Tag: ozempic

Despite What TikTok Says Is Berberine Really “Nature’s Ozempic” For Weight Loss?

hospital scale

Thanks to a huge TikTok trend, berberine is now promoted as “nature’s Ozempic.” What the heck is berberine and does it really help you lose lots of weight by suppressing appetite the same way Ozempic does? Certified nutritional therapist and ChefV.com founder Veronica Wheat weighs in (no pun intended).

With an infant to care for (no hubby Brandon, I’m not talking about you haha) and a green veggie juice delivery business to run, I don’t have the time—or, the interest—to watch TikTok videos. But after hearing about the berberine trend for weight loss, I couldn’t resist plunging down the rabbit hole. 

Here’s just how one of the berberine TikTok videos—which cumulatively have been viewed 100 million times—begins:

“I started taking berberine yesterday and I’m not kidding you, I was stuffed all day.”

Because of testimonials like this, be they fake or real, the fact is that from January to mid-July of 2023, sales of berberine-containing products exploded by nearly 90%. [SOURCE

berberine bottles

Why Are TikTok Influencers Taking Berberine For Weight Loss?

So what’s behind the berberine TikTok trend? Well, in case you haven’t heard about Ozempic, it’s a drug that was approved by the FDA in 2017 only for adults with type 2 diabetes. 

Ozempic lowers blood sugar levels by helping the pancreas make more insulin. Besides effectively lowering blood sugar levels, Ozempic users also noticed that their appetites plummeted while on the drug, leading to quick, significant weight loss. 

That explains why celebrities and thousands of “regular people” who could afford the steep cost of purchasing Ozempic off-label (in other words, not for type 2 diabetes) began hoarding Ozempic, creating a shortage of the drug for people living with diabetes. 

The shortage of Ozempic (generic name: semaglutide), its high cost, and lawsuits over its side effects—in some patients, it causes gastroparesis, a severely painful disorder that causes food to move at a snail’s pace through the stomach to the small intestine—has caused people to look for a natural alternative. 

Enter berberine. 

ozempic injector

What is Berberine?

Like flavonoids, carotenoids, and allicins, berberine is a chemical found in plants, or in other words, a phytochemical. Phytochemicals are natural compounds that plants use to protect themselves from being devoured by insects. Natural plant chemicals can either be toxic to humans or they can have medicinal-like effects. But does berberine really work like Ozempic for weight loss? I’ll get to that in a sec. 

First, though, it’s important to know where berberine comes from. When it’s extracted naturally, it comes from the roots or bark of the following plants: 

  • Goldenseal
  • European Barberry
  • Oregon grape
  • Phellodendron
  • Tree turmeric

Most of the berberine supplements that TikTokers use for weight loss probably claim to be extracted naturally. However, I’m not sure that’s true. As this study in Nature points out, researchers have figured out how to make berberine from genetically-modified yeast. (Yuck!) And I bet you that using this GMO yeast will prove more cost-effective than having to import the natural sources of berberine. Anyway, that’s food for thought; if you want to try a berberine supplement, do your research and make sure it’s GMO-free. (But wait until the end of the article to make your decision about whether to purchase a berberine supplement!)

barberry plant

Barberry plant –above By User:MPF – Own work

What Are The Benefits Of Berberine? 

Berberine has been a compound in many herbs that have been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. According to a research article in Chinese Medicine, berberine was first discovered in 1830 and since then it’s been the most studied alkaloid compound. In the early 1960s, Indian researchers demonstrated that berberine helped prevent diarrhea during cholera outbreaks. 

Even today, herbs with berberine are kept in medicine cabinets in Chinese homes like Immodium or Pepto Bismol to treat diarrhea. 

Having a serious case of the runs is one way to lose weight. But besides diarrhea treatment, what are the other benefits of berberine? And does research support it for weight loss? 

Well, according to the Nature study above: 

“Berberine has been found with pharmaceutical potential to treat obesity, regulate gut microbiota, treat atherosclerosis, or ameliorate Parkinson’s disease. There have been over 80 clinical trials worldwide to investigate berberine’s medicinal uses in these diseases.” 

OK, so wow, 80 studies, that’s impressive. But notice the quote above says “investigate.” In other words, is berberine legit for weight loss or has it been shown to be a dud in research studies? 

What Does The Research Say About Berberine?

The problem with berberine is that it’s really difficult to obtain it from food naturally. It’s pretty much found in just those handful of plants above. So does research support taking a supplement with berberine? Personally, I’m always in favor of using real food instead of supplements whenever possible. However, it  does seem that berberine is at least minimally effective for managing metabolic disorders by lowering: 

  • Triglycerides

    →  Triglycerides are a type of fat in your blood. Did you know that Chef V’s 21 DAY DETOX and GREEN DRINK PLAN lowered triglycerides by an average of 23% in a clinical trial? (Learn more.)

  • Cholesterol

    Cholesterol is a necessary nutrient. But too much of it can accumulate in the arteries as plaque. The clinical trial on Chef V products reduced participants’ total cholesterol by an average of 9.2%; LDL cholesterol (the so-called “bad” cholesterol) by 10.7%, and cholesterol to LDL ratio by 7.7% (Read more about the study here.)
  • Blood Sugar

    The HbA1C test (A1C for short) provides a snapshot of blood sugar levels over the last 3 months. The clinical trial showed Chef V products lowered A1C levels by an average of 1.7%, which is huge for someone managing blood sugar levels. (Details here.)

In addition to these benefits of berberine, research also supports it for cardiovascular health. It also has been shown to improve the gut barrier, making sure no nasty pathogens get in, proving that it may work to help combat diarrhea. 

–> Check out my “Gut Health Survival Guide.” 

woman walking with sticks

Is Berberine Safe To Take? 

If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. In the case of berberine, taking it for weight loss could potentially backfire—if you’re taking diabetes drugs—like Ozempic or Metformin—and blood pressure medications. Berberine could potentially cause blood sugar levels to fall too low in some people or counteract the effects of blood pressure medications. So make sure you talk to your doctor before you start using berberine supplements. 

Is Berberine Like Ozempic?

So let’s get to the heart of the matter, or more accurately, the stomach of the matter. Does berberine work for weight loss? And if so, does it work in the same way as Ozempic? 

Let’s answer the first question. If you Google “berberine weight loss pubmed” you can quickly see that the results are a mixed-bag. A meta-analysis (a review of several studies) said there was a “significant reduction of body weight and body mass index (BMI)”. Another study also showed good results but it was on rats. Another study showed “mild weight loss” in people with obesity while another study on its effects on obesity “yielded no significant decline in body weight.” 

But if a whole nation of TikTokers swear by it, shouldn’t that anecdotal evidence count for something? 

I can’t answer that question for you. You’ll have to decide for yourself. There are worse things you can do for your health than taking a berberine supplement. But I’m not convinced that it’s necessary. And more to the point, to answer the second question, berberine is not “Nature’s Ozempic.”

Why Berberine Is Not Like Ozempic

Remember the name semaglutide? That’s the generic name for Ozempic and the more recent drug approved for weight loss, Wegovy, which was created by the same manufacturer of Ozempic in 2021, the first time a weight loss drug was approved by the FDA since 2014. (Weight loss drugs have a bad track record of side effects.)

Semaglutide works by mimicking the role of a natural hormone, called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1). Here’s why that’s important. GLP-1 tells your body you have eaten. So semaglutide works by tricking your brain into thinking you’ve already eaten. 

Berberine does not work this way whatsoever. So no, berberine is not a surrogate for Ozempic. Yes, berberine’s effects on metabolic disorders is promising as a 2022 study in Molecules describes. 

And yes, these effects do include lowering blood sugar and improving insulin sensitivity, meaning your pancreas needs to pump out less insulin to manage blood sugar levels. It could be that berberine leads to weight loss because of its effects on controlling insulin and other hormones that control the size of your fat cells. 

