Enzymedica Berberine Review

Berberine, taken here at 1,530 mg a day (above the 600 mg that worked in studies), has strong human evidence for lowering blood sugar. A pooled analysis of 37 trials in 3,048 people with type 2 diabetes found that it lowered fasting blood sugar and long-term blood sugar without raising the risk of low blood sugar ^[1]. A pooled analysis of 46 trials found similar drops, along with better insulin resistance, lower triglycerides and lower bad cholesterol ^[2]. In 409 adults newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, 12 weeks of berberine lowered long-term blood sugar by about 1.0 point, compared with about 0.6 on placebo, but caused more stomach upset ^[3]. In 116 people, 1 gram a day for 3 months lowered long-term blood sugar from 7.5% to 6.6% ^[4]. In 300 adults with newly found high blood sugar, 16 weeks lowered fasting and after-meal sugar more than placebo ^[5]. Benefits appeared weaker beyond 90 days, above 2 grams a day, or over age 60 ^[6]. The product also contains 150 mg of leucine a day, far below the 3 to 8 grams used in trials. Even at those doses, leucine did not improve blood sugar control ^[7][8]. Animal and cell studies are never counted.

Berberine is the main ingredient, and most of the panel recommends or uses it, mainly for blood sugar control, insulin sensitivity and cholesterol, with some also pointing to sleep, heart health and fewer cravings. Two of them take 500 mg with meals, and one said he felt fine on up to 750 mg or a gram when taking it with a large, carbohydrate-rich meal. Cautions came up often: taking it on an empty stomach can cause low blood sugar, headaches, dizziness and blurred vision, one panelist said to talk to a doctor first and another advised care when combining it with other glucose-lowering products, one noted poor absorption and a lack of lifespan data, and one skeptic wants stronger evidence. One panelist stopped taking it after he no longer ate a low-carb diet, and one said he would skip it because of headaches and carbohydrate cravings. Leucine is a smaller ingredient in this product, and the panel mostly values it for building muscle, though one said it adds nothing if you already eat enough protein.