Diabetes is a serious condition, and it’s also one that can cause many other severe health problems. Diabetes increases your risk of death by heart attack and is the leading cause of blindness in the United States. That’s why you need to know about a nutritional supplement that could save your sight, your kidneys, your legs, your nerves, prevent you from having a premature heart attack, and may help you get off your prescription drugs.
Try Berberine Not Metformin. When I hear about nutritional supplements that work as well or better than prescription drugs, I take notice. That’s why research on berberine, an alkaloid found in goldenseal and other plants, caught my eye. Several clinical trials have shown the positive effects of berberine on blood sugar and lipids in patients with type 2 diabetes. And one of these studies, published in Metabolism, tested it head-to-head against metformin (Glucophage), the most popular diabetes drug in the world.
The Proof is in the Studies. In this pilot study, patients with newly diagnosed diabetes were given 500 mg of either metformin or berberine three times a day for three months. Guess which therapy came out on top? Berberine! It lowered average fasting blood sugar from 190.8 to 124.2, hemoglobin A1C from 9.5 to 7.5 percent, and postprandial (after meals) blood sugar from 356.4 to 199.8. Modest positive effects were also noted on triglycerides. Berberine is safe and well-tolerated, but it may cause transient gastrointestinal upset in some people. The suggested dose is 500 mg, three times a day. Berberine is sold in health food stores and online, or it can be ordered by calling (800) 810-6655.
