Question
I saw on social media that a complement called berberine produces similar weight reduction advantages to drugs like Vigovi. Is it true?
Oh no it's not. And that is one other example of why we needs to be skeptical when social media platforms offer so-called health advice, as taking berberine can have unpleasant and even harmful negative effects.
Here's the dynamic at play: incredible demand for semaglutide (marketed as Ozempic for diabetes and Vigovi for obesity) and similar weight-loss drugs—which suppress appetite and make people feel full. I help—has sparked renewed interest in berberine. Long said to calm stomach problems, the plant's extract has also been linked to lowering blood sugar levels. Some say it suppresses appetite and promotes weight reduction, but there isn’t any hard scientific evidence to support this claim.
It's necessary to know that berberine can alter the effectiveness of medicines that break down the liver — including anticoagulants and immunosuppressants — and alter their effectiveness. It also has negative effects like diarrhea, constipation, gas and stomach upset. Because the FDA doesn’t regulate dietary supplements, there isn’t any guarantee of how much berberine is in a product. If you need to explore it further, talk over with your doctor — but don't buy social media claims that berberine is “nature's Ozympic.”
Photo: © Kseniya Ovchinnikova/Getty Images
