Berberine
Anyone taking Berberine supplement as an AMPK activator? Seems to have some literature documenting its use.
https://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/55/8/2256.full
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I have used AMPK activator (life extension) one pill per day for two months and then I have used Berberine 500 mg once or twice a day (thorne product) for two months. Now I am back on AMPK activator.
I have good experiences of both products. They both reduce fat and weight. One difference is that when taking berberine I often felt really hungry. ( I do intermittent fasting as well. Using a protocol with 14- 16 hour daily fasting, 6 days a week or so).
When I take AMPK activator I don’t get the same kind of foodcrawings.
Both products reduced my waistline as well as my wieght. I have a feeling that beberine might have been more efficient at reducing the fat content in my body. Especially the subcutaneous fat deposit. When on gynnostemma I have made a personal observation that it reduced intraabdominal fat more than the subcutaneous fat. My waistline shrunk when on AMPK activator but the subcutaneous fat did not change as much as it did when I changed to Berberine.
Now when I am back on AMPK activator I seem to have accumulated a tiny bit more subcutaneous fat on my waistline but weight is about the same. Maybe half kilo up. After two month on AMPK activator and two months on berberine I lost 4,5 – 5 kg. from 77,5 to 72,5 kg. This together with intermittent fasting.
These are my very personal observations and experiences. My plan is to repeat the program. Now I am on two months AMPK activator and then two more months on berberine.
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I would like to mention that I each day take curcumin, quercetin, and green tea (drinking it as well as capsules). Those might contribute to weightloss.
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I also understand that Berberine and Metformin have similar actions and should not be taken together?
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Karl I do not know if they can be taken together. But here is a comparison between metformin and berberine.
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Karl i take both Metformin and berberine. Check out this study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7059038/ and there other as well. They are actually complimentary. Also idea is to not over do it when you take them together.
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Joe smith Interesting article. I don't need the lipid lowering effect. My concern is why take a diabetic medicine if Berberine has the AMPK effect that is desired?
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Karl both berberine and Metformin can be considered diabetic medicines as they have similar good efficacy. Just because you can buy berberine otc in the us doesn’t make it any less effective for blood sugar control. Also if you don’t care about lipids than Metformin would be a better choice as you know what you are taking as it is per prescription and production is fda monitored; and it does nothing for the lipids, which you said you don’t care about. Only Berberine has good ldl-c and triglyceride lowering effect. Both Metformin and berberine activate ampk equally well. The idea is that when you combine both you still get ampk activation plus they cancel each other negative effects with berberine being more dangerous in the higher doses. Because of that when you take berberine you need to cycle it on and off.
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Joe smith
There is one more disadvantage of metformin. It lowers vitamin B levels.
In fact, I take berberine instead of metformin for that specific reason. If it was not for this problem, I would be taking metformin for the reason you suggest.
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Zisos Katsiapis Why not take metformin and vitamin B12 like I do? That is what doctors suggest.
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David H
Your suggestion definitely makes sense. I thought about it some times. And I might do it in the future.
The basic reason I avoided until now, is this: I have a "B12 deficiency gene" (MTHFR), which already predisposes me to low B12. So I am a bit hesitant.
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Zisos Katsiapis also low magnesium is an issue with Metformin. Check out this study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3760872/ and this is also so in real life. 63 year old male was taking Metformin for longer time, had trouble sleeping and low energy. I suggested magnesium glycinate supplementation and he felt and looked much better - more energy and better skin tone- in just a couple of weeks. Now we understand Metformin and its side effects just so much better than Berberine simply because of its super wide use and many studies. For all we know Berberine may deplete B12 and/or something else too. Hence, it is good to do blood tests while on either of them regularly. And perhaps also take vitamin b12 when taking berberine just in case? All that said out of the two for life extension I like good berberine (Thorne) a bit better as it lowers ldl-c and triglycerides too. Metformin blunts the benefits of exercise (mtor suppression?) and is only 50% as effective as exercise. So if you exercise you need to time it when you take it and how much. Also whether Metformin is really beneficial at all (unless you have diabetes of course) when taken in old age is up for debate.
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Anyone taking this improved bioavailability Berberine, dhBBR? Appears to be FAR superior to regular berberine for lipids/glucose/anti-aging?
Only looking to add it as an anti-aging intervention, no glucose/lipid issues.
I have added 4 mg/weekly Rapamycin...looking to additional low risk/high reward additions.
Here is a link to one supplement vendor for dhBBR:
https://www.naturalpartners.com/us/dihydroberberine-sr/ED0018PAR?skuID=ED0020
Berberine derivatives reduce atherosclerotic plaque size and vulnerability in apoE−/− mice
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4261588/pdf/12967_2014_Article_326.pdf
Berberine and Its More Biologically Available Derivative, Dihydroberberine, Inhibit Mitochondrial Respiratory Complex I
https://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/57/5/1414.full-text.pdf
Berberine suppresses gero‐conversion from cell cycle arrest to senescence
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3796215/pdf/aging-05-623.pdf/?
Berberine ameliorates cellular senescence and extends the lifespan of mice via regulating p16 and cyclin protein expression
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6974710/pdf/ACEL-19-e13060.pdf
