What is berberine, the supplement dubbed 'nature's Ozempic' on social media?

June 1, 2023, 5:00 PM GMT+8 / Updated June 15, 2023, 9:29 PM GMT+8 

By Berkeley Lovelace Jr.

A dietary supplement called berberine is gaining momentum on social media for its weight loss effects,even being referred to by some as “nature’s Ozempic,” in reference to the popular drug that can helppeople shed pounds. 

Users say berberine, which is found in a number of plants, including barberry plants, helps curb appetiteand improve blood sugar levels, resulting in weight loss. Google searches for “berberine” began toincrease at the end of March before they spiked in late May.

Berberine is rising in popularity as demand increases for medications like Ozempic and Wegovy, knownfor their weight loss effects.

Ozempic and Wegovy are part of a class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists, which mimic a hormone thathelps reduce food intake and appetite. They are highly effective, but they are in short supply in the U.S.They are also expensive — around $1,000 or more out of pocket — and need to be prescribed by a doctor.

By comparison, berberine appears to be widely available online, and it usually ranges in price from $15 to$40 for a month’s supply. 

"You don’t have to deal with a doctor, and it’s going to be a lot less expensive,” said Dr. Pieter Cohen, whoresearches supplement use at the Cambridge Health Alliance in Somerville, Massachusetts. “So from anadvertising perspective, it’s perfect.”

But that doesn’t mean berberine is effective, or safe, for weight loss. Here’s what to know about it,including how well it works and whether it’s safe.

Many of the claims about berberine haven’t been verified by large, peer-reviewed studies — and the bulkof the research has been conducted in mice, not humans, experts say.

A meta-analysis of 49 studies published last year in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition found berberinemay provide metabolic benefits in people, mainly for the heart, although there may be small benefits for weight loss.

“It’s not a dramatic weight loss average for berberine,” said Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesitymedicine specialist and the equity director of the endocrine division at Massachusetts General Hospitalin Boston. The studies show it is “between a quarter of BMI point to one BMI point, which is nowherenear what you see on average with semaglutide,” she said, referring to the drug found in Ozempic.Stanford wasn’t involved in the research.

For people in those studies, the optimal dose appeared to be 1 gram per day, Stanford said. 

Cohen was more cautious about using the compound for weight loss.

Because dietary supplements aren’t reviewed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration, theycan be promoted for just about any health claim, Cohen said. Supplements can also contain inaccurateamounts of the compound or contain other ingredients that aren’t listed on the label.

“An active pharmaceutical drug like berberine, it’s not the kind of thing that you should just be takingwilly-nilly,” he said.

What’s more, how the supplement supports weight loss — if at all — is largely unknown, Cohen said.

“People are saying it is like metformin, but it is not,” said Dr. Holly Lofton, the director of the weightmanagement program at NYU Langone Health, referring to a medication people with diabetes use tolower their blood sugar levels. She said she isn’t recommending berberine for weight loss.