But that doesn’t mean it works the same way Ozempic does. And to compare berberine to Ozempic is at best false advertising and at worse, potentially dangerous for those who take diabetes medications (see side effects concern above). 

healthy foods

Is Berberine Good For Weight Loss? Conclusion

When you eat real nutrient-dense food, the nutrients activate GLP-1. In other words, you don’t need to purchase berberine supplements in order to tell your brain that you are full. As I cautioned in this article I wrote about Ozempic, lots of people who take the drug for weight loss are doing so at the risk of serious malnutrition. 

Here’s how to eat healthy if you take semaglutide/Wegovy for weight loss; you should only take Ozempic if you have type 2 diabetes.

If you want to lose weight in a safe, effective way that’s backed by research, get on an ORGANIC GREEN DRINK PLAN and maximize your weight loss success with my 21 DAY DETOX

The 38 people who participated in a clinical trial testing the effects of CHEF V products followed the 21 DAY DETOX and then continued with the GREEN DRINK PLAN for 7 days. Their average weight loss during the 28-day study was roughly 8 pounds. That amount is impressive, considering none of the participants had significant weight to lose. 

Whether they would have lost more weight had they also taken a berberine supplement is up for debate. But one thing that’s not for debate is that berberine is nature’s Ozempic. It’s not. 

To your health, 

Veronica “V” Kress
ChefV.com Founder

Chef V’s Perfect “Prescription” For Eating Healthy While Taking Ozempic

ozempic and nutrition

Ozempic has been called a wonder drug for people with type 2 diabetes. But there’s a dark side to it: The drug eradicates appetite. The downside? Being starved of vital nutrients. Certified nutritional therapist and CHEFV.com founder, Veronica Wheat offers solutions for staying healthy while taking Ozempic. 

When it comes to Ozempic, let me get something off my chest. 

I’m not going to be talking about celebrities and TikTok influencers who are unethically using the drug and potentially creating a shortage of it for people with type 2 diabetes just to quickly drop 10 pounds. 

Instead, I will focus on the biggest risk of taking Ozempic for those with type 2 diabetes.  

Before I get to that, in case you don’t know about Ozempic, some quick facts…

For managing blood sugar levels, Ozempic is super convenient for people with type 2 diabetes. Instead of injecting insulin every day like other diabetes meds, Ozempic is a once-weekly injection. It works by increasing the hormone, insulin, which lowers blood sugar levels when blood sugar gets too high. 

In addition, Ozempic reduces glucagon, the hormone that raises blood sugar levels—a double dose of blood glucose regulation. 

So far so good, right? Another way Ozempic works is by dramatically curbing appetite by cutting off the brain’s hunger signals. Not only that, but Ozempic also delays stomach emptying, which makes you feel full for several hours. This also might sound like a godsend of a drug if you have type 2 diabetes and are overweight. 

OZEMPIC NUTRITION RESOURCES

CHEF V’s COOKING SCHOOL (Free videos)

What Do I Eat Today? (Free recipes)

Making Cleansing Easier (Free e-cookbook)

21 DAY LOW-SUGAR DETOX 

The Dark Side Of Using Ozempic: Malnutrition

Many Ozempic users report that after taking a few bites of food, they are totally full, or even repulsed by the idea of food. This is a great recipe for losing weight but a disaster for overall health. That’s because the tendency is that when Ozempic users eat, they usually grab a few bites of whatever’s easily in reach. And most often it’s something unhealthy. 

If you use Ozempic, you will definitely lose weight. But even with the little appetite you may have, you have to consume nutritious food. Otherwise, you’ll deprive yourself of vital nutrients. In other words, you will suffer from malnutrition. You’ll have no energy and your immune system can weaken. 

So how can Ozempic users manage blood sugar and stay healthy? 

Staying Healthy On Ozempic With Green Drink

Having Organic GREEN DRINK first thing in the morning is the easiest thing Ozempic users with type 2 diabetes can do to prevent malnutrition. 

With 7 certified organic leafy green veggies, GREEN DRINK contains the antioxidants and phytonutrients your trillions of cells need to keep you healthy on a low-calorie diet.

And with only 26 calories per serving, GREEN DRINK won’t make your tummy painfully full or bloated if you’re taking Ozempic.

But drinking juice? Isn’t that bad if you have type 2 diabetes? 

It’s true that most commercial juices cause an immediate surge of insulin and are loaded with sugar. Even green-colored juices trick shoppers into thinking it must be a healthy juice because green is the color of some of the healthiest veggies on the planet. 

But don’t let store-bought juices fool you. They’re loaded with fructose (fruit sugar) and barely contain any vegetables. They should be totally avoided if you have high blood sugar. If you have type 2 diabetes, you shouldn’t have more than 25 grams of sugar per day. Did you know that most green juices sold in stores have up to 50 grams of sugar? 

—-> See how CHEFV.com compares to the competition

GREEN DRINK: Safe for Ozempic Uses & Proven to Reduce A1C

But there are three reasons why GREEN DRINK is perfectly safe for type 2 diabetes. 

  1. There are only 3 grams of naturally-occurring sugar per serving. So there’s no insulin surge after drinking GREEN DRINK as you get with most commercial juices.
  2. GREEN DRINK is blended, not juiced. That means that the fiber and nutrients from the leafy green veggies in GREEN DRINK are preserved and feed your healthy gut bacteria. With commercial juices, you’re just drinking the sugars, not the nutrients! And all that sugar goes directly into your bloodstream, spiking your insulin and driving up blood sugar.
     
  3. GREEN DRINK is clinically proven to lower A1C levels. In an independent clinical study of 38 participants (without type 2 diabetes), a CHEF V 21 Day DETOX followed up by 7 days of GREEN DRINK consumption reduced A1C levels by 1.7%. 

Watch CHEF V's Infamous Green Drink and Diabetes

So if you’re taking Ozempic for diabetes, make sure you’re fueling your body with supreme nutrition, even if you have a very low appetite. 

Learn more about GREEN DRINK.

Nutrition Hint from an Ozempic user:
“Keep a healthy food at your desk, in your tote, anywhere that is super easy to grab. Then set a reminder on your phone and when it goes off, eat a little. I use Green Drink, cut up fruit or nuts.”

below, Chef V working one of our kitchens

“GREEN DRINK has been invaluable for me to get the right mix of nutrients every day even when you’re not motivated to eat. Having a Green Drink in the morning kicks starts a healthy beginning to my day.”  —Type 2 diabetic Ozempic user and CHEF V customer, Jean Y.

Making Healthy Meals On Ozempic Even If You’re Not Hungry

But what about the rest of the day? Sure, Green Drink is a great way to flood your cells with vital nutrition in the morning. But when you don’t feel like eating much, what else can you do to stay healthy? 

I recommend taking one day a week to cook mini healthy meals. Even if you nibble just a few bites here and there, that’s ok. But it’s so important that you’re not just subsisting on high-carb foods while taking Ozempic. 

If you have any questions about using CHEF V with diabetes, we are always here for you.  

Here’s to having healthy blood sugar levels and optimizing your nutrition! 

Love,

Veronica Wheat

Founder, ChefV.com 

Semaglutide: Disrupting The Weight Loss Industry

gila monster

Some of my most loyal customers are taking charge of their health despite having chronic metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes. Organic Green Drinks are awesome for cleansing the system and starting the day off right. But some people need an extra assist. Enter the drug, semaglutide. If you’ve never heard of it, trust me, it’s going to blow up. By next year, I predict it’s going to be one of the hottest weight loss remedies for those who constantly struggle with weight management. 

In June of last year, the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it had approved the anti-diabetic medication, Ozempic for weight management under the name Wegovy. Also known as semaglutide, the drug has a lot of potential customers in the U.S., where two-thirds of all adults are either obese or overweight. While Ozempic is meant to to be used longer term for control of diabetic's blood glucose levels (A1C), Wegovy is being used as a short term weight loss tool.

Because it’s easy to use and it seems to have mild side effects, hopefully semaglutide will be the magic pill that makes a huge dent in the obesity-diabetes epidemic. And you’ll never believe where the active ingredient of the drug comes from. 

