Berberine sends more nutrients to muscle and less to fat storage. This not only would be beneficial to bodybuilding but to anyone looking to store less fat, lose weight or control blood sugar.
Bodybuilders have traditionally handled this by staying low and slow carbohydrate the majority of the day with the exception of post workout. Fast or high glycemic carbs are only allowed post workout.
Stack with:
Glutamine
Yohimbine (avoid if blood pressure is an issue)
Sodium caprate
Berberine on examine.com
Video: Benefits of Berberine
Berberine supplement benefit, side effects by Ray Sahelian, M.D.
Berberine on WebMD
Yohimbine & Berberine Protect From Death Due to LPS Intoxication; BCAAs Inhibit Serotonin Metabolism & Cause Anxiety, Tryptophan but not SSRIs Help; Sweet Tea Leaves Are PPAR-G Antagonists & Battle High Lipid + Leptin Levels
Fighting to Stay Lean? These 20+ Anti-Obesity Agents Have the Potential to Inhibit Fat Gain Right at the Cellular Level
Metabolism: Efficacy of berberine in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (Metformin)
Xing, H.; Ye, J.; Yin, J.Alternative Medicine Review
June, 2008. Vol.13,Iss.2;p.183
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
Cheng, Zhe; Cooney, Gregory J.; Gosby, Alison; Hu, Li-Hong; James, David E.; Kraegen, Edward W.; Li, Jia; Li, Jing-Ya; Miyoshi, Hiroyuki; Taketo, Makoto M.; To, Sabrina W.C.; Turner, Nigel; Ye, Ji-Ming.Diabetes
May, 2008. Vol.57,Iss.5;p.1414
Research Studies:
Cheng Z, Pang T, Gu M, et al. Berberine-stimulated glucose uptake in L6 myotubes involves both AMPK and p38 MAPK. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2006 Nov;1760(11):1682-9.
Li H, Wang Y, Zhang H, Jia B, Wang D, et al. Yohimbine Enhances Protection of Berberine against LPS-Induced Mouse Lethality through Multiple Mechanisms. PLoS ONE. 2012; 7(12): e52863.
Lv, X.Y., Li, J., Zhang, M., Wang, C.M., Fan, Z., Wang, C.Y., Chen, L., 2010. Enhancement of sodium caprate on intestine absorption and antidiabetic action of berberine. AAPS.PharmSciTech. 11, 372–382
Zhanga M, Lvc X, Lia J, Menga Z, Wangd Q, Changa W, Lia W, Chena L. Sodium caprate augments the hypoglycemic effect of berberine via AMPK in inhibiting hepatic gluconeogenesis. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. 16 August 2012
Brown PN, Roman MC. Determination of hydrastine and berberine in goldenseal raw materials, extracts, and dietary supplements by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV: collaborative study. J AOAC Int. 2008 Jul-Aug;91(4):694-701.
Gomes AP, Duarte FV, Nunes P, Hubbard BP, Teodoro JS, Varela AT, Jones JG, Sinclair DA, Palmeira CM, Rolo AP. Berberine protects against high fat diet-induced dysfunction in muscle mitochondria by inducing SIRT1-dependent mitochondrial biogenesis. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2012 Feb;1822(2):185-95.
Hu Y, Davies GE. Berberine increases expression of GATA-2 and GATA-3 during inhibition of adipocyte differentiation. Phytomedicine. 2009 Sep;16(9):864-73. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2009.03.002. Epub 2009 Apr 28.
Huang C, Zhang Y, Gong Z, Sheng X, Li Z, Zhang W, Qin Y. Berberine inhibits 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation through the PPARgamma pathway. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2006;348:571–578.
Lee YS, Kim WS, Kim KH, Yoon MJ, Cho HJ, Shen Y, Ye JM, Lee CH, Oh WK, Kim CT, et al. Berberine, a natural plant product, activates AMP-activated protein kinase with beneficial metabolic effects in diabetic and insulin-resistant states. Diabetes. 2006;55:2256–2264.
Liu Y, Lou SY, He YM. [Effects of berberine on cell proliferation, peroxisome proliferation activated receptor gamma, CAAT/enhancer binding protein mRNA and protein expression in 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes]. Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 2008 Nov;28(11):1005-9.
Wang JM, Yang Z, Xu MG, Chen L, Wang Y, Su C, Tao J. Berberine-induced decline in circulating CD31+/CD42- microparticles is associated with improvement of endothelial function in humans. Eur J Pharmacol. 2009;614:77–83.
Amasheh M, Fromm A, Krug SM, Amasheh S, Andres S, Zeitz M, Fromm M, Schulzke JD. TNFalpha-induced and berberine-antagonized tight junction barrier impairment via tyrosine kinase, Akt and NFkappaB signaling. J Cell Sci. 2010 Dec 1;123(Pt 23):4145-55.
Gu L, Li N, Li Q, Zhang Q, Wang C, Zhu W, Li J. The effect of berberine in vitro on tight junctions in human Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cells. Fitoterapia. 2009 Jun;80(4):241-8.
Li N, Gu L, Qu L, Gong J, Li Q, Zhu W, Li J. Berberine attenuates pro-inflammatory cytokine-induced tight junction disruption in an in vitro model of intestinal epithelial cells. Eur J Pharm Sci. 2010 Apr 16;40(1):1-8.
Niu L, Qiao W, Hu Z, Li N, Huang Q, Gong J, Li Q, Zhu W, Li J. Berberine attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced impairments of intestinal glutamine transport and glutaminase activity in rat. Fitoterapia. 2011 Apr;82(3):323-30.
