Berberine

[Invulnerabledr]

So does this supplement halt muscle gains or has that been overblown? Anyone notice any benefits in the gym with it?

 

[Anthony SM]

So does this supplement halt muscle gains or has that been overblown? Anyone notice any benefits in the gym with it?

I don't know about it halting muscle gains but 200 mg of dihydroberberine each day and I don't get watery from carbs. Otherwise, I retain a lot of water from carbs.

 

[sns8778]

Dramatically overblown.

There are tons of things that people need to be worried about much more than that.

Even if someone had 99.9% of everything in check, I don't think it would hold them back 1%; and the average person, myself included, needs to focus on correcting a ton of other things moreso than worrying about berberine.

Plus, even if it holds you back 1% in one way but helps you lose fat by say 5% in another way, your body composition is still dramatically better. (That's an example analogy, not meant to be real numbers)

 

[Invulnerabledr]

Dramatically overblown.

There are tons of things that people need to be worried about much more than that.

Even if someone had 99.9% of everything in check, I don't think it would hold them back 1%; and the average person, myself included, needs to focus on correcting a ton of other things moreso than worrying about berberine.

Plus, even if it holds you back 1% in one way but helps you lose fat by say 5% in another way, your body composition is still dramatically better. (That's an example analogy, not meant to be real numbers)

Ahh ok I’ve been wanting to use it to increase insulin sensitivity to help muscles absorb more glucose. Everyone always makes a big deal about it so I was looking for someone to shed some light on it.

 

[sns8778]

Ahh ok I’ve been wanting to use it to increase insulin sensitivity to help muscles absorb more glucose. Everyone always makes a big deal about it so I was looking for someone to shed some light on it.

I use 2 capsules per day of GlucoVantage XT every day and 3 capsules when my carb intake is higher or I'm cutting.

GlucoVantage is one way to use a higher dose equivalent as 100 mg. GlucoVantage is equivalent to 500 mg. of regular Berberine, and without the GI issues that come along with regular Berberine for many people.

 

[Hyde]

Made all my biggest lifts ever and reached my greatest muscle size in preps where I was eating a ton of food and popping Berberine 1-2x a day.

 

[Invulnerabledr]

Made all my biggest lifts ever and reached my greatest muscle size in preps where I was eating a ton of food and popping Berberine 1-2x a day.

Glad to hear thanks! So it def works then!

 

[kisaj]

So I just found this because I was going to make a post about the success I’ve been having with berberine. Recomp is crazy in just 3-4 weeks and I’ve been getting better energy after eating, but the mood piece isn’t something I was expecting. I’m in such a good mood and anxiousness has dramatically reduced. My mood is just lighter. Very unexpected but welcome- loving this so far.

 

[AwakeningAlpha]

Also side note for anyone with asthma, it works wonders.

Source:

Berberine Inhibits Pro-inflammatory Cytokine-induced IL-6 and CCL11 Production via Modulation of STAT6 Pathway in Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells

Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid isolated from various Chinese herbs that has potential of anti-inflammatory, anti-lipidemic, anti-neoplastic, and anti-diabetic activity. In this study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory efficacy of berberine on ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[MattDamon47]

I think that your more referring to metformin effecting igf1 levels. Berberine works through a different pathway.

 

[SBH]

Made all my biggest lifts ever and reached my greatest muscle size in preps where I was eating a ton of food and popping Berberine 1-2x a day.

If one were taking in carbs and protein pre-workout(like I do) would taking this with it be a good idea.
Maybe later with a big recovery meal also.

 

[Hyde]

If one were taking in carbs and protein pre-workout(like I do) would taking this with it be a good idea.
Maybe later with a big recovery meal also.

I’ve heard Mike Arnold mention that Berberine raises AMPk, and that’s something you don’t want acutely around training if muscle building is your goal.

So it would be ideal for a preWO meal further out from training, like a carb heavy meal at least a couple hours prior, but I personally do not use it for preWO meals closer. I also wouldn’t use it for my immediate post meal, for similar reasons (and insulin sensitivity is highest already at that point). I would use it later on for a follow up meal.

Anecdotally, I find it beneficial with the biggest carb meal of the day that is not periWO, or any meals containing carbs that aren’t on either side of a workout. Some people do use it very close, but to me that would only make sense if blood glucose control was especially important, or if workouts were shorter and not going to burn a lot of fuel. My training usually takes a couple hours or so and can leave me hypoglycemic if I don’t supplement enough carbs as is, so I am not interested in lowering blood sugar around that time.

 

[SBH]

I’ve heard Mike Arnold mention that Berberine raises AMPk, and that’s something you don’t want acutely around training if muscle building is your goal.

So it would be ideal for a preWO meal further out from training, like a carb heavy meal at least a couple hours prior, but I personally do not use it for preWO meals closer. I also wouldn’t use it for my immediate post meal, for similar reasons (and insulin sensitivity is highest already at that point). I would use it later on for a follow up meal.

Anecdotally, I find it beneficial with the biggest carb meal of the day that is not periWO, or any meals containing carbs that aren’t on either side of a workout. Some people do use it very close, but to me that would only make sense if blood glucose control was especially important, or if workouts were shorter and not going to burn a lot of fuel. My training usually takes a couple hours or so and can leave me hypoglycemic if I don’t supplement enough carbs as is, so I am not interested in lowering blood sugar around that time.

Thanks. This is quite helpful. As I was studying this I saw the AMPk thing and was wondering how people were increasing gains with it.
Would be best for use on off days and maybe with a big post peri-workout phase meal. Is that correct?

 

[Hyde]

Thanks. This is quite helpful. As I was studying this I saw the AMPk thing and was wondering how people were increasing gains with it.
Would be best for use on off days and maybe with a big post peri-workout phase meal. Is that correct?

Right. Overall, maintaining better insulin sensitivity is going to add in better muscle growth over time. You just don’t generally want to put the Berberine close to training.

Off days for any meals, and any meals not around training that I can remember to use it is how I do it.

 

[SBH]

Right. Overall, maintaining better insulin sensitivity is going to add in better muscle growth over time. You just don’t generally want to put the Berberine close to training.

Off days for any meals, and any meals not around training that I can remember to use it is how I do it.

Yeah, I think I'll just do it on off days and hit the China buffet a bit haha. This is a gainer!

 

[AdelV]

Dihydroberberine

It actually gives me an upset stomach, like for a short period. Very odd!

I spoke to Shawn Wells(Co-inventor DihydroBerberine/GlucoVantage) and I did enquire about about timing in-regards to muscle and he told me as a precaution I could space two and a half hours away from any training either side.

 

[SBH]

The paradox with the AMPk is amazing. We used to always do creatine, dextrose and even vinegar post workout. I currently take these pre-workout because of the amazing atp while you're lifting.
Taking them pre-workout also keeps gains to the Lean side. This has me wondering if I should play around with the berberine both ways.

 

[SBH]

I think this might be the one for me to try.

SNS GlucoVantage XT - Advanced Form of Berberine (Dihydroberberine) - Now Available - AnabolicMinds.com

Healthy Blood Sugar Support Make Your Carbs Work For You, Not Against You! Advanced Form of Berberine with Up to 5x Better Absorption 100 mg. GlucoVantage® Dihydroberberine 250 mg. Cinnamon Bark Extract 5 mg. Bioperine® GlucoVantage XT contains Dihydroberberine (DHB), a derivative of...

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