How to Heal Gut Microbiome Activity with Berberine
Hippocrates, the father of medicine, wrote that “all disease begins in the gut.” He said this before we knew about microorganisms living in the digestive tract and their significant connection to all aspects of human health. But he was undoubtedly right.
When the gut microbiome is out of balance, it can translate to symptoms and health issues throughout the body. Conversely, healing the microbiome and restoring balance can improve various aspects of health.
“When the gut microbiome is out of balance, it can translate to symptoms and health issues throughout the body. Conversely, healing the microbiome and restoring balance can improve various aspects of health.”
In today’s article, you learn how to heal the gut microbiome and why berberine is an essential tool in your gut-healing toolkit. Keep reading as we cover:
- What is the gut microbiome?
- How berberine affects the microbiome
- How to health the gut microbiome with nutrition and supplements
What is the Gut Microbiome?
Trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa, and archaea, live in and on your body. Collectively, these microorganisms (and their DNA) are called the microbiome. Your gut microbiome is the 70% of the microbiome living in the digestive tract, primarily the large intestine.
Your gut microbiome is involved in more than digestive function; it’s crucial for all aspects of health, including homeostasis, metabolism, immunity, brain health, hormone balance, and genetic expression.
In functional medicine, we always seek the root cause of disease, and gut microbiome imbalances are often a part of that picture.
“In functional medicine, we always seek the root cause of disease, and gut microbiome imbalances are often a part of that picture.”
How Berberine Supports the Gut Microbiome
You may be familiar with berberine for blood sugar balance and insulin resistance (add link to insulin resistance article), but berberine also supports gut health and the microbiome. In fact, one reason berberine may be so powerful for metabolic health is because of its effect on the microbiome. (Source 1)
“One reason berberine may be so powerful for metabolic health is because of its effect on the microbiome.”
Berberine is an alkaloid found in many plants and herbs. When berberine is in the gut, it has a direct relationship with the gut microbiome. Berberine supports the gut microbiome by shifting the balance of bacteria in the gut, making it a beneficial therapeutic tool for dysbiosis, an imbalance in bacteria or pathogens. (Source 2)
Besides regulating microbiome balance, gut bacteria also directly metabolize berberine, producing beneficial compounds called post-biotics, such as short chain fatty acids. (Source 2)
Berberine supplements also:
- Support immune cells in the intestines
- Reduce intestinal inflammation
- Enrich butyrate production (a short-chain fatty acid) (Source 1)
Because of the benefits to the gut microbiome, berberine promotes:
- Weight management
- Healthy cholesterol levels
- Liver function
- Balanced blood sugar
- Colon cancer prevention
- Heart health (Source 1)
How to Improve Gut Health
Stress, nutrition, exercise, toxin exposures, medication use, and other factors influence the gut microbiome daily. The modern lifestyle tends to be unfavorable to the microbiome, but we can restore balance by addressing some fundamental habits. Here are five ways to improve gut health:
- Eat gut-healthy probiotic foods. Probiotics are the beneficial bacteria that live in the gut; you find them in fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and miso. Include these foods daily as condiments to support a robust gut microbiome.
- Eat a variety of plant foods. Plants contain fiber and polyphenols that support gut health and directly feed probiotics. Good sources include berries, apples, artichokes, asparagus, onions, bananas, dandelion greens, oats, buckwheat, etc.
- Reduce toxin exposures. Toxins like chlorine, glyphosate (an herbicide), and plastics can kill beneficial bacteria in the gut, leaving you more prone to dysbiosis and infections. Some simple strategies, such as filtering drinking and cooking water, choosing organic food, and storing food in glass instead of plastic, help reduce these toxins.
- Avoid antibiotics when possible. Antibiotics aren’t as over-prescribed as they once were, but you still want to ensure you need them. It can take the gut microbiome years to recover from one course of antibiotics. Other medications, like proton pump inhibitors and birth control pills, may also alter gut microbiome health.
- Take berberine. Berberine helps restore gut microbiome balance and counter the adverse effects of the modern environment on the microbiome. Clinical trials suggest that the potential beneficial effects of berberine supplements may include helping with weight loss, as well as metabolic diseases like obesity. Check with your doctor before starting berberine if you take medications or have a medical condition.
“Berberine helps restore gut microbiome balance and counter the adverse effects of the modern environment on the microbiome.”
Core Med Science Liposomal Berberine delivers 300 mg of high-quality berberine in each dose to support optimal gut microbiome health. A healthy gut microbiome translates to better metabolic and overall health.
References:
- Zhang, L., Wu, X., Yang, R., Chen, F., Liao, Y., Zhu, Z., Wu, Z., Sun, X., & Wang, L. (2021). Effects of Berberine on the Gastrointestinal Microbiota. Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology, 10, 588517. Full text: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7933196/
- Cheng, H., Liu, J., Tan, Y., Feng, W., & Peng, C. (2022). Interactions between gut microbiota and berberine, a necessary procedure to understand the mechanisms of berberine. Journal of pharmaceutical analysis, 12(4), 541–555. Full text: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9463479/