Once regarded as “essential” to sports performance, recovery, and muscle growth, carbohydrates have become a pariah. A cursory search on Google or scroll through a social media feed can quickly lead you to believing that carbs are what is wrong with the world’s health.
Increased fat gain? It’s too much rice.
Escalating rates of cardiometabolic disease? Too much soda.
Endless brain fog? Blame the glutenz.
The reality is that, while it’s popular to flog carbohydrates, they actually are incredibly helpful especially in the area of athletics, muscle gain, and body recomposition.
But, maybe you feel that your body doesn’t respond well to carbs or doesn’t know how to partition them the right way. What does this mean for your fitness and physique goals?
We’d like to introduce you to the supplement that helps carbs work for you -- GlucoVantage.
What is GlucoVantage?
GlucoVantage (Dihydroberbine) is an advanced form of berberine that helps your body favorably respond to carbohydrates.
What is Berberine?
Berberine is a naturally occurring compound found in a number of plants that has a rich history of use in traditional Ayurvedic and Chinese herbal practices. Numerous scientific studies have been conducted with berberine and found it supports healthy blood sugar levels already within the normal range, insulin sensitivity, body composition, and gut health.[1,2,3,4] Additional studies also indicate that, compared to other therapies for cardiometabolic health, berberine also may provide benefits in improving cognitive function.[4]
How Does Berberine Work?
Berberine increases an enzyme called AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is one of the body’s “master” energy regulators. When the body senses that energy levels are low, AMPK signals the cells to produce more energy and conserve energy use. One way this happens is the activation of glucose transporters that move blood sugar into the cells, which reduces blood glucose levels and supports insulin sensitivity. Another result of increased AMPK activity is a reduction in the production of glucose in the liver (gluconeogenesis).
Other ways in which berberine aids cardiometabolic health and body composition is that it helps to inhibit fat cell (adipocyte) growth, combat oxidative stress, and support a healthy inflammatory response. Additional studies also suggest that berberine may improve the function of fat-regulating hormones, including insulin, leptin, and adiponectin.[5,6]
Berberine’s Drawback -- Poor Bioavailability
Berberine is effective in helping maintain healthy metabolism and cholesterol levels already within a normal range. Yet, as great as berberine seems, it (like virtually all plant bioactives) suffers from poor bioavailability. This means that you need to take a larger dose to obtain the benefits of berberine.
However, a common complaint both anecdotally and reported in scientific research is that large doses of berberine result in GI distress.
One other limitation of berberine is that most studies have individuals take 500mg 3x per day. Given that most people have trouble remembering to take one-a-day supplements like creatine monohydrate, multivitamins, and numerous other “daily staples” consistently, how likely is it that an individual would be willing and able to take a supplement three times per day everyday?
Not likely.
GlucoVantage (dihydroberbine) sidesteps these issues while offering the same benefits of berberine.
Advanced Gains with Advanced Berberine
GlucoVantage (dihydroberbine) is a derivative of berberine naturally produced by the body in the gut when it consumes berberine. Essentially, supplementing with dihydroberberine provides a more “direct” means of getting what you’re really after when using a berberine supplement.
This means that it’s possible to obtain the same benefits as berberine, but with a much smaller dose.
In fact, NNB Nutrition (the company that developed GlucoVantage) states that GlucoVantage offers up to 5x better absorption than traditional berberine.[7]
A small randomized, double-blind, crossover trial including 5 men, found that 100mg or 200mg Glucovantage was superior to a single dose of 500mg berberine as evidenced by significantly greater concentrations of plasma berberine across of two-hour measurement window.[8] There were no significant differences between insulin or glucose levels though, indicating that Glucovantage (at a much lower dose) is as effective as a much higher dose of regular berberine.
This makes Glucovantage an ideal option for those who want the benefits of berberine without having to worry about taking multiple doses of a supplement each day.
Suggested Use
Take 1-3 capsules daily, 30 minutes before meals. You may also take 2 capsules twice per day.
Do NOT exceed 6 capsules in any 24-hour period.
Takeaway
GlucoVantage represents berberine advanced.
It offers the same benefits as berberine (metabolic support, healthy weight management, healthy blood sugar support, etc.) at a fraction of the dosage.
For best results, use GlucoVantage in combination with a nutritious diet and hard training.
References
- Lan J, Zhao Y, Dong F, Yan Z, Zheng W, Fan J, Sun G. Meta-analysis of the effect and safety of berberine in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and hypertension. J Ethnopharmacol. 2015 Feb 23;161:69-81. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2014.09.049. Epub 2014 Dec 10. PMID: 25498346.
- Dong H, Zhao Y, Zhao L, Lu F. The effects of berberine on blood lipids: a systemic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Planta Med. 2013 Apr;79(6):437-46. doi: 10.1055/s-0032-1328321. Epub 2013 Mar 19. PMID: 23512497.
- Xie W, Su F, Wang G, Peng Z, Xu Y, Zhang Y, Xu N, Hou K, Hu Z, Chen Y, Chen R. Glucose-lowering effect of berberine on type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Pharmacol. 2022 Nov 16;13:1015045. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1015045. PMID: 36467075; PMCID: PMC9709280.
- Ye Y, Liu X, Wu N, Han Y, Wang J, Yu Y, Chen Q. Efficacy and Safety of Berberine Alone for Several Metabolic Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Front Pharmacol. 2021 Apr 26;12:653887. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.653887. PMID: 33981233; PMCID: PMC8107691.
- Li Y, Wang P, Zhuang Y, Lin H, Li Y, Liu L, Meng Q, Cui T, Liu J, Li Z. Activation of AMPK by berberine promotes adiponectin multimerization in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. FEBS Lett. 2011 Jun 23;585(12):1735-40. doi: 10.1016/j.febslet.2011.04.051. Epub 2011 Apr 27. PMID: 21536037.
- Och A, Och M, Nowak R, Podgórska D, Podgórski R. Berberine, a Herbal Metabolite in the Metabolic Syndrome: The Risk Factors, Course, and Consequences of the Disease. Molecules. 2022 Feb 17;27(4):1351. doi: 10.3390/molecules27041351. PMID: 35209140; PMCID: PMC8874997.
- https://www.nnbnutrition.com/ingredients/gluco-vantage/
- Moon JM, Ratliff KM, Hagele AM, Stecker RA, Mumford PW, Kerksick CM. Absorption Kinetics of Berberine and Dihydroberberine and Their Impact on Glycemia: A Randomized, Controlled, Crossover Pilot Trial. Nutrients. 2021 Dec 28;14(1):124. doi: 10.3390/nu14010124. PMID: 35010998; PMCID: PMC8746601.
