Tier 2 — strong

Effect of berberine administration on metabolic syndrome, insulin sensitivity, and insulin secretion

Pérez-Rubio KG, González-Ortiz M, Martínez-Abundis E, Robles-Cervantes JA, Espinel-Bermúdez MC
Metabolic syndrome and related disorders 2013 11(5):366-369

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 23808999
DOI
10.1089/met.2012.0183
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

DesignRandomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial
ModelHuman participants; see population
Sample24 adults; 12 assigned to each arm
InterventionBerberine hydrochloride 500 mg three times/day before meals versus placebo
Duration3 months
EndpointsFasting and postload glucose; HbA1c and insulin sensitivity; Lipid profile and tolerability

What the study showed, in plain terms

This small placebo-controlled trial reported improved insulin sensitivity and selected metabolic-syndrome components. Its reported syndrome-remission finding is exploratory in a twelve-person active arm.

Key findings

  • The active arm reported a 36% reduction/remission in syndrome presence.
  • Waist, systolic pressure, triglycerides and insulin-related measures were assessed.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Very small sample and multiple outcomes. Reported within-group changes should not be treated as placebo-adjusted effect estimates.

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

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Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

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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