Dihydroberberine, the upgraded player in the Berberine game

The TikTok famous supplement- Berberine- is a natural alkaloid found in many plants like berberis, barberry, and goldenseal. The potential weight-loss effect and its nickname of “nature’s Ozempic” made berberine increasingly attractive to the public. However, some consumers are worried about the possible gut discomfort caused by a large dose of berberine intake. Dihydroberberine, one derivative of berberine has shown improved bioavailability and less irritation in the gastrointestinal system than berberine.

Major health benefits of berberine

•    Improves glucose metabolism
•    Improves lipids metabolism
•    Prevents obesity
•    Improves gut health

Dihydroberberine, improved bioavailability

Several studies have shown that Dihydroberberine (dhBBR) has better oral bioavailability than berberine. Because dhBBR is relatively easy to absorb in the intestine, it’s oxidized back into berberine, which gets sent into the plasma. One in vivo study shows that the absorption rate of dhBBR is five times higher than that of berberine.

In another clinical trial, 100 mg and 200 mg doses of dhBBR have a higher bioavailability than that of 500 mg berberine in oral supplementation, achieving a greater area under the curve as well as peak berberine concentrations. "Area under the curve" presents the amount of dihydroberberine and berberine in the blood after oral supplementation. which is an indicator of their bioavailability.

Dihydroberberine, improved efficacy

Even the health functions of berberine and dhBBR are almost the same. dhBBR no surprisingly has better efficacy than berberine especially in boosting insulin sensitivity and reducing blood lipid. A scientific study indicates that the dhBBR group experienced an improvement of 44% increase in insulin sensitivity compared to berberine.

Moreover, dhBBR has better anti-inflammatory action and could have more pronounced anti-inflammatory effects on cardiovascular health than berberine.

Less Worry About The Side-effects

As many consumers might have been aware, gastric distress is the major concern for berberine. Several research have found that dhBBR causes fewer stomach problems than berberine, it’s likely due to its lower dosing and better absorption.

What are your thoughts about dihydroberberine? Let's comment for discussion.

If you'd like to find out more information about Bonerge's dihydroberberine, please email us at sales@bonerge.com

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References

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2. Moon JM, Ratliff KM, Hagele AM, et al. Absorption Kinetics of Berberine and Dihydroberberine and Their Impact on Glycemia: A Randomized, Controlled, Crossover Pilot Trial. Nutrients. 2021;14(1):124.
3. Turner N, Li JY, Gosby A, et al. Berberine and its more biologically available derivative, dihydroberberine, inhibit mitochondrial respiratory complex I: a mechanism for the action of berberine to activate AMP-activated protein kinase and improve insulin action. Diabetes. 2008;57(5):1414-1418.
4. Mohammad, M, Al-masri, I.M, Issa, A. et al. Inhibition of pancreatic lipase by berberine and dihydroberberine: an investigation by docking simulation and experimental validation. Med Chem Res 22, 2273–2278 (2013).
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6. Chen J, Cao J, Fang L, et al. Berberine derivatives reduce atherosclerotic plaque size and vulnerability in apoE(-/-) mice. J Transl Med. 2014;12:326.
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8. Song D, Hao J, Fan D. Biological properties and clinical applications of berberine. Front Med. 2020 Oct;14(5):564-582.