{"id":62474,"date":"2024-01-10T09:30:36","date_gmt":"2024-01-10T14:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=62474"},"modified":"2025-05-07T12:47:21","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T16:47:21","slug":"berberine-weight-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/berberine-weight-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Can berberine help with weight loss?"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the popularity of semaglutide injectables continually growing, people are turning to medication to aid in weight loss more than ever. Although medications, <\/span>Wegovy<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Mounjaro<\/span><\/a>, are <\/span>proven to help patients lose weight<\/span><\/a>, they can often be prohibitively expensive as many insurance providers do not offer coverage. Enter berberine, a plant-based supplement sometimes called \u201cnature\u2019s Ozempic\u201d that is trending on social media as an alternative to weight-loss drugs. While this concept is appealing, and there are potential health benefits of taking a berberine supplement, its promise for slimming your waistline is not entirely proven.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Does berberine help with weight loss?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Berberine is a yellow alkaloid compound extracted from several plants such as goldenseal, Oregon grape, and tree turmeric. It\u2019s available in supplement form as a capsule or soft gel. Some research shows that berberine <\/span>may help with weight loss<\/span><\/a>, but data proving its effectiveness is limited\u2014and some benefits are shown in animal research only. As of 2022, <\/span>only about 40 studies<\/span><\/a> have been conducted on berberine for weight loss.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the results were promising, the studies weren\u2019t large enough to say definitively that berberine is an effective weight loss treatment,\u201d says <\/span>Kathleen Jordan, MD<\/span><\/a>, the chief medical officer at <\/span>Midi Health<\/span><\/a> in San Francisco. For example, \u201can often-cited study that generated much excitement around berberine’s use for weight management had only seven enrolled patients.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond that, berberine isn\u2019t as effective for weight loss as methods approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). People taking berberine can expect to lose about four or five pounds over one to three months, says <\/span>Mir Ali, MD<\/span><\/a>, a bariatric surgeon and medical director of the MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California. Meanwhile, people taking <\/span>Ozempic for weight loss<\/span><\/a> lost nine to 12 pounds and those taking Wegovy dropped an average of 35 pounds. People taking <\/span>Mounjaro<\/span><\/a> lost more than 20% of their body weight during the study period.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, there is promising research on other potential benefits of berberine. Research shows that it can:<\/span><\/p>\n