If TikTok and Reddit influencers are to be believed, the plant-based compound called berberine can be a replacement for such popular diabetes and weight loss drugs as Ozempic and Wegovy.Video above: Could popular weight loss drugs treat addiction?Using berberine as a supplement has become so trendy, in fact, that it has been dubbed 맥스카지노�Nature맥스카지노�s Ozempic" by social media users. Some manufacturers are jumping on the trend.맥스카지노�Berberine has become my new BFF because it has been helping me with my weight loss,맥스카지노� one believer gushed, adding that one of the herbal supplement맥스카지노�s manufacturers is offering her 맥스카지노� and a few of her lucky viewers 맥스카지노� a year맥스카지노�s supply.Some medical experts CNN spoke with, however, had concerns about the use of this unregulated supplement. As an extract from plants such as goldenseal, barberry and various poppies, berberine is considered a dietary supplement by the US Food and Drug Administration and is thus regulated as a food, not a drug.맥스카지노�That맥스카지노�s the problem with berberine and all of these herbal substances 맥스카지노� they맥스카지노�re typically not rigorously studied in the type of large, randomized clinical trials that we put actual drugs through. So, you have to be very careful,맥스카지노� said Dr. Caroline Apovian, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and co-director of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at Brigham and Women맥스카지노�s Hospital in Boston.맥스카지노�As for it being nature맥스카지노�s Ozempic, there맥스카지노�s no evidence to suggest that is true,맥스카지노� added Apovian, who was the lead author for the Endocrine Society맥스카지노�s clinical practice guidelines for the pharmacological management of obesity.Is berberine맥스카지노�s weight loss effect meaningful?That doesn맥스카지노�t mean that the herb has no impact at all on the body맥스카지노�s metabolic systems, however. A pooled meta-analysis of a number of small clinical studies on berberine맥스카지노�s impact on cardiovascular risk factors, including obesity, found a very small, but statistically significant weight loss benefit.맥스카지노�But statistical significance does not mean clinically meaningful,맥스카지노� said Dr. Justin Ryder, a pediatric obesity researcher and associate professor of surgery and pediatrics at Northwestern University맥스카지노�s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.맥스카지노�What do I mean by that? On average across the studies, the pooled response was about a 0.25 reduction in body mass index or BMI compared to placebo,맥스카지노� he said. Body mass index is a measurement of a person맥스카지노�s body fat based on height and weight.맥스카지노�For Ozempic and Wegovy, the decrease in BMI compared to placebo was 4.61 BMI units, or 18 times more effective than berberine, Ryder added. 맥스카지노�So, does berberine have an effect? The data would suggest yes. Is the effect meaningful? Probably not.맥스카지노�History of berberineSome of the roughly 500 different species of plants that belong in the genius Berberis have been used for centuries in Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine to fight inflammation and heal wounds, cure constipation and hemorrhoids, and battle infections of the ear, eye, mouth and digestive tract.맥스카지노�It맥스카지노�s part of the arsenal of herbs used by naturopathic doctors,맥스카지노� said Dr. Joshua Levitt, a naturopathic doctor in Hamden, Connecticut.맥스카지노�When it comes to glycemic control and for regulation of cholesterol and other lipids and antimicrobial uses, there맥스카지노�s some cool stuff to be done with herbs and nutrients.맥스카지노�In fact, the library of Assyrian emperor Ashurbanipal has clay tablets dating back to 650 BC stating the tangy fruit of the barberry plant was used as a blood-purifying agent.맥스카지노�It맥스카지노�s usually used in its whole plant extract form 맥스카지노� leaves, roots, bark all made into a tincture powder or something,맥스카지노� Levitt said.Scientists were able to extract berberine as the active ingredient in these plants over 100 years ago, he said, and began to study the compound for metabolic issues such as cholesterol, diabetes and obesity.Berberine may enhance the body맥스카지노�s natural production of GLP-1, or glucagon-like peptide 1, a gastrointestinal hormone that맥스카지노�s used in Ozempic and other new weight loss drugs. That맥스카지노�s how the compound 맥스카지노�fits into this discussion. However, in terms of its weight loss benefits, they are modest at best,맥스카지노� he said.Berberine맥스카지노�s possible side effectsBerberine can have side effects when mixed with other medications, including the medication metformin, which is often prescribed for people with diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome and, more recently, for weight loss.맥스카지노�Metformin lowers blood sugar, and berberine lowers blood sugar,맥스카지노� Levitt said. 맥스카지노�And if you take two items that lower blood sugar at the same time, you could have a problem like excessive hypoglycemia, when blood sugar crashes.맥스카지노�In addition, berberine is 맥스카지노�directly antimicrobial,맥스카지노� which was its most common use in historical herbal medicine, Levitt said: 맥스카지노�Antimicrobial effects can irritate the GI tract so unless a person has an overgrowth of bad bugs it can cause digestive distress.맥스카지노�Berberine can be dangerous if taken with cyclosporine, an immunosuppressive drug used to treat organ rejection post-transplant, as it might heighten that drug맥스카지노�s effects and possible side effects. Another known interaction is with sedative drugs, as berberine can cause additional sleepiness and slowed breathing, according to the National Library of Medicine.In addition, berberine should not be taken while pregnant or breastfeeding.맥스카지노�Berberine can cross the placenta and might cause harm to the fetus. Kernicterus, a type of brain damage, has developed in newborn infants exposed to berberine,맥스카지노� the National Library of Medicine notes on its website.For these reasons, it맥스카지노�s important to check with your doctor first if you맥스카지노�re considering taking berberine or any other unregulated supplement.Despite research investigating the herb맥스카지노�s potential impact on diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease, the FDA has 맥스카지노�not yet approved berberine for any prescription or over-the-counter drug use, and it has sent notices of violation to companies that have made drug claims on their Web sites,맥스카지노� according to the American Chemical Society.