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If you’re on TikTok and looking for ways to lose weight, there’s a good chance you’ve come across a naturally occurring supplement called berberine. According to accidental evidence, berberine can turn off food noise, making you less hungry and eventually helping you lose weight.

Can berberine reduce your cravings and slim you down? Let’s investigate.

1. Berberine Is a Nitrogen-Based Natural Alkaloid

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Chemically speaking, berberine (berberine hydrochloride) is an alkaloid – a naturally occurring compound based on nitrogen. Many people don’t know this, but nitrogen is one of the key nutrients in the human body. Because it helps regulate metabolism and reduce inflammation, it is often the main ingredient in dietary supplements. Berberine for weight loss includes nitrogen atoms as well.

When TikTokers and other social media influencers talk about this, they refer to berberine supplements you can find in most pharmacies and buy without your doctor’s prescription.

Based on hundreds of online testimonies, berberine can limit your appetite and reduce your waist circumference – it’s very effective in keeping different food cravings at bay. In addition to its weight-loss application, this natural body regulator is also said to promote general health.

2. Many Traditional Healers Use Berberine

Despite its exploding popularity, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to analyze and approve Berberine. Numerous studies prove its effectiveness for weight loss, but the medical world’s stance is still inconclusive. Doctors’ and nutritionists’ opinions are divided, too.

Historically, many natural supplements have gone through a similar stalemate, even though they’ve been used for centuries. Like drugs, supplements can’t be approved without sufficient research, which takes time and money. Nevertheless, berberine has been recognized for its health benefits by traditional healers worldwide, from America to India and China.

In nature, berberine can be found in Berberis plants, the most popular of which are barberry, Oregon grape, tree turmeric, goldenseal, and golden thread. These plants are used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments, such as acne, jaundice, eye infections, and diarrhea.

3. Berberine May Have Wide-Ranging Benefits

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Based on folk medicine and anecdotal evidence, berberine may have a much broader effect on the human body than initially thought. Some of its health benefits may include:

• Berberine may be used as part of diabetes treatment;
• It may be able to decrease risk factors for heart disease;
• According to one study, it may help lower blood pressure;
• Its inflammatory properties might calm down infections;
• Berberine is sometimes used in skin disease treatments;
• Berberine may help prevent some neurological conditions;
• It might be able to alleviate some symptoms of arthritis.

On TikTok and other social media, berberine supplements are used for an even wider variety of health conditions, with users reporting their positive effects on polycystic ovary syndrome, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance. A lot of people use berberine for digestive conditions.

These and similar user testimonies pile up, followed by more research. In some cases, these positive effects may be circumstantial and enhanced by lifestyle changes and other medicines. But even so, there’s no doubt that berberine is a powerhouse of health properties.

4. Berberine May Prevent Fat Molecules Growth:

Berberine may help you get healthier, but can it make you slimmer, too? According to one study, berberine may boost your metabolism and prevent the growth of fat molecules.

Researchers who have monitored berberine-induced weight loss say these supplements take around eight weeks to stabilize metabolism, regulate appetite, and show first signs of weight loss.

How does Berberine do this, exactly? Researchers think that berberine might accelerate weight loss for a few reasons. Some believe it positively affects the gastrointestinal microbiota, altering the bacteria in your stomach. Others suggest that this may be due to improved blood sugar regulation. Berberine may reduce cravings by regulating insulin levels.

Some TikTokers claimed that berberine has helped them lose three pounds in one week. Unfortunately, research can’t confirm that. There’s one study that has looked into the effects of berberine on obese people and found that it may be possible to lose around five pounds in 12 weeks.

5. Berberine Can Provenly Put An End To Obesity

The majority of research done on berberine is focused on obesity. The results of these clinical studies are more convincing than others – they all show that berberine can indeed prevent obesity and reduce the body mass index (BMI) in people who are already obese.

Between 2006 and 2019, 35 clinical studies have proven this. In 2020, berberine researchers published a summary of their findings, once again confirming that berberine can decrease body weight, body mass index, and waist circumference. There are two more influential studies from 2022 and 2023, both of which made it clear that berberine can put an end to obesity.

Conclusion

Due to all these findings, nutritionists warn that you should not take dietary supplements based on TikTok recommendations alone. Do your research or ask your physician about it. You should not combine berberine with other drugs, and you should introduce some lifestyle changes to make it more effective. A balanced diet, vitamin intake, and physical exercise are a must.