But first, let me tell you why semaglutide hits home for me. You see, my immensely talented graphic designer, Jean, was involved in the clinical trial for its effects on diabetes. Jean has used the drug for 7 years and swears by it. So when Jean told me about this wonder drug, I was determined to look into it and so far the results are promising. And for me to sing the praises of a pharmaceutical remedy is saying something because normally, I’m Miss Mother Nature. 

gila monster

Semaglutide: Sourced From A Monster

I admit that when Jean told me where the idea of semaglutide was first hatched, I didn’t believe her. So I verified her claim and now I owe her an apology. But you would be skeptical if you heard that the way the drug can change sugar metabolism is because of the venom of the Gila monster. 

Gila monsters aren’t actually that scary looking. They’re really just small lizards that weigh 5 pounds at most. But in the reptile’s venom—not deadly to us but it wouldn’t tickle if you got bit—are hormones that regulate blood sugar. 

OK, so semaglutide isn’t actually synthesized from Gila monster venom but rather from a synthetic analogue of a hormone in Gila monster venom called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1). 

Glucagon is like the unpopular step-sister of insulin. Almost everybody knows that insulin is the hormone that controls blood sugar. But it’s not the only one that does so. Glucagon actually raises blood sugar when blood sugar levels are too low. 

According to Vox.com, doctors noticed that people who took semaglutide were not only better able to manage their blood sugar levels, they also lost weight. Obesity researchers got very excited over the results. 

injector pen, glucose monitor

Semaglutide Drugs For Weight Loss

Semaglutide is the hormone molecule that goes by a few different brand names. Besides Ozempic (low-dose), there’s Wegovy, which is a once-a-week injectable, higher-dose weight-loss medication. And if you’re deathly afraid of needles, there’s an oral version called Rybelsus (did Big Pharma marketers run out of clever names?). 

Harvard Health doesn’t come right out and say it but for best weight loss results, if you read between the lines, it seems that Wegovy works best for weight management. 

Again, I want to stress that if your doctor puts you on a semaglutide drug, you’re not injecting Gila monster venom. What you’re injecting is a synthetic hormone that naturally is found in the digestive tract. Real GLP-1 that’s in your gut signals the pancreas to release more insulin, delays the emptying of the stomach which helps you feel full for longer, and signals the brain that hunger has been satisfied. 

(To trick my brain into feeling satisfied, I don’t eat a regular breakfast. Instead, I drink water first thing in the morning, wait about 20 minutes then have 8-16 oz of Green Drink. To complete my “breakfast” I’ll have a plant-based protein shake an hour or two later. Hunger solved.)

Does Semaglutide Work?

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine from March of this year shows really promising results. Those that were randomly assigned the drug had an average weight reduction of nearly 15% after about 16 months. That’s impressive weight loss. A 300-pound individual would have lost about 45 pounds with those results. Not too shabby!

In even more recent trials, more than 50 percent of trial participants have lost 15 percent of their bodyweight and up to 40 percent of participants have slimmed down by 20 percent, according to the University of Alabama at Birmingham

Why Semaglutide Will Be A Weight Loss Success Story

Weight-loss and obesity medications are notoriously fraught with dangerous side effects. Considering the relatively mild side effects and efficacy of semaglutide, it’s easy to see why nutrition therapists (like yours truly), registered dieticians and doctors are excited about semaglutide. 

Unfortunately, many health insurers and Medicare typically don’t pay for obesity medications. But to date, there’s never been a weight-loss drug that has shown such impressive results with so few side effects. Here’s hoping that those who have been struggling for years to get their weight down will finally have that magic pill they’ve been praying for. 

Obesity isn’t simply a lifestyle disease. Several factors come into play such as gut dysbiosis* and genetics. People living with obesity should not be punished for their condition. In my humble opinion, semaglutide should be available—and affordable—for all. If you’re interested in semaglutide, talk to your doctor. 

*dysbiosis: disruption of the composition and diversity of the microbiome

Chef V

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