
Today I’m talking with two really fascinating people, David Roberts and John Gildea from Mara Labs. David holds an MPH from Johns Hopkins and has over 25 years of public health experience on 3 continents. John Gildea is also Johns Hopkins trained and earned his Ph.D. there. He’s an expert in cell cultures and exosomes, has 65 scientific publications, and was instrumental in stabilizing sulforaphane in broccoli.
That last one I’m really happy about since it means I’ve been able to swap my broccoli sprout smoothies for an effective supplement! But today our focus is on berberine and how it can help with better sleep, glucose and insulin control, and even aging. Berberine is naturally found in certain plants, but this molecule isn’t really bioavailable. Mara Labs has found a way to boost the effects so it can work in hours… not months like nonbioavailable berberine.
I’ve personally noticed impressive results with more restorative deep sleep and positive blood sugar effects. We cover how and when to take it for maximum effectiveness, how it can reverse insulin resistance, and more. This is a very fact-filled episode and I’m sure you’ll learn a lot!
Episode Highlights
- Their fascinating feats – swimming from Alcatraz and the fastest lacrosse shot in the state
- What berberine is and how it can be used
- The berberine/glucose connection
- What ketosis is and how it can be used therapeutically
- How melatonin affects the glucose cycle
- Timing berberine for better sleep and appropriate cortisol response
- Why berberine can drastically improve sleep
- Many types of berberine don’t pass through the gut barrier
- What makes this specific form of berberine different
- C-myc gene connection to berberine
- How berberine blocks gluconeogenesis
- Why butyrate is beneficial and how berberine increases it
- How berberine can be fasting mimicking
- What myostatin is, how it inhibits muscle growth and how to use berberine to help muscle growth
- Why berberine was superior to valium as a sleep aid in one study
- How berberine increases dopamine and serotonin
- Timing berberine and sulforaphane with workouts and food for brain and body health, plus muscle growth
Resources We Mention
- BerbElite
- BrocElite
- 550: Dr. Craig Heller on Cool Hands and Temperature Regulation for Better Performance and Sleep
- Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price
- Bible
More From Wellness Mama
- 346: Sulforaphane: The “Broccoli Molecule” That Slows Aging, Fights Cancer, & Boosts Immune Health With BrocElite
- 402: How to Use Glucose as a Continuous Health Marker for Metabolic Health With Dr. Casey Means of Levels
- 551: Mollie McGlocklin on Sleep Is a Skill + Chronobiology and Circadian Rhythm
- 426: Lisa Shank on Everything You Need to Know About Sleep & Melatonin
- 336: How to Grow Sprouts in Your Kitchen for Nutritious and Inexpensive Food With Doug Evans
- How to Grow Broccoli Sprouts (& Why We All Should)
- Sulforaphane Benefits: How It Slows Aging, Fights Cancer & More
Recently I read about animal research that shows Berberine causes muscle wasting due to how it changes the body’s ability to metabolize protein. All you ever hear about are the benefits of Berberine but no one ever reports about this possible negative effect. The article I read stated it’s a bigger issue for the elderly, who are already losing muscle mass as they age. Katie, please look into this possible dangerous aspect of Berberine more. We need to know!
It’s hard to reply without reading the article in question, but I did find a study about berberine and muscle atrophy in mice. High amounts of berberine were injected into mice before the muscle was cut off and examined. More recent research (2019) of a similar study in mice found that while the gastrocnemius muscle had atrophied, the intercostal muscles did not. So even in the mice it had an effect on some muscles but not others. People aren’t mice so it’s hard to do a direct comparison, and injecting berberine into the peritoneal cavity likely doesn’t have the same effect as consuming it as a supplement. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31805681/
Thank you Jamie for the additional research. Injecting berberine into the peritoneal cavity would allow it to then be diffused into surrounding tissues and caught up into circulation via capillaries or lymph. Ultimately, it would also end up in circulation if ingested as a supplement as well. How much or how it differs in timing, is a good question.
Agreed, people are not mice and it makes me sad that animals are used for research purposes at all. The reason mice are often used in medical research is because like humans, they are mammals and their bodies undergo many similar processes, such as aging, and have similar immune responses to infection and disease. Their hormone (endocrine) systems are a lot like ours too. They share 80% of their genes with us.