Natural Factors Natural Factors - WellBetX Berberine - 500 mg, 120 vcaps
Natural Factors WellBetX Berberine - 500 mg - A naturally occurring plant alkaloid found in various plants, including barberry, goldenseal, and Oregon grape. Many herbalists credit this unique alkaloid for the beneficial effects of many traditional tonics made from these plants. Berberine helps with healthy blood sugar metabolism and balance. Also helps maintain healthy blood lipid levels and cardiovascular health.
Price
Regular Canadian retail price: $39.98 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 - WellBetX Berberine - 500 mg
Why people keep reordering it
Best suited to: tracking fasting blood sugar on home readings, wants blood sugar and lipid support in one capsule, comfortable dosing with every meal.
What the research supports
Each capsule is 500 mg of berberine hydrochloride, taken twice daily with meals. The 120-capsule bottle lasts 60 days at that dose.
Studies use 500 mg three times a day, 1500 mg total.
- Blood glucose (evidence: strong, from randomized controlled trial, meta-analysis)
- Berberine activates AMPK, an enzyme that helps cells pull glucose out of the blood and use it for energy. That lowers fasting and post-meal glucose readings.
- Cholesterol (evidence: moderate, from randomized controlled trial, meta-analysis)
- The same AMPK pathway slows the liver's fat and cholesterol production. Trials at 1000 to 1500 mg a day show lower total and LDL cholesterol, though by varying amounts.
- Weight and waist (evidence: mixed, from randomized controlled trial)
- Slowing fat storage through the same pathway should lower weight and waist size, but trial results split: some show a modest drop, others show none.
Read the literature: Blood glucose on PubMed, Cholesterol on PubMed, Weight and waist on PubMed.
Is it right for you
Worth it if
- Tracking fasting blood sugar on home readings
- Berberine hydrochloride is one of the few botanicals with repeated human trials moving fasting glucose, and 500 mg is the exact per-dose amount those trials used.
- Wants blood sugar and lipid support in one capsule
- The same AMPK pathway berberine acts on runs both glucose uptake and cholesterol synthesis, so one active covers what would otherwise take two products.
- Comfortable dosing with every meal
- Berberine clears the body in a few hours, so splitting 500 mg across meals keeps levels up in a way one big daily dose cannot.
Look elsewhere if
- Anyone with an easily upset stomach
- Soluble fibre such as psyllium or glucomannan before meals. Berberine causes cramping, loose stools or constipation in a meaningful share of users, and 500 mg per dose is where that starts.
- Anyone pregnant or breastfeeding
- The label rules it out outright. Meal composition, protein and fibre first, are the route to take here.
- Wants one pill in the morning and done
- Chromium picolinate or a fibre supplement. Berberine's short half life means once daily wastes most of its effect.
What to expect
The first thing you notice is usually digestive, not metabolic: some gurgling or loose stools in the first week that often settles. Changes in glucose and lipid readings show up on bloodwork, typically over 8 to 12 weeks, and are not something you feel.
How it compares
- Compared with chromium picolinate
- Berberine at 1000 to 1500 mg has substantially more human trial evidence behind fasting glucose and blood lipid markers than chromium does at any dose. The tradeoff: Chromium is cheaper, taken once a day, and almost never upsets the gut. Berberine asks for two or three doses daily and digestive side effects are common enough to expect them.
Product details
- Active ingredient
- Berberine (hydrochloride) (Berberis vulgaris) (root)
- Ingredient form
- vcaps
- Strength
- 500 mg
- Servings per container
- 120
- Suggested use
- 1 capsule 2 times daily with meals or as directed by a health care practitioner.
- 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 capsule 2 times daily with meals or as directed by a health care practitioner.
- 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 capsule contains
- Berberine (hydrochloride) (Berberis vulgaris) (root)
- 500 mg
Non-medicinal ingredients
Vegetarian capsule (carbohydrate gum [cellulose], purified water), microcrystalline cellulose, vegetable grade magnesium stearate (lubricant), silica, stearic acid.
Free from
Contains no artificial colours, preservatives, or sweeteners; no dairy, starch, sugar, wheat, gluten, yeast, soy, corn, egg, fish, shellfish, animal products, salt, tree nuts, or GMOs. Suitable for vegetarians/vegans.
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 - WellBetX Berberine - 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.