What is Dihydroberberine?
Written byPurovitalis News
Dihydroberberine is a derivative form of berberine, a natural plant compound found in barberry and goldenseal, among others. Interest in this form is growing mainly because of one important difference: dihydroberberine is absorbed more easily by the body than ordinary berberine.¹
Berberine itself receives a lot of attention in research into blood sugar, metabolism, body weight and metabolic health. Dihydroberberine ties in with that, but addresses an important limitation of berberine: its relatively low bioavailability.
From berberine to dihydroberberine
When you take berberine, part of it is converted into dihydroberberine by bacteria in the gut. This form passes through the intestinal wall more easily and is then largely converted back into berberine.²
Dihydroberberine skips that first conversion step. This means the body can make more berberine available from a lower amount. In animal research, absorption of dihydroberberine was measured to be roughly five times higher than that of berberine.²
What makes dihydroberberine interesting?
Dihydroberberine is mainly looked at within the same metabolic themes as berberine:
- glucose and blood sugar regulation
- energy and fat metabolism
- weight management
- insulin sensitivity
- hormonal balance
- the relationship between gut bacteria and metabolism
An important process here is AMPK. This enzyme acts as a kind of energy meter for cells and is involved in the processing and storage of glucose and fats. Berberine is widely studied because of its influence on this pathway.
Dihydroberberine versus berberine
The main difference lies not so much in the areas in which the two substances are studied, but in how the body processes them.
| Dihydroberberine | Berberine |
|---|---|
| Is absorbed more easily | Has relatively low absorption |
| Is studied at lower dosages | Is usually used at higher dosages |
| Skips a conversion step in the gut | Is partly converted in the gut |
| Leads to higher berberine concentrations at lower dosages | Higher dosages needed for comparable blood concentrations |
Ordinary berberine is also more often associated with gastrointestinal complaints such as bloating, nausea, diarrhoea or constipation. The lower amount used with dihydroberberine is therefore of practical interest as well.
What does research into absorption show?
In a randomised crossover study, 100 and 200 mg of dihydroberberine were compared with 500 mg of ordinary berberine. Both amounts of dihydroberberine produced clearly higher concentrations of berberine in the blood.¹
The study was small and mainly intended to compare absorption. During the short study period, no clear differences in glucose and insulin response were measured. The main result was therefore the greatly improved bioavailability.
A human pilot study from 2024 likewise found higher blood concentrations of berberine and various metabolites after dihydroberberine.³
Dosage and points to consider
There is no fixed daily reference intake for dihydroberberine. Human studies have used amounts of 100 and 200 mg, among others. Because of the better absorption, you cannot compare these dosages one to one with ordinary berberine.
Supplements usually contain 100 to 200 mg of dihydroberberine per capsule, taken once or twice a day, often with a meal. This is in line with the amounts used in the studies described above. There is no established dosage specifically for weight management: research into body weight has so far mainly looked at ordinary berberine, and it is not yet known whether those findings apply to dihydroberberine in the same way.
Do you use medication that affects blood sugar, for example, are you pregnant or are you breastfeeding? If so, discuss supplement use with a doctor or pharmacist beforehand.
Dihydroberberine in brief
Dihydroberberine is closely linked to berberine, but stands out mainly because of its more efficient absorption. As a result, lower amounts can lead to higher concentrations of berberine in the blood.
That makes this form interesting within the broader research into blood sugar, metabolism, energy regulation and weight management.
References
- Moon JM, et al. Absorption Kinetics of Berberine and Dihydroberberine and Their Impact on Glycemia: A Randomized, Controlled, Crossover Pilot Trial. Nutrients, 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35010998
- Feng R, et al. Transforming berberine into its intestine-absorbable form by the gut microbiota. Scientific Reports, 2015. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26174047
- Köhler C, et al. Differences in Metabolite Profiles of Dihydroberberine and Micellar Berberine in Caco-2 Cells and Humans – A Pilot Study. 2024. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38891813
- Review: Approaching strategy to increase the oral bioavailability of berberine: physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties. 2023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37057922
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