Sculpting Wellness: Nature's Helping Hands for Weight Management

If only there was an easy way to drop those kilos, right? Trust me, if a magic remedy existed, I'd have discovered it and retired by now! Alas, it really does boil down to eating a healthy diet and doing exercise, as well as encouraging a healthy metabolism which includes insulin sensitivity. But don't be too discouraged. In the journey towards sculpting your wellness, we're focusing on not one, but three helping hands in nature that can assist you in your workshop of metabolic mastery. Gymnema, Berberine, and Coleus Forskohlii are all helpful tools in this labour of self-love. While there might not be a magic remedy, these natural herbal medicines can certainly shape your wellness journey into something more enjoyable, rewarding, and refined.

Coleus Forskohlii

Coleus Forskohlii was shown in a 12-week study with 30 obese men to significantly decrease body fat percentage and fat mass while at the same time increasing bone mass and free testosterone (Godard, Johnson & Richmond, 2005). Another group of researchers investigated Coleus supplementation in 23 women and found that it helped mitigate gains in body mass and helped them feel less hunger and less fatigue (Henderson, et al. 2015). When Coleus is combined with a low-calorie diet, there were significant improvements in insulin resistance and other metabolic risk factors (Loftus et al. 2015).

Gymnema: The Sugar Destroyer

In the realm of Ayurvedic medicine, Gymnema earned its nickname as the "sugar-destroyer," - a title well-deserved, as validated by modern research (Tiwari, Mishra & Sangwan, 2014). In a significant randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 30 patients with poor glucose tolerance (Gaytan et al., 2021), Gymnema showcased its handywork not only in improving sugar metabolism but also in inducing reductions in body weight, body mass index, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. This substantiates Gymnema's reputation as a potent agent in glucose control and weight management. The effectiveness is confirmed in a systematic review by Zamani et al. (2023), encapsulating findings from six studies that emphasise Gymnema's potential to enhance cardiovascular health. In crafting your sculpture of wellbeing, whatever that may look like to you, Gymnema is a strong chisel to have in your toolbox.

Berberine

Berberine has diverse benefits supported by robust body of scientific research. Guo et al. (2023) suggest that Berberine (BBR) may serve as a valuable alternative for treating diabetic patients, especially those dealing with dyslipidemia and obesity. In a study exploring berberine’s impact on fat tissue remodelling, Li et al. (2022) showed that Berberine improved adipose tissue remodelling, and consequently alleviated adiposity, insulin resistance, and liver injury in obese mice. The activation of SIRT3 in this process was identified as a key contributor to Berberine's anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-hyperglycemic effects. In a meta-analysis by Lu et al. (2022) conducted on a whopping 52 randomised controlled trials it was demonstrated that Berberine significantly decreased inflammatory markers in patients with metabolic syndrome and related disorders. Together, these newer studies underscore Berberine's multifaceted potential in addressing metabolic challenges and enhancing overall wellness.

In the art of sculpting your ideal body of wellness, you can lean on nature’s helping hands - Gymnema, Berberine, and Coleus - each making a distinctive contribution to the canvas of holistic health you’re crafting. Utilise them to chisel a path towards a more enjoyable, rewarding, and refined state of wellbeing.

Written by Cobus Botha (Natural Health Expert)

References:

Gaytán Martínez, L. A., Sánchez-Ruiz, L. A., Zuñiga, L. Y., González-Ortiz, M., & Martínez-Abundis, E. (2021). Effect of Gymnema sylvestre Administration on Glycemic Control, Insulin Secretion, and Insulin Sensitivity in Patients with Impaired Glucose Tolerance. Journal of Medicinal Food, 24(1), 28–32. https://doi.org/10.1089/jmf.2020.0024

Godard, M. P., Johnson, B. A., & Richmond, S. R. (2005). Body Composition and Hormonal Adaptations Associated with Forskolin Consumption in Overweight and Obese Men. Obesity Research, 13(8), 1335–1343. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2005.162

Guo, H. H., Shen, H. R., Wang, L. L., Luo, Z. G., Zhang, J. L., Zhang, H. J., Gao, T. L., Han, Y. X., & Jiang, J. D. (2023). Berberine is a potential alternative for metformin with good regulatory effect on lipids in treating metabolic diseases. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy: Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapie, 163, 114754. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2023.114754

Henderson, S., Magu, B., Rasmussen, C., Lancaster, S., Kerksick, C., Smith, P., Melton, C., Cowan, P., Greenwood, M., Earnest, C., Almada, A., Milnor, P., Magrans, T., Bowden, R., Ounpraseuth, S., Thomas, A., & Kreider, R. B. (2005). Effects of Coleus Forskohlii Supplementation on Body Composition and Hematological Profiles in Mildly Overweight Women. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2(2), 54–62. https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-2-2-54

Kim, H. J., Kim, S., Lee, A. Y., Jang, Y., Davaadamdin, O., Hong, S. H., Kim, J. S., & Cho, M. H. (2017). The Effects of Gymnema sylvestre in High-Fat Diet-Induced Metabolic Disorders. The American Journal of Chinese medicine, 45(4), 813–832. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0192415X17500434

Li, D., Yang, C., Zhu, J. Z., Lopez, E., Zhang, T., Tong, Q., Peng, C., & Lin, L. G. (2022). Berberine remodels adipose tissue to attenuate metabolic disorders by activating sirtuin 3. Acta pharmacologica Sinica, 43(5), 1285–1298. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41401-021-00736-y

Lu, Y., Zhang, X., He, J., Dai, Z., Shi, P., Lu, Y., & Chang, F. (2022). The effects of berberine on inflammatory markers in Chinese patients with metabolic syndrome and related disorders: a meta‑analysis of randomized controlled trials. Inflammopharmacology, 30(3), 1063–1077. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10787-022-00976-2

Loftus, H. L., Astell, K. J., Mathai, M. L., & Su, X. Q. (2015). Coleus Forskohlii Extract Supplementation in Conjunction with a Hypocaloric Diet Reduces the Risk Factors of Metabolic Syndrome in Overweight and Obese Subjects: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients, 7(11), 9508–9522. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu7115483

Shanmugasundaram, E. R., Rajeswari, G., Baskaran, K., Rajesh Kumar, B. R., Radha Shanmugasundaram, K., & Kizar Ahmath, B. (1990). Use of Gymnema sylvestre Leaf Extract in the Control of Blood glucose in Insulin-dependent Diabetes Mellitus. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 30(3), 281–294. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-8741(90)90107-5

Tiwari, P., Mishra, B. N., & Sangwan, N. S. (2014). Phytochemical and Pharmacological Properties of Gymnema sylvestre: An Important Medicinal Plant. BioMed Research International, 2014, 830285. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/830285

Zamani, M., Ashtary-Larky, D., Nosratabadi, S., Bagheri, R., Wong, A., Rafiei, M. M., Asiabar, M. M., Khalili, P., Asbaghi, O., & Davoodi, S. H. (2023). The effects of Gymnema Sylvestre Supplementation on Lipid Profile, Glycemic Control, Blood Pressure, and Anthropometric Indices in Adults: A systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Phytotherapy Research: PTR, 37(3), 949–964. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.7585