Post
by Dozha » Mon Dec 28, 2015 12:07 pm
There was some recent discussion about Berberine and Metformin, I thought under this subject, but I couldn't find it. However, I want to put this info out there. It's from Jenny Ruhl's blog on managing diabetes, Blood Sugar 101. The info doesn't seem to be there anymore, but I printed it out when I first saw it because my doc was suggesting I get off Metformin and start taking Berberine. (Because all things Asian are so cool.)
FDA/NCTA [National Center for Toxicology Research] scientists in collaboration with Shanghai Institute for Food and Drug Control (China) have shown that goldenseal and one of its major alkaloid constitutents, Berberine, are potent producers of DNA damage in in vitro human cell cultures. In cells treated with goldenseal, the extent of DNA damage was correlated to the Berberine content and was directly associated with inhibition of topoisomerase II (an essential enzyme for DNA replication). Goldenseal . . . was shown to increase liver tumors in rodents in a National Toxicology Program two-year carcinogenicity study. However, the mechanism for liver carcinogenity was not determined in this study [but see below re incretin drugs]. ... In addition, DNA damage was also observed in cells treated with commercially available goldenseal extracts and the extent of DNA damage was positively correlated to the berberine content.
A commenter on the blog noted that Berberine is thought to mimic the incretin effect. [Whatever that is; I didn't research it] Ruhl replied "If it really mimics the incretin effect, you have to hope it isn't doing what we now know the incretin drugs are doing: growing highly abnormal alpha and beta cells in the pancreas including tiny adenoma tumors. ...What studies are cited for Berberine are published in marginal journals, some of which may be the kind you can get any paper into if you pay a fee. Supplement sellers routinely fund this kind of research. . . . Remember that there is NO legal requirement that supplement bottles contain the label says they contain. The FDA only intervenes after someone dies . . . ."
She also comments, Why not stick with cheap, generic, effective metformin? I would say also, if you haven't done it already why not buy a cheap glucomenter from Walmart and start testing after every meal and just reduce carbohydrates as needed to get to normal post-prandial numbers and to an A1c in the 5's. If reducing carbs doesn't work, go for metformin in conjunction with low carb.
If metformin causes gastro distress you can try the non-generic form Glucophage, but it's expensive. What worked for me was to get the lowest dose generic pill in the non-extended release form so I could cut it half. Took 1/2 tab every third day until I felt no discomfort. Very slowly decreased time between and then increased the dose. Took a while but it was worth it. some people think that metformin works by altering gut biome, thus the discomfort while you adapt. Once adapted you can use the extended release form.
Test B12 levels and supplement if they get low, or eat liver once a week. Other offal and oysters are good sources too.
You can find the abstract of this study in Toxicology Letters (2013; 221: 64-72)
For additional info,contact Lei Guo, Division of Biochemical Toxicology, FDA/NCTR.