You may have seen these patches everywhere – they’re all over social media. Good marketing, but will they actually work?
Just be aware that the patches don’t actually contain GLP-1 medications like semaglutide, Wegovy, Mountjaro etc, but most often contain a blend of herbal ingredients including berberine, ginger, glutamine, peppermint leaf extract, pomegranate, and safflower extract. On the face of it, that sounds good, Certainly, I know berberine is very effective for insulin resistance, as I’ve said before. But do you get enough of it if you stick it on your arm? I’d like to see the science behind that. I doubt it.
Here’s what the research shows for some of the most popular ingredients:
Berberine, a bitter-tasting plant-derived alkaloid, is the main player. It’s considered possibly safe when used topically. But all weight loss research has been done with oral products.
Ginger, a plant native to Asia, is another common ingredient in these patches. It’s considered possibly safe for short-term topical use. But limited evidence in people with obesity shows that taking ginger by mouth doesn’t improve weight loss. It’s unclear what benefits, if any, it will have if applied to the skin.
Pomegranate, a small fruit-bearing tree. It’s possibly safe for topical use – based on studies when applied to the oral mucosa. But the evidence for weight loss is underwhelming. All of the available studies are conducted with oral pomegranate, and most show that pomegranate doesn’t reduce body weight, though one individual study suggests pomegranate juice may help with weight maintenance.
While these ingredients seem generally safe individually, clinical data supporting the specific ingredient combinations for topical delivery is limited. Essentially, all of the research evaluating these ingredients for weight loss studied oral, not topical use.
In other words, there’s no research to show they would work topically.
Berberine does work orally, though, in my clinical experience, so that could work as a real alternative to GLP-1 meds, especially if insulin resistance is part of your weight loss pattern. Here’s a paragraph about controlling insulin from the forthcoming Hormone Plan:
Supplement-wise, the most effective seems to be berberine. Studies have even shown it works better then metformin, the drug most often used to stabilize insulin in PCOS women – so you definitely wouldn’t want to take both, note!
Me – the forthcoming Hormone Plan 🙂
Dosage varies for individuals, but often 500mg per meal works well. If you have one particular meal of the day where you feel really tired after it, definitely take it then. I do this at lunchtime myself; no matter what I eat, I get exhausted 30-60 minutes later, which is an insulin spike. I shall be taking this myself. The docs actually gave me metformin once for PCOS and I reacted really badly to it; I wish I’d known that berberine works along the same pathway!
If you want more info on PCOS itself, by the way, check out my new PCOS factsheet. I usually don’t just recommend berberine, but it’s an excellent start.
I’m not saying don’t take the weight loss meds necessarily. Some women with really entrenched insulin and blood sugar dysregulation might need meds like semaglutide/GLP-1 modulators to help break the cycle. They have a place in your armoury if needed. The risk of a med like that has to be weighed (literally) against the risks of the metabolically-active fat. If I had to, I know which I’d choose, and it will probably be a temporary measure so try not to worry about taking it if you need it.
However, there are other ways if you don’t want the meds. Good summary here from Rupa Health:
Ozempic Alternatives
I note they also like berberine, but also recommend cinnamon, alpha lipoic acid and chromium, all of which I would agree with.
Berberine is a plant compound that may support insulin sensitivity and help manage glucose production by the liver. It may help manage blood sugar and hemoglobin A1c levels, and support cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Although less potent than semaglutide, it provides a natural alternative with a potentially less significant side effect profile.
Cinnamon-based therapy may help support glucose and lipid levels to manage the progression of type 2 diabetes.
Alpha-Lipoic Acid: ALA is an antioxidant that may help reduce oxidative stress and has a role in energy production, and also may support insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake in cells, aiding in weight management.
Chromium has been shown to support weight management by increasing insulin sensitivity.
OK. Hope that all helps.
Summary: don’t believe the patches hype. There are alternatives to the GLP-1 meds like Ozempic, Wegovey, Mountjaro etc, but I doubt you will get enough via the skin. If you do try them, let us know how you get on! If you don’t want the meds, try berberine especially. But if you do need the meds, don’t beat yourself up about it – obesity and diabetes are medical conditions and no-one would med-shame an arthritic for taking painkillers, would they?!