ArticleJACC. Asia2026
Sex-Specific Lipid, Apolipoprotein B, and Lipoprotein(a) Responses to Berberine Based on 2 Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials.
Article in JACC. Asia, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Effect of Berberine on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors: a Mechanistic Randomized Controlled Trial
Assessing the Sex-specific, Lipid- and Lipoprotein-lowering Effects of Berberine Using Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Double-masked Trial
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBerberine improves lipid metabolism and may influence sex hormones, raising the possibility of sex-specific treatment responses which remain poorly understood.
objectivesThe authors aimed to evaluate the sex-specific lipid-modifying effects of berberine.
methodsWe conducted a randomized placebo-controlled trial (NCT06782646) in 100 women aged 20 to 65 years in Hong Kong receiving berberine (500 mg orally twice daily) or placebo for 12 weeks. For sex-specific comparisons, stored samples from a completed randomized trial in 84 men using the same intervention (NCT03770325) were used. The primary outcome was apolipoprotein B (apoB). Other outcomes included total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)), sex hormones, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based lipid fractions. Biomarkers were measured at baseline and 8- and 12-week postintervention. Linear mixed-effects models were used for repeated measurements. Sex difference was examined using heterogeneity tests.
resultsAt week 12, berberine reduced apoB by -1.18 SD (95% CI: -1.53 to -0.82); reductions were also seen in total cholesterol (-1.15 SD, 95% CI: -1.51 to -0.79), LDL cholesterol (-1.06 SD, 95% CI: -1.44 to -0.69), triglycerides (-0.77 SD, 95% CI: -1.14 to -0.41), and Lp(a) (-0.71 SD, 95% CI: -1.12 to -0.31), with improvements across LDL and very-low-density lipoprotein subclasses. Men showed similar trends, but the magnitude was greater in women for apoB, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and Lp(a). Berberine decreased total testosterone in women (-0.42 SD, 95% CI: -0.82 to -0.03) but increased it in men (0.43 SD, 95% CI: 0.004-0.85).
conclusionsBerberine reduced atherogenic lipids, apoB, and Lp(a), with greater efficacy in women than in men. These findings support berberine as a complementary treatment and underscore the importance of sex-specific treatments.
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Registered trials
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