Berberine also functions as a mild mitochondrial 'poison' (slows the ECT - electron chain transport). This is a good thing. Metformin does a similar thing, and people who take it (that drug has been around for T2D for aaaages - and before that it was an herbal extract, same way berberine is now). Upshot: those people taking it live longer in spite of T2D. (Current hypothesis is that it's a fasting mimetic.) So, if you get those same benefits from berberine (all evidence is that you do) you get to be around and do what you like that much longer.

And if you're going to be around longer, I would really, really encourage you to get off any lipophilic statin. If you end up having to take one, maybe talk to your doctor about transitioning to something else? The stats with lipophilic statins and dementia are suggestive, not convincing, but why risk it?

BTW, I love walnuts - but hardly ever get to eat them as my wife gets canker sores when she eats them (arginine - or something else, but taking lysine mitigates it) and it's easier to keep them out of the house.