Plenty of folks have been using GLP-1s \u2014 generic knockoffs of popular weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Zepbound \u2014 to jump-start their health journeys lately.<\/p>\n
But those folks could be in for bad news. That\u2019s because a recent ruling by the FDA that there was no longer a shortage of the medications means that compounding pharmacies have been ordered to stop making the less expensive versions of the drug.<\/p>\n
That order, focusing on drugs that contained the active drug trizepatide, took effect on March 19, and Healthline.com reported <\/b><\/a>that a similar measure could be taken for drugs containing semaglutide on April 22. <\/p>\n That means those drugs are going to be potentially harder to obtain, if they are obtainable at all, and more expensive. It\u2019s a terrible blow for folks using them on their health journey. Fortunately, there are options. For those already doing well on the drugs, diet and exercise, as always, can help. And there are some supplements that can help with weight loss, too. <\/p>\n As always, you should check with your physician before taking any supplement.<\/p>\n One popular and affordable supplement that has shown some promise in helping with weight loss is berberine. In fact, some have called the supplement \u201cnature\u2019s Ozempic,\u201d and with a month\u2019s supply costing as little as $8 on Amazon, that\u2019s probably going to make it a popular option.<\/p>\n Does it live up to the hype though? Should it really be compared to Ozempic.<\/p>\n A piece on the Mayo Clinic Press website <\/b><\/a>calls it a \u201cpromising supplement\u201d but adds that it is \u201cnot a magical weight-loss solution.\u201d<\/p>\n Bad news: it refers to the \u201cnature\u2019s Ozempic\u201d thing as \u201cgood marketing,\u201d but says that is not \u201cnecessarily honest or helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n So, what is the truth?<\/p>\n \u201cIf you are looking at something that\u2019s being considered a \u2018natural\u2019 version of a medication, it can look really appealing,\u201d Tara A Schmidt, a registered dietitian with the Mayo Clinic said.<\/p>\n Schmidt warned that \u201ceven Ozempic\u2019s not magic in itself.\u201d<\/p>\n The Mayo Clinic explained that berberine is an alkaloid that is found \u201cin a variety of plants including barberry, goldenseal, Oregon grapes and coptis.\u201d It is typically made into pills that are taken orally.<\/p>\n And Schmidt said that in limited research berberine has shown promise when it comes to lowering cholesterol and helping with diabetes and insulin resistance. The Mayo Clinic said the supplement \u201cmay be safe when taken in recommended amounts\u201d with the main side effects including nausea, constipation, diarrhea, gas and vomiting.<\/p>\n Per the Mayo Clinic, berberine is considered antimicrobial and \u201cmay alter the bacteria\u201d in your gut. It said it is also \u201cthought to act as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-cancer substance.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s effects on insulin and gut microbiota could be responsible for its potential weight-loss benefits, per the site. Schmidt said that better blood sugar regulation could help control appetite.<\/p>\n The Cleveland Clinic also calls berberine a \u201cpromising supplement\u201d for weight loss.<\/p>\n \u201cBerberine can help diabetes, high blood pressure and lipid levels,\u201d Doctor Elizabeth Bradley said according to the Cleveland Clinic. \u201cCombine berberine with lifestyle changes, like losing weight, and it can positively affect those conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n The Cleveland Clinic also warns<\/b><\/a> <\/b>against buying into the \u201cnature\u2019s Ozempic\u201d hype but says the supplement could also aid in weight loss and could also reduce the risk of heart disease.<\/p>\n So, is berberine a magic weight loss pill?<\/p>\n Nothing really is.<\/p>\n But, according to the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic, taken at safe levels it could be an affordable supplement worth adding to your arsenal.<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Plenty of folks have been using GLP-1s \u2014 generic knockoffs of popular weight loss drugs such as Ozempic…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":134626,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[210,1182,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-134625","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-nutrition","10":"tag-united-states","11":"tag-unitedstates","12":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115005122537976331","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134625"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134625\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}