Natural Factors Natural Factors - Berberine LipoMicel - 500 mg, 120 sgels
Natural Factors Berberine LipoMicel - 500 mg - An advanced form of berberine provided in a clinically effective dose. LipoMicel technology creates a liquid micelle matrix that disperses the berberine into tiny microdroplets, resulting in a highly stable delivery system. Berberine is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in barberry and other medicinal plants. Studies indicate a positive impact on metabolic health, targeting key health concerns of adults by contributing to healthy glucose metabolism, healthy triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol. Taking just two softgels per day provides the same concentration used successfully in clinical trials to support healthy blood sugar and lipid metabolism.
Price
Regular Canadian retail price: $71.98 CAD. Price Vault members pay below retail on this product. Member pricing is private and shown after a free opt-in, with no membership fee, no minimum order and no subscription.
In stock. Free shipping across Canada on orders over $89, flat $9.95 under that. 30 days to request a return, with return shipping paid by the customer. Ships from Victoria, BC.
See member pricing on Natural Factors Natural Factors - Berberine LipoMicel - 500 mg
Why people keep reordering it
Best suited to: quit plain berberine over stomach upset, will never remember a midday third dose, working on fasting glucose and blood lipids, cannot stand berberine's bitterness.
What the research supports
Each softgel is 500 mg of berberine in a liquid micelle base, taken twice daily for 1,000 mg total. The bottle holds a two-month supply.
Trials mostly use 1,500 mg a day, split into three doses.
- Blood glucose (evidence: moderate, from randomized controlled trial, meta-analysis)
- Berberine activates a cellular energy-sensing enzyme that helps muscle and liver cells pull glucose out of the blood. Pooled trials at 1,500 mg a day report consistent drops in fasting glucose, though many studies were small.
- Blood lipids (evidence: moderate, from randomized controlled trial, meta-analysis)
- Berberine is thought to lower the liver's production of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Pooled trials over eight to twelve weeks show real reductions, though effect sizes swing widely between studies.
- Gut microbes (evidence: limited, from small human trials, animal study)
- Berberine acts like a mild antimicrobial in the gut, shifting which bacteria dominate there. Part of its metabolic effect is thought to run through that shift, though the link isn't pinned down.
Read the literature: Blood glucose on PubMed, Blood lipids on PubMed, Gut microbes on PubMed.
Is it right for you
Worth it if
- Quit plain berberine over stomach upset
- The micelle format is designed to get berberine absorbed rather than leave unabsorbed powder sitting in the gut, and the daily total here is 500 mg lower than the usual regimen.
- Will never remember a midday third dose
- Two softgels, morning and evening, is a schedule people keep. Three times daily is where most berberine routines quietly fall apart.
- Working on fasting glucose and blood lipids
- Berberine's trial record is concentrated on exactly those measures, fasting blood sugar along with triglycerides and LDL, over eight to twelve week runs.
- Cannot stand berberine's bitterness
- The softgel can be swallowed whole, and if you chew it instead, the bergamot flavour, xylitol and stevia in the shell are there to cover the taste.
Look elsewhere if
- Pregnant or breastfeeding
- The label says do not use, and with berberine that is not a soft caution. Skip it and take the goal to a practitioner instead.
- Anyone taking something daily
- Berberine blocks the liver enzyme system and transporter that clear a great many daily medications, so this needs a practitioner's sign-off first rather than an experiment.
- Vegetarians and vegans
- The softgel shell is gelatin. A berberine in a vegetarian capsule gets you the same alkaloid, though without the absorption help.
What to expect
Changes here are measured, not felt. The trials that found effects on fasting blood sugar and blood lipids ran eight to twelve weeks, so a blood panel before and after is the only honest way to judge it. What you may feel early is the gut side: constipation, cramping or loose stools in the first week or two, which is the most common reason people stop.
How it compares
- Compared with plain berberine HCl capsules at 500 mg
- The micelle matrix breaks the berberine into microdroplets aimed at raising how much crosses over, and the schedule drops from three doses a day to two. The tradeoff: You pay several times more per gram, and the trial evidence sits on plain berberine at 1,500 mg a day, not on this at 1,000 mg. You are trusting the delivery system to close that gap.
- Compared with a chromium or cinnamon blood sugar formula
- Berberine has the largest and most consistent human trial record of the common blood sugar botanicals, and this delivers it inside the studied range. The tradeoff: It also carries the most real interactions and the most gut side effects of that group. Chromium and cinnamon do considerably less, but you can just take them.
Product details
- Active ingredient
- Natural Factors - Berberine LipoMicel - 500 mg
- Ingredient form
- sgels
- Strength
- 500 mg
- Servings per container
- 120
- Suggested use
- 1 softgel 2 times daily or as directed by a health care practitioner. Softgel can be swallowed or chewed.
- Country of manufacture
- Canada
- Independent testing
- ISURA
- Certifications
- Non-GMO, Made in Canada
- Storage
- Store in a cool, dry place
- Brand
- Natural Factors
How to take it
1 softgel 2 times daily or as directed by a health care practitioner. Softgel can be swallowed or chewed.
- Store in a cool, dry place away from direct light.
- Keep out of reach of children.
- Consult a practitioner if you are pregnant, nursing or on medication.
Ingredients
Each softgel contains
- Berberine LipoMicel* (hydrochloride) (Berberis vulgaris) (root bark)
- 500 mg
Non-medicinal ingredients
Softgel (gelatin, glycerin, purified water, carob powder), medium chain triglycerides, bergamot flavour, xylitol, methylsulfonylmethane, Stevia rebaudiana leaf, non-GMO sunflower lecithin.
Free from
Contains no artificial colours, preservatives, or sweeteners; no dairy, starch, sugar, wheat, gluten, yeast, soy, corn, egg, fish, shellfish, salt, tree nuts, or genetically modified genes or proteins.
Interactions and cautions
- Medications
- May interact with certain prescription medications. Review with your pharmacist if you take daily medication.
- Timing
- Separate from medications by 2 to 4 hours unless directed otherwise by a healthcare practitioner.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding
- Consult a healthcare practitioner before use if pregnant or breastfeeding.
- General
- Use only as directed. Discontinue and consult a practitioner if you experience an adverse reaction.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. Consult a healthcare practitioner before use. Free certified advisors are available at 1-888-386-1211, Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm PT.
Questions about Natural Factors - Berberine LipoMicel - 500 mg
- Is this the genuine, authentic product?
- Yes. It is identical to what you would pay full price for anywhere else, sourced through our authorized supplier relationships.
- How is the price below retail?
- We buy direct, with nobody in the middle taking a cut, and we sell it for close to what we paid. You see the price privately because you have unlocked the Vault.
- How fast does it ship?
- Orders placed before 12pm PT are processed the same day and ship within two business days. Shipping is free over $89, and a flat $9.95 under that.
- Can I return it?
- You have 30 days after it arrives to request a return. Product must be unused, in its original packaging, with proof of purchase, and return shipping is paid by you. Find it cheaper anywhere in Canada and we will match the price.