The effects of berberine supplementation on cardiovascular risk factors in adults: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
PubMed 36313096 · doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.1013055
What was done
Authors searched PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science through July 2022 for randomized controlled trials evaluating the effects of berberine supplementation on cardiovascular disease risk factors in adults. Pooled effect sizes and dose-response relationships were calculated across lipid, glycemic, blood pressure, and anthropometric endpoints.
What was found
Berberine supplementation produced statistically significant reductions in: - Triglycerides: WMD = -23.70 mg/dl (95% CI: -30.16 to -17.25; P < 0.001) - Total cholesterol: WMD = -20.64 mg/dl (95% CI: -23.65 to -17.63; P < 0.001) - LDL-C: WMD = -9.63 mg/dl (95% CI: -13.87 to -5.39; P < 0.001) - Fasting blood glucose: WMD = -7.74 mg/dl (95% CI: -10.79 to -4.70; P < 0.001) - Insulin: WMD = -3.27 mg/dl (95% CI: -4.46 to -2.07; P < 0.001) - HbA1c: WMD = -0.45% (95% CI: -0.68 to -0.23; P < 0.001) - HOMA-IR: WMD = -1.04 (95% CI: -1.55 to -0.52; P < 0.001) - Systolic blood pressure: WMD = -5.46 mmHg (95% CI: -8.17 to -2.76; P < 0.001) - Weight: WMD = -0.84 kg (95% CI: -1.34 to -0.34; P < 0.001) - Body mass index: WMD = -0.25 kg/m² (95% CI: -0.46 to -0.04; P = 0.020) It significantly increased HDL-C (WMD = 1.37 mg/dl; 95% CI: 0.41 to 2.23; P = 0.005). Optimal reported doses were 1 g/day for triglycerides, total cholesterol, and weight; 1.8 g/day for insulin and HOMA-IR; and 5 g/day for HDL. Peak efficiency time frames were 40 weeks for fasting blood glucose and 50 weeks for diastolic blood pressure and waist circumference.
Why it matters
This review synthesizes trial data demonstrating that berberine consistently improves a broad panel of surrogate cardiovascular and metabolic biomarkers in adults.
Limits
The abstract does not disclose the number of included randomized trials, total sample size, heterogeneity metrics, or risk of bias assessments. Hard clinical cardiovascular endpoints (e.g., myocardial infarction, stroke, mortality) and adverse event frequencies were not reported.
Cited by
- supports Berberine improves arterial health, blood glucose control, and metabolism.