PlainPill

Berberine vs Ceylon Cinnamon for blood sugar

Short answer: For blood sugar, more users report improvement with Ceylon Cinnamon — 100% of 5 reports, versus 87% of 82 for Berberine.

Berberine has 109 meta-analyses and 110 randomized trials on PubMed; Ceylon Cinnamon has 1 and 5.

Based on 373 reports about Berberine and 18 about Ceylon Cinnamon. Not medical advice.

Berberine
Supplement
Ceylon Cinnamon
Supplement
Users say it helped56%helped119 reports · high confidence100%helped2 reports · few reports
Verdict
Mixed
Not enough data
ResearchAResearch: StrongBResearch: Moderate
Meta-analyses / RCTs109 / 1101 / 5
Mainly used for
Blood sugar
% reporting improvement
87% (82)100% (5)
Weight loss
% reporting improvement
83% (24)—
Energy
% reporting improvement
91% (23)—
Appetite
% reporting improvement
84% (19)—
Heart & lipids
% reporting improvement
94% (16)—
Common side effectsstomach issues, constipation, anxiety, brain fogNone reported
Typical dose reported400-500 mg / daily2-3 g / daily
Berberine
Latest review conclusion

Treatment with berberine may be safe since it does not increase the incidence of total adverse events and the risk of hypoglycemia. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=292975, identifier CRD42021292975.

Front Pharmacol, 2022 ↗
What a user said
“I started berberine and inositol, and began having energy that I did not have before. Somehow, my recovery after working out wasn't as long either.”
Full Berberine profile →
Ceylon Cinnamon
Latest review conclusion

The available in-vitro and in-vivo evidence suggests that CZ has many beneficial health effects. However, since data on humans are sparse, randomized controlled trials in humans will be necessary to determine whether these effects have public health implications.

BMC Complement Altern Med, 2013 ↗
What a user said
“Ceylon cinnamon has been studied 1-4g per day can help blood glucose remain stable. I take 2-3g per day.”
Full Ceylon Cinnamon profile →

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Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate