Tier 4 — mechanistic

Lipid-lowering effect of berberine in human subjects and rats

Hu Y, Ehli EA, Kittelsrud J, Ronan PJ, Munger K, Downey T, Bohlen K, Callahan L, Munson V, Jahnke M, Marshall LL, Nelson K, Huizenga P, Hansen R, Soundy TJ, Davies GE
Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology 2012 19(10):861-867

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 22739410
DOI
10.1016/j.phymed.2012.05.009
Funding
Funding was not established from the accessible source; this is not a declaration of no funding.
Competing interests
A complete competing-interest declaration was not available in the accessible source; no absence of conflicts is inferred.

Study snapshot

DesignExploratory human intervention
ModelHuman participants; see population
SampleObese adult pilot cohort; denominator not given in indexed abstract
InterventionBerberine 500 mg three times/day; separate rat experiment
Duration12 weeks
EndpointsLiver fat and liver enzymes; Body composition and weight; Metabolic biomarkers

What the study showed, in plain terms

The uncontrolled human pilot reported modest weight loss and lower blood lipids. The publication also contains animal work, which is separate from its human observations.

Key findings

  • Average reported weight change was about five pounds in the human cohort.
  • Triglycerides and cholesterol fell; measured inflammatory markers did not significantly change.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Without a randomized human control, weight change cannot be confidently attributed to berberine.

Source detail: indexed abstract and bibliographic record; unavailable methods or disclosures are identified rather than assumed.

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Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology