(ETX Daily Up) – After morosil sweets, it’s berberine’s turn to be all the rage on social media. This natural substance would be, according to Internet users, an effective and fast way to lose weight. However, the substance is not without risk.
Is berberine the miracle solution for losing weight quickly as summer approaches? The socionauts seem to agree. On TikTok, this natural food supplement has almost 70 million views. According to its followers, the substance would help to lose pounds thanks to its appetite suppressant effect and its action on fat storage. Prized for its antidiabetic properties and its action on blood sugar and cholesterol, berberine is presented as a more natural version of Ozempic. Former darling of social networks, this antidiabetic had also been diverted from its initial function for weight loss purposes. But the excitement around this drug has caused strong global demand and a risk of out of stock, which worries associations of diabetic patients.
Unlike Ozempic, berberine is not a drug. This substance occurs naturally in certain plants, such as barberry. It has also been used for millennia in Chinese medicine. In the West, it is used in small quantities in food supplements.
On social networks, berberine is mainly presented as a miracle cure for weight loss, as an appetite suppressant that would also reduce fat storage. An effect that has not been scientifically proven. A meta-analysis of 49 studies published in 2022 in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition found that berberine provided little benefit on weight loss.
Medicine or food?
In Europe, a few countries have banned its presence in food supplements, including Sweden, Greece and Slovenia. Others, like Belgium and Poland, limit its maximum dose to 10 mg/day. In France, no regulations have been set, even though ANSES, the National Health Security Agency, recommends that pregnant and breastfeeding women, children and adolescents, as well as people with diabetes, and those suffering from liver or heart problems, not to consume it. “On the other hand, in view of the many drug interactions identified by the experts, ANSES calls on health professionals to be extremely vigilant because the consumption of food supplements containing berberine associated with drug treatment can inhibit the effects or lead side effects”, explains ANSES. The agency also asks not to exceed the dose of 400 mg / day. At this dose, berberine would act “like a drug and not like a food supplement”. “However the examination of the data does not make it possible to exclude that pharmacological effects can occur at lower doses”, specifies ANSES.
The use of berberine can lead to side effects, such as stomach aches, headaches, difficult digestion, constipation or diarrhea. Before consuming it, it is recommended to seek medical advice.