A natural compound called berberine can significantly lower bad cholesterol in hamsters with high cholesterol, and it does this by helping their liver make more of a special protein that pulls cholesterol out of the blood.

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Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

33

Community contributions welcome

33

Berberine is a novel cholesterol-lowering drug working through a unique mechanism distinct from statins

Case-Control Study

Human

2004 Dec

The study gave hamsters with high cholesterol berberine and found it lowered their bad cholesterol by about 40%, just like the claim said — and it also showed the body made more receptors to clean up that cholesterol, proving how it works.

Contradicting (0)

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No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Berberine is a novel cholesterol-lowering drug working through a unique mechanism distinct from statins

Score: 33

DOI: 10.1038/nm1135

Similar Assertions

Berberine, a natural compound, helped hamsters with high cholesterol by making their livers produce more receptors that grab bad cholesterol out of the blood—like putting up more trash cans to clean up the streets.

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Berberine, a natural compound, may help lower bad cholesterol by helping your liver grab more of it from your blood—kind of like turning up a vacuum cleaner that sucks up cholesterol, thanks to how it blocks a protein called PCSK9 and keeps the cholesterol sensors in your liver working longer.

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Berberine, a natural compound, helps lower bad cholesterol in mice and hamsters by turning down a protein (HNF1α) that normally tells the liver to make more PCSK9 — when PCSK9 drops, the liver keeps more LDL receptors to mop up cholesterol from the blood.

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Taking berberine pills may help lower your 'bad' cholesterol and fat in your blood by about 10–20%, which could be good for your heart.

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Taking berberine pills (500 mg, 2–3 times a day) can help lower your bad cholesterol and fat levels in the blood almost as well as a low dose of statin drugs, and it might work by turning on a cellular switch that helps your body remove more bad cholesterol.

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