the researchers measured the participants' height, weight, waist circumference, fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin, hemoglobin A1C, triglycerides, cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, adiponectin, and leptin levels. They calculated the participants' BMIs, leptin/adiponectin ratios, and homeostasis model of assessment insulin resistance index.
At the end of the study, every single index (except levels of adiponectin) had decreased significantly. The patients lost weight, with average BMI dropping from 31.5 to 27.4. Their leptin levels dropped from 8.01 to 5.12. And their insulin resistance improved. Best of all, they achieved all of these successful outcomes without side effects.
If you'd like to give berberine a try to help you manage metabolic syndrome or your cholesterol levels, you'll find it in Mediterranean Cholesterol Formula. In this formula, it works in tandem with artichoke leaf extract, hepatoprotective, and olive leaf extract immune enhancer, to give you the benefits of many of the components of the popular Mediterranean diet in one supplement. These phytochemicals will help you maintain healthy blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, protecting you from the dangers of metabolic syndrome.
Janet Zand
Source:
Jing Yang, Jinhua Yin, Hongfei Gao, Linxin Xu, Yan Wang, Lu Xu, and Ming Li. “Berberine Improves Insulin Sensitivity by Inhibiting Fat Store and Adjusting Adipokines Profile in Human Preadipocytes and Metabolic Syndrome Patients,” First Affiliated Hospital, Shanxi University of Medical, Taiyuan 030001, China; Endocrine Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Health, Department of Endocrinology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shuaifuyuan, Wangfujing, Beijing 100730, China