Listen to this article.

New Evidence that Berberine Improves Cholesterol

A large, new meta-analysis provides new evidence that berberine is a safe, natural way to improve your cholesterol.

Berberine is the active ingredient in herbs like goldenseal. Long known as a powerful antimicrobial, berberine has recently been shown to be a great natural treatment for diabetes and cholesterol. Berberine can lower total cholesterol by 29%, LDL cholesterol by 25% and triglycerides by 35% in people with high cholesterol (Nature Medicine 2004;10:1344-1355). Several studies have proven its ability to improve cholesterol in people with diabetes.

In 2015, a meta-analysis showed that berberine is as good as drugs at lowering total cholesterol and the bad LDL cholesterol and superior for lowering triglycerides and raising heart healthy HDL cholesterol. But the natural treatment had the advantage of

being safer (J Ethnopharmacol 2015;161:69-81).

Now a new meta-analysis has added to the evidence. This just published systematic review and meta-analysis included 18 placebo-controlled studies of 1,788 adults. It showed that berberine reduces the bad LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol and triglycerides, while increasing the good HDL

cholesterol. Berberine’s benefits for HDL cholesterol were especially strong for women.

The studies in the meta-analysis used doses of 900-1500mg of berberine a day. The berberine was safe: there were no serious adverse events.

This growing collection of evidence grants berberine membership in the large group of natural supplements that improve cholesterol. Drugs. 2023 Apr;83(5):403-427

Br J Nutr. 2022 Feb 3;128(12):1-12