Why experts say Berberine, a trendy diet supplement, isn’t ‘nature’s Ozempic’

Berberine, an herbal supplement, is being touted as “nature’s Ozempic”, but unlike Ozempic, people do not need a prescription to get it.

Interest in Berberine has spiked after bloggers and social media influencers promoted it as an herbal shortcut to weight loss.

The plant-based compound has certainly made its way around the internet.

"Berberine is like a tetracyclic compound that's completely different and non-specific, it has some effects on some compounds, but if it has any sort of weight loss effects, it's going to be minor," said Ken Stark, professor of health sciences at the University of Waterloo.

Berberine is a chemical found in different kinds of plants including European barberry, goldenseal and goldthread, and has been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine to treat stomach bugs and other gastrointestinal issues.

With the recent popularity of Ozempic being used off-label for weight loss, supplies have run short in some instances. Berberine is being promoted on social media as an alternative way to shed some access pounds but some health experts say that is not the case.

"There is history of using it in Chinese medicine, so I think it's relatively safe, but I don't think people are going to get the same effect, and then you get into issues with you're spending money on a compound that might not be effective," Stark said.

Health supplement stores in Waterloo region report an uptick in people looking to buy the supplement specifically for weight loss.

According to the National Library of Medicine, several small clinical studies on Berberine’s impact on cardiovascular risk factors found a small but statistically significant weight loss benefit. But one nutritionist says there are risks.

"There's a huge amount of risk in just not knowing what you're buying and not knowing if you're supposedly getting ‘nature's Ozempic’,” said Nishta Saxena, a registered dietician at Vibrant Nutrition. “That's my number one risk, people are spending money on something that they don't know whether it is actually the product they're looking for and/or whether it's been produced safely."

Saxena says not only can Berberine have side effects when mixed with other medications, but misinformation spread online can cause harm.

"We don't really know the upper levels that are unsafe, and so it could interact with somebody's medications they're taking, and just because it's an herbal supplement does not mean that it doesn’t have any negative consequences," Saxena said.

Supplements are not regulated by Health Canada the way manufactured drugs are but is covered by regulations for natural health products. Health experts say because Berberine can have side effects with other medications, people should check with their doctor before taking it.