Others on social media are making similar claims, and some have even dubbed the supplement “nature’s Ozempic,” a misleading comparison to the Type 2 diabetes drug that has gained popularity as a weight-loss treatment.
“The term ‘nature’s Ozempic’ is pure marketing, and implies that the berberine chemical is similar in any shape, form, or mechanism to Ozempic, and it’s not,” said F. Perry Wilson, a Yale School of Medicine physician and epidemiologist who studies the supplement industry.
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A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 randomized controlled trials found that berberine helped people, on average, lose about four and a half pounds and less than half an inch from their waist — results that Wilson said are “not exactly impressive.” Trials included in the review used different doses of berberine for about one to three months. The analysis has also been met with skepticism because the studies included are of low quality, and the team of researchers behind it have been flagged over data concerns.
