Berberine in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systemic review and meta-analysis.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
PubMed 23118793 · doi:10.1155/2012/591654
What was done
Authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials assessing berberine's efficacy and safety in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Eligible studies compared berberine against lifestyle modification, placebo, or oral hypoglycemics (including metformin, glipizide, or rosiglitazone). Two reviewers independently extracted study population characteristics and outcomes.
What was found
Fourteen randomized trials involving 1,068 participants were included. No numerical point estimates, odds ratios, or confidence intervals were reported in the abstract. Cointervention of berberine and lifestyle modification produced significant hypoglycemic and antidyslipidemic responses compared with lifestyle modification with or without placebo. Compared to oral hypoglycemics alone, berberine alone showed comparable glycemic control with a mild antidyslipidemic effect, while berberine combined with oral hypoglycemics yielded superior glycemic control. No serious adverse effects were reported.
Why it matters
This review suggests berberine may serve as an adjunctive option for blood glucose and lipid management in type 2 diabetes, either with lifestyle interventions or alongside conventional oral hypoglycemics.
Limits
The primary studies suffered from generally low methodological quality, small overall sample sizes, a limited number of trials, and unidentified risks of bias. The abstract does not provide exact effect sizes, drug dosages, study durations, or specific adverse event rates.
Cited by
- partial Berberine increases insulin sensitivity, functioning similarly to metformin but with fewer side effects.