Article Summary:
- The liver contains the highest amount of berberine metabolites.
- Berberine’s hepatoprotective effects are attributed to its role as an antioxidant and its ability to promote the body’s natural inflammatory response.*
- BerberActiv® is a unique berberine supplement formulation that overcomes the usual challenges of poor palatability and bioavailability associated with berberine that adversely impact its efficacy.
As the largest digestive gland in the body, the liver performs many vital functions, including removing toxins from the body’s blood supply, regulating blood clotting, and maintaining healthy blood sugar and lipid levels. The liver is frequently exposed to various substances, such as alcohol, chemicals, and drugs, and works to eliminate them from the body. Most of the toxins in the body are fat-soluble and accumulate in the fatty or adipose tissues. The liver breaks down these toxins into byproducts, which can often cause damage to the liver in the long run.
Ongoing liver detoxification, through an adequate intake of water, a balanced diet consisting of antioxidants such as berberine, and an overall healthy lifestyle, is critical for supporting hepatic health.* Below, we discuss the beneficial role of berberine in liver detoxification and why you should include a berberine supplement in your diet for a healthy liver.*
Berberine and Liver Detox: An Overview
Berberine, a plant alkaloid, has garnered significant interest due to its hepatoprotective effects.* Berberine’s liver detox activity can be attributed to its antioxidant properties and its role in helping to maintain the body’s natural inflammatory response.* Berberine has been found to influence various metabolic pathways, such as the insulin pathway, adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling, and hepatic lipid transportation, to optimize liver functions.* Several clinical studies have investigated the beneficial benefits of berberine on liver cells, including protection against oxidative stress.* The following table highlights some of the studies that establish berberine’s liver detox benefits in the short- and long-term.*
| Berberine’s Liver Detox Benefits* | |
| Inhibiting hepatic gluconeogenesis*: Berberine suppresses1 the expression of the key hepatic gluconeogenic enzymes through the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway to exert glucose-stabilizing effects.* Maintaining a normal blood glucose level also helps lower blood insulin levels due to the inhibition of gluconeogenesis—the generation of glucose from non-carbohydrate precursors. | |
| Inhibiting ammonia detoxification*: The liver is central in urea synthesis, which forms the basis of ammonia removal. Impaired liver function impacts its urea synthesis capacity. Berberine inhibits2 hepatic gluconeogenesis. In an animal study3 on fingerling black sea bream, berberine supplementation was found to be beneficial for the hepatic antioxidant enzymes under ammonia stress. | |
| Stimulating glycolysis*: Berberine enhances3 glucose metabolism by stimulating glycolysis—the breakdown of glucose into energy and pyruvic acid.* Berberine-induced AMPK activation is assumed to inhibit glucose oxidation in mitochondria.* | |
| Regulating lipid metabolism*: Berberine promotes4 the excretion of cholesterol from the liver to bile, thereby contributing to healthy levels of blood lipids.* Berberine further induces hepatic autophagy—the natural, conserved degradation of liver cells or hepatocytes to repress lipid accumulation in them.* |
Although berberine plays a significant role in supporting liver health,* its bitter taste is a major hindrance to patient compliance. The poor bioavailability and absorption of berberine further adversely impact its efficacy as a liver-protective supplement.* That is why you need an advanced berberine supplement formulation that ensures optimal absorption in the body, making its benefits a reality.
Including a Berberine Supplement in Your Diet
BerberActiv® is a unique oral bioactive berberine complex that is available in both quick-release and sustained-release formulations. Developed by Tesseract Medical Research, BerberActiv® transcends common absorption and palatability issues through the revolutionary and proprietary CyLoc®-DexKey® nano delivery system. A CyLoc® molecular matrix compounded with a DexKey® release agent enables the targeted delivery of berberine molecules at the desired point in the intestinal tract without compromising their integrity. The optimal absorption of the active ingredient molecules enhances the efficacy of berberine as a master antioxidant and liver detox agent, thereby supporting healthy liver function.*
Visit Tesseract Medical Research to learn more about berberine’s liver detox benefits and how you can incorporate a berberine supplement into your diet.
Citations:
1Jiang S-J, et al. Berberine inhibits… World journal of gastroenterology vol. 21,25 (2015): 7777-7785. doi:10.3748/wjg.v21.i25.7777
2Moreira ES, et al. The short-term effects of berberine in the liver… Toxicology letters vol. 368 (2022): 56-65. doi:10.1016/j.toxlet.2022.08.005
3Yin J, et al. Berberine improves…. American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism vol. 294,1 (2008): E148-156. doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00211.2007
4Li X-Y, et al. Effect of berberine… Journal of translational medicine vol. 13 278. 27 Aug. 2015, doi:10.1186/s12967-015-0629-3
