The Shocking TRUTH About Berberine

Introduction to Berberine 0:00

I love the herbal extract berberine. Such a powerful type of natural medicine I use in my practice all the time. And you know berberein is a phenomenal plant extract that can help revolutionize your health. So watch closely as I review the shocking truth about berbrein. I'm Dr. Mark Stengler. I am a naturopathic medical doctor. Been practicing for over 30 years. Written over 20 books. And I want to share with you in this video the shocking truths about Berberine. You know Berberein really is a pharmaceutical company's dream.

Since it has multiple studies establishing great benefits for metabolism, weight loss, blood glucose reduction, lipid balancing and other benefits. But the problem for drug companies is that Berbrein is natural compound. So they can't patent it and they cant make it into a prescription drug. which I'm sure they'd like to, but right now you can get it as a very potent dietary supplement.

Absorption Challenges and Supplement Technology 0:47

But there's one big downside to berberine and that's its absorption. There are technologies available that can help you overcome the absorption issue. I use a product that has the phytozone technology, where it wraps in a certain type of fossil lipid and greatly enhances the adsorption through the gut. Let me get into the seven shocking mechanisms that berberein has to offer. First, weight reduction. Yes, Berberine actually has studies on it for weight-reduction. It inhibits fat-forming and lipogenic genes involved in fat regulation, so it works on a genetic level.

it increases the genetic expression in muscles to enhance heat production, oxygen consumption, glucose and fat metabolism.

Weight Loss and AMPK Activation 1:22

And number three, it activates AMPK, and I'll talk a bit more about this in a minute, but that increases energy production and reduces energy storage, all of which helps your metabolism, Now AMP refers to activated protein kinase, just a type of enzyme or AMPK you could call it. And that's an enzyme that acts as a master regulator of energy within your body cells. Think of it as highly sensitive fuel gauge and a cellular energy manager. Its primary role is to monitor the energy status of the cell and respond by restoring energy balance.

So what exactly does AMPK do to have all these benefits? Well, the activation of AMP is triggered by an increase in the ratio of AMP, something called adenosine monophosphate, to ATP, which you know about for energy, adenosine triphosphates. And again, ATP is the cell's main energy currency. So when you're using a lot of energy, like for example, exercising or if you are involved in calorie restriction, your ATP levels drop and your AMP levels rise. And this signals a state of low energy to the cell.

An AMPK gets activated in the cells to fix the problem. So once activated AMPk initiates a cascade of metabolic changes that can be summarized as the following. First, it turns on energy generating processes and turns off energy consuming ones. Also, it increases ATP production as I mentioned earlier, so you're generating energy. It does this ATP Production support by boosting glucose uptake.

How AMPK Supports Cellular Energy 2:50

So AMPK tells cells and can mainly the muscles to increase their uptick of glucose from the bloodstream. And this is a crucial function for managing blood sugar levels and making energy available for immediate use. Also, it promotes fatty acid oxidation. So it activates the processes that break down fatty acids or fats for energy. And that is why AMPK is often linked to fat burning and again, weight management. It effectively switches the cell's primary fuel sources from glucose to fats so you can burn that fat.

Well, berberine also helps through the AMPk by enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis Fancy words, but basically they mean that's encouraging the creation of new mitochondria. Remember, the mitochondrial powerhouses the energy factories of the cell. More mitochondry means more efficient energy production and greater metabolic capacity over time. Berberine through the AMPK also reduces ATP consumption, and this leads to inhibiting fat synthesis or making fat. So it deactivates key enzymes involved in the creating of a new fat, such as those that are used to make cholesterol, those used make triglycerides.

So it's a direct way of helping to prevent the storage of excess fat. Also, a berberine through the AMPK pathway reduces protein synthesis. And since protein syntheses is an energy intensive process, it requires a lot of energy, AMPk activation temporarily slows it down to conserve more energy for other critical functions. We know AMPK regulates cellular growth, so it puts the brakes on cell growth and proliferation, which are processes that consume a lot of energy. This is one reason AMP is a potential target in cancer research.

Essentially AMPk activation is the cellular equivalent of an energy saving mode.

Metabolism, Cholesterol, and Inflammation Benefits 4:32

It helps the body become more metabolically efficient, using its fuel more effectively and shifting its focus from storage to energy production. This is why lifestyle interventions like exercise and calorie restriction are powerful activators of AMPK and so beneficial for your overall health whether you have insulin sensitivity or if you want to increase longevity and of course to help with weight management. Well, berberine is also unique. It has a shocking effect of transporting glucose and free fatty acids into the mitochondria to burn for energy.

So obviously that's a very beneficial thing. Berberin also reduces inflammation and it increases the body's clearing of the LDL cholesterol. And it does this by enhancing the uptake of LDl receptors in your liver. If you look at studies, berberine extract can reduce your LDL cholesterol anywhere from 20 to 50 milligrams per deciliter. It reduces triglycerides nicely, 25 to 55 milligrams for deciliiter, it can lower total cholesterol, and it increase your good HDL Cholesterol. And it does this by different mechanisms than other supplements, say like red yeast rice, or even medications like statin drugs.

So again, It is unique in its effect on the liver LDR receptors without harming your liver. and It also reduces the intestinal absorption and uptake of cholesterol. Well, there's another amazing thing about berberine that's quite shocking for people who are unaware of it and that is berberein improves symptoms of polycystic

Berberine for PCOS and Hormone Balance 5:50

ovarian syndrome also known as PCOS and it reduces excess testosterone associated with this condition. Remember up to 10% of premenopausal women have poly cystic ovary syndrome or PCO S and if you look at like a review of some of the major studies take five major Studies where they compare ber berein and pharmaceutical therapies for PCOs. This is what they found Berberine improved the redistribution of fat. So taking fat like from the hips and midsection and redistributing it in the body for a better balance.

It reduced visceral fat, fat in your organs, even in absence of women not losing weight. Improves insulin sensitivity similar to the drug metformin. And improves insulin resistance in cells of the ovaries again. That helps with ovulation and hormone balance It's been shown in studies to improve ovulations. Its been showed to prove fertility and live birth rates. And as I mentioned before, it does reduce testosterone levels. It can reduce that free testosterone in the body of women with PCOS by almost 33%. So that's helpful if they're experiencing scalp hair loss, they are experiencing acne.

They're getting hair growth in areas they don't want to have it, you know, like around the chin and other areas of the. And so that is a unique feature of berberine for women. And then another amazing fact, surprising fact is that berberine kills bad bugs in your gut.

Gut Health and Closing Remarks 7:10

So if it's bacteria that should be in our gut that are infectious, parasites, candida or yeast, it does this bug killing effect, but while maintaining a balance of the microbes. When they've done studies, not only did it get rid of bad the bugs, they actually had more of a bounce on the good bugs on your microbiome, which is a very unique feature of berberein. Well, there we've seen some of the phenomenal effects that you can get with Berberine. I hope you enjoyed this video. And if you haven't subscribed, now is a good time to subscribe.

Well it's been good being with you and I look forward to talking with in the next video