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Posted on Jan 15, 2015, 6 a.m.
Berberine increases energy expenditure, limits weight gain, improves cold tolerance and enhances brown adipose tissue, in a lab animal model.
Utilized as a traditional Chinese medicine for over 2000 years, berberine is a compound derived from the Chinese medicinal plant Coptis chinensis. Guang Ning, from Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine (China), and colleagues administered berberine every three days for a month, to laboratory obese mice. Berberine was observed to increase energy expenditure, limit weight gain, improve cold tolerance and enhance brown adipose tissue activity. The study authors submit that: “Our findings establish a role for [berberine] in regulating organismal energy balance, which may have potential therapeutic implications for the treatment of obesity.
Zhiguo Zhang, Huizhi Zhang, Bo Li, Xiangjian Meng, Jiqiu Wang, Guang Ning, et al. “Berberine activates thermogenesis in white and brown adipose tissue.” Nature Communications 5, 25 November 2014.
