A recent study suggests berberine may help treat type 2 diabetes and lipid disorders.
Berberine is a plant alkaloid found in the roots and stem bark of many plants such as goldenseal. Berberine has been used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for centuries, and some evidence suggests it may be useful in treating eye infections and for other antibacterial purposes; however, clinical evidence is currently unclear.
Researchers at Shenyang Pharmaceutical University in China evaluated 60 patients with type 2 diabetes and high levels of cholesterol or fat in their blood. Each patient was treated with berberine or a placebo.
The researchers took blood samples before and after treatment in order to analyze the effects of berberine. The researchers performed several tests on the blood samples, including ultra-performance lipid chromatography, which separates the compounds in the blood in order to quantify the individual components.
The researchers found that patients treated with berberine showed a significant difference in free-fatty acids when compared to the placebo group. There was a significant decrease in 13 fatty-acid concentrations and a significant difference in an additional 10 fatty acids for those treated with berberine.
The authors concluded that berberine may help treat type 2 diabetes by decreasing the concentration of free-fatty acids in the blood; however, additional research is necessary before conclusions can be made.
References
1.Gu Y, Zhang Y, Shi X, et al. Effect of traditional Chinese medicine berberine on type 2 diabetes based on comprehensive metabonomics. Talanta. 2010 May 15;81(3):766-72. Epub 2010 Jan 18. View Abstract
2.Natural Standard: The Authority on Integrative Medicine. http://www.naturalstandard.com/
http://www.depsyl.com/
http://back2basicnutrition.com/
http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com
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