BioPerine

Overall Health Benefits of BioPerine

• Improves symptoms of diabetes and blood sugar levels [1-5]
• Lowers blood pressure [6-9]
• Boosts fertility and improves sexual health [10-12]
• Speeds up wound healing and tissue regeneration [13-17]
• Lowers the risk of stroke [18-21]
• Improves kidney health [22-24]
• Lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease [25-26]
• Improves mood [27-31]
• Prevents Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and boosts cognitive health [32-38]
• Prevents cancer [39-48]
• Promotes weight loss [49-56]

What is BioPerine?

BioPerine is the active ingredient in black pepper that is responsible for its unique spicy flavor. This natural ingredient enhances the bioavailability of certain compounds such as amino acids, water, antioxidants, minerals, and fat-soluble vitamins. BioPerine is a potent substance that contains 95-99% pure piperine, a naturally occurring organic compound that is responsible not only for the pungency of BioPerine but also for its medicinal properties.

How BioPerine Works

BioPerine increases the absorption of nutrients by increasing your body’s metabolism via enhanced thermogenesis (heat production). This process suddenly breaks down your fat cells and increases your body’s internal temperature. BioPerine also has potent anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties.

Chemical Structure of BioPerine

Research on BioPerine

A. Improves Symptoms of Diabetes and Blood Sugar Levels

Evidence suggests that BioPerine has beneficial effects in people with diabetes and chronic elevations in blood sugar levels:

1. In alloxan-induced diabetic mice, BioPerine administration reduced the dose of metformin and its adverse effects. [1-2]
2. A study found that BioPerine has anti-hyperglycemic activity (reduces blood sugar). [3]
3. A study found that BioPerine can help treat symptoms of diabetes through its antioxidant effects against a set of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. [4]
4. BioPerine has been found to contribute to the reduction of insulin resistance (inability to respond to the blood sugar-lowering effects of insulin). [5]

B. Lowers Blood Pressure

There’s also increasing evidence supporting the benefits of BioPerine on hypertension:

1. In Wistar rats, BioPerine decreased blood pressure after 3 weeks of treatment. [6]
2. A study found that the blood pressure-lowering effects of BioPerine are mediated possibly through blocking calcium channels. [7]
3. A study found that BioPerine can enhance the efficacy of antihypertensive medications. [8]
4. A study also showed that BioPerine can reduce blood pressure through its positive effects on blood lipid regulation and its anti-oxidant capacity. [9]

C. Boosts Fertility and Improves Sexual Health

Studies show that BioPerine can help ramp up sexual power:

1. In male mice, administration of a fruit extract of black pepper improved sexual drive. [10]
2. In male albino mice, BioPerine administration resulted in a significant increase in blood levels of testosterone, sperm concentration, and sperm count. [11]
3. In male Wistar rats, BioPerine administration resulted in increased testosterone levels and sexual excitement. [12]

D. Speeds up Wound Healing and Tissue Regeneration

Numerous studies found that BioPerine can speed up the wound healing process:

1. In elite-level rugby players, supplementation with BioPerine decreased exercise-induced muscle damage. [13]
2. A study found that BioPerine can enhance the effects of antibacterial antibiotics, which can speed up wound healing. [14]
3. A study also reported that the anti-inflammatory effects of BioPerine can positively impact wound healing. [15]
4. In an arthritis animal model, BioPerine exhibited anti-inflammatory effects and reduced pain and other symptoms of the subjects. [16]
5. A study found that BioPerine can be considered a useful therapeutic and preventive approach for the treatment of inflammation and oxidative stress-related diseases. [17]

E. Lowers the Risk of Stroke

There are also studies suggesting that BioPerine can help lower the risk of stroke:

1. A study showed that BioPerine can lower stroke risk through its fat-reducing and lipid-lowering effects. [18]
2. In mice, BioPerine treatment reduced ischemic stroke-induced brain damage and improved functional outcomes. [19]
3. A study found that BioPerinecan lower stroke risk by increasing blood levels of supplemental coenzyme. [20]
4. A study found that BioPerine protects brain cells against damage. [21]

F. Improves Kidney Health

Studies suggest that BioPerine supplementation can help improve kidney function and protect against kidney diseases:

1. In rat kidneys, BioPerine inhibited sodium oxalate-induced oxidative stress. [22]
2. In rats with high fat diet-induced oxidative stress, BioPerine inhibited oxidative stress in the kidneys. [23]
3. In rats with lead acetate-induced nephrotoxicity, BioPerine improved kidney function by decreasing the levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN). [24]

