Berberine by itself is regarded as a “star player” in the world of natural remedies available on the market in forms such as dietary supplements and herbs. Berberine has earned this sterling reputation from many health experts for its uncanny knack to deliver health support in a vast array of areas ranging from blood-sugar issues to weight loss.
But berberine is not an attention hog either. It is in fact an adaptable partner that works well when teaming up with other natural remedies such as – and which we will explore here – cinnamon and chromium. Known for its pleasing taste and fitness to be used in many aspects of meal preparation as a sweet confection, cinnamon also has a propensity to support one’s health in some of the same areas that berberine does.
Berberine and cinnamon (more on chromium here in a quick minute) form a combination that has emerged as a favorite choice for people seeking metabolic balance, lasting energy, and enhanced insulin sensitivity without having to turn to pharmaceuticals. It is also why berberine and cinnamon, as well as chromium, comprise a triumvirate that we will dig into here and which has earned a spot as Part 2 of our new series “Supplements in Tandem.”
Looking at Berberine, Cinnamon, and Chromium Separate and Together
Let’s start with berberine, which is a bioactive alkaloid. That means it is a naturally occurring organic compound sourced from a variety of plants, which include goldenseal, Oregon grape, and European barberry. It has been used for many centuries in traditional Chinese medicine, but only in recent years has it gained a foothold in western medicine, such as in America.
It would take too long and way too many words to do berberine justice in offering a complete rundown of berberine’s potential health functions and benefits right here, but suffice it to say that research has shown it effective for fighting chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and inflammatory diseases. Its uses are only enhanced when combined with other compounds such as cinnamon and chromium.
Cinnamon’s story is more succinct than that of berberine, but no less interesting in its own right. It is a spice extracted from the bark of trees that are part of the Cinnamomum family and is used as a sweet confection for a wide variety of tasty treats such as cinnamon rolls and some cookies. That’s about cinnamon’s taste; let’s look at its treatment properties. When it is combined with berberine, cinnamon enhances the health benefits doled out to diabetics or those with prediabetic numbers.
Chromium has a note of distinction all its own. It is one of a select few major essential minerals, its role made essential by the vigorous role it plays in the metabolism of fats, carbs, and protein. Yet it takes only small daily amounts of chromium to support our body’s health, which is testament to chromium’s worthiness to join the tandem with berberine and cinnamon.
If there is one area in particular in which all three of these compounds really demonstrate their “strength in threes” numbers, it is their synergistic effects essentially treating patients dealing with heart issues. Granted, these three compounds taken in supplement form but separately, can play a key role in promoting a person’s health. But why not take all three at once in the form of a single supplement, which takes the guesswork out of determining the exact proper amounts of each to take and in what ratio of one to another?
Summing It All Up with This Acting Trio
Probably the best way to do this is briefly review how each of the two “c” constituents in this tandem supplement work with berberine, which for lack of a better term is the lynchpin to this trio’s teamwork. Chromium, when combined with berberine, supports your metabolic health by working overtime to help sustain healthy blood-sugar and cholesterol levels, while berberine meanwhile activates an enzyme known as AMPK that has a role in cellular energy as well as in working with chromium to help regulate insulin efficiency. Yes, that is a mouthful.
As for cinnamon in conjunction with berberine, a 2022 study revealed that a union of berberine-cinnamon offers what is known as hepatoprotective effect believed to decrease oxidative stress and ramp up antioxidant status after being exposed to a fungus known to pose health risks to animals and people.
The only thing we will add at this point to say if you are now thinking about adding a supplement combining berberine with cinnamon and chromium, that you first discuss it with your physician or another licensed healthcare professional to make sure it is suitable for you in particular, the goal being to ensure there will be no conflicts with any prescription medications you might be taking or other health-related issues.