G. Lowers the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

There’s strong scientific evidence supporting the beneficial effects of BioPerine on the risk of cardiovascular disease:

1. A study found that BioPerine can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease by modulating numerous signaling molecules such as pro-inflammatory cytokines and apoptotic proteins. [25]
2. In rats fed with a high-fat diet, BioPerine reduced cardiovascular risk by decreasing the levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. [26]

H. Improves Mood

Studies show that BioPerine can improve overall mood through its anti-anxiety and antidepressant effects:

1. In a rat model of Alzheimer’s disease, BioPerine reduced anxiety and depression via attenuation of the oxidative stress in the rat amygdala. [27]
2. A rat study found that BioPerine supplementation significantly reversed chronic unpredictable stress-induced behaviors. [28]
3. In mice, BioPerine supplementation exhibited antidepressant-like effects as evidenced by an increase in mobility time during a series of tests assessing anxiety and depressive behaviors. [29]
4. A study found that BioPerine exerts its antidepressant effects by increasing the brain levels of serotonin and dopamine – two neurotransmitters (brain chemical) that regulates mood. [30]
5. In obese individuals, BioPerine administration for 30 days improved scores on the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scales. [31]

I. Prevents Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Boosts Cognitive Health

Studies also found that BioPerine can positively impact cognitive health and reduce the risk of brain disorders:

1. A study found that low doses of BioPerine can disaggregate beta-amyloid plaques in the brain, which is the causative agent of Alzheimer’s disease. [32]
2. In rats, BioPerine administration reduced the incidence of brain seizures. [33-35]
3. A study also found that BioPerine is beneficial in improving symptoms of age-associated cognitive decline. [36]
4. A study reported that BioPerine can interfere with several processes implicated in the early stages of dementia. [37]
5. A study also reported that BioPerine can help treat or reduce the rates of cognitive decline. [38]

J. Prevents Cancer

Several lines of evidence support the anti-cancer properties of BioPerine:

1. A study found that BioPerine acts as a bioavailability enhancer for many chemotherapeutic agents. [39]
2. In mice with an aggressive form of cancer, BioPerine strongly reduced the growth and development of cancer cells by impairing cellular self-renewal ability, multiplication rate, cell migration, and tumor growth. [40]
3. A review of several preclinical studies reported that BioPerine can inhibit the invasion, migration, and formation of cancer cells by modulating cell cycle progression and inducing programmed cell death (apoptosis). [41]
4. In colorectal cancer cells, BioPerine showed anti-cancer effects by inhibiting the canonical Wnt signaling pathway, which is necessary for cancer cell growth and migration. [42]
5. A cell study also found that BioPerine kills cancer cells by targeting human G-quadruplex DNA sequences. [43]
6. In bile duct cancer cells, BioPerine induced apoptosis of malignant cells. [44]
7. When combined with curcumin, BioPerine can produce stronger anti-cancer effects. [45]
8. In rats with breast cancer, BioPerine slowed the growth rate of tumors. [46]
9. A study found that BioPerine has chemopreventive activities that do not affect normal cells. [47]
10. In colorectal cancer cell lines, BioPerine exhibited cytotoxic effects. [48]

K. Promotes Weight Loss

An overwhelming body of clinical evidence shows that BioPerine can help improve body composition by promoting weight loss:

1. In mice fed with a high-fat diet, supplementation with BioPerine reduced body weight and fat mass. [49]
2. In obese mice, BioPerine supplementation resulted in significant reductions in body fat percentage and plasma inflammatory markers associated with obesity. [50]
3. In obese rats, supplementation with BioPerine reduced body weight, fat percentage, and adiposity index. [51-53]
4. A cell study found that BioPerine can promote weight loss by inhibiting the formation of fat cells. [54]
5. In diabetic rodent models, BioPerine reduced body fat percentage by increasing the metabolic rate of resting muscle fibers. [55]
6. In Sprague-Dawley rats, BioPerine reduced body weight, body fat percentage, and cholesterol levels. [56]

Associated Side Effects of BioPerine

BioPerine side effects are very uncommon. There have been some side effects associated with its use wherein the patient had one of the issues listed below at some point while being on BioPerine. However, these side effects weren’t confirmed to be associated with the treatment and could have been a coincidence and not related to the use of BioPerine. Despite this, it was listed as a side effect associated with BioPerine even though these associated side effects are very uncommon.

Side effects associated with BioPerine may include the following:

• Constipation
• Nausea
• Stomach upset

References

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