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Fenugreek Seed

Introduction

Fenugreek, Trigonella foenum-graecum, is an herbaceous and annual plant that produces fawn yellow to brown seeds with bitter and aromatic taste.(1)

It is native to the eastern Mediterranean while cultivated worldwide, such as in India, Egypt, and Middle Eastern countries.(1,2,3) Fenugreek has been used as dietary component for health benefits,(3) and as a medicinal plant for more than 4,000 years.(3)


Components and General Health Benefits

The main ingredients of fenugreek seeds are steroidal saponins, alkaloids, mucilage, and fibers (50%)(1), in which the bioactive compounds include polyphenolic compounds, flavanoids, steroids, sapogenins, alkaloids (e.g., TRG, gentanin and carpaine choline) and many volatile compounds of anethole and stolone.(1,3)

The bioactive components of fenugreek giving it promising the nutritional and health beneficial properties. For example, fenugreek seeds have well-documented hypoglycemic and hypocholesterolemic effects in animals and humans(4). The hypoglycemic effects of fenugreek seeds are partially attributed to their high neutral and soluble fiber content, which slows gastric emptying, thus decreasing post-prandial blood glucose levels. The seeds also contain other gastrointestinally active compounds, such as the alkaloid TRG, which potentially reduces glycosuria, and steroidal saponins.(4,5).

Health Effect

Fenegreek consumption has been reported with many health effects, for example, lower blood glucose level and help control diabetes;(3) lower levels of blood lipid, such as triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol;(1,3) help control cardiovascular issues;(3) decrease hypertension;(1) aid digestion and improve metabolism;(1) ease childbirth and stimulate lactation in women after childbirth;(1,3) anti-cancer;(1,3) and so on.

Lower blood sugar and anti-diabetic effect

Fenugreek has significant blood sugar lowering and anti-diabetic effects.

  • Animal studies found Fenugreek seed reduces chronic and also acute blood sugar, through activating production of insulin in adibocytes and liver cells thus increased plasma insulin level.(1)
  • It slows down the absorption of sugar in the gastrointestinal tract and stimulates insulin release, resulting in lowering the blood glucose in diabetic patients.(1)
  • Human clinical studies found that fenugreek is effective in patients with type 2 diabetes in decreasing and controlling blood glucose and improving glucose tolerance and signs of hyperphagia and polyuria.(1)
  • In clinical trial, fenugreek seeds significantly reduced fast blood glucose, triglycerides and VLDL-cholesterol,(6) suggesting fenugreek seeds being effective as an adjuvant in the control of type 2 diabetes mellitus.(6)
  • Two-weeks’ intake of Fenugreek seed powder also improved glucose tolerance in diabetic patients,(7) with Fenugreek seed powder lowering the GI value of the food, and this has a beneficial effect on the postprandial blood glucose levels both in normal people as well as in those with type II diabetes mellitus.(7)
  • In multiple clinical trials, fenugreek significantly decreased fasting blood glucose, 2-hour postload glucose and HbA1c,(8) suggesting beneficial effects of fenugreek seeds on glycemic control in persons with diabetes.(8)
  • Clinical studies found that fenugreek seed powder containing food improved glucose tolerance by > 20% in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients (total n = 6) after 2 weeks.(7)
  • Treating diabetic patients with hot-water-soaked fenugreek seeds for 8 weeks resulted in 25% reductions in fasting blood glucose.(6)

Lower blood fat

  • Animal studies found Fenugreek lowered blood total serum cholesterol level, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and cholesterol, increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and decreased ratio of plasma total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.(1)
  • Treating diabetic patients with hot-water-soaked fenugreek seeds for 8 weeks resulted in 30% reductions in triglycerides and VLDL-cholesterol.(6)

Antioxidant activity

Free radicals have been shown to induce oxidative stress and are implicated in a wide variety of diseases, including diabetes, athrosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders, and learning disabilities.(1)

  • The presence of many active phytochemicals, including flavonoids, plant sterols, vitamins, cumarins, terpenoids, carotenoids, curcumins, lignin, and saponin, offered fenugreek its antioxidant activity.(1)
  • There is a significant correlation exists between the polyphenolic components present in the fenugreek extract and its antioxidant activity, thus combats pathologic conditions especially for the treatment and prevention of life-threatening diseases such as diabetes, cancer, infections, and gastrointestinal disorders.(1)
  • Intraperitoneal administration of the fenugreek extract produced 62.3% ± 12.9% inhibition of inflammation.(1)

Anti-cancer effect

In vitro studies showed that the fenugreek hydroalcoholic extract has inhibitive effects on growth of cancer cells up to 70%.(1)

Safety

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) is considered a substance generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA).(9) The consumption of fenugreek is safe and secure for humans and it may be implemented for health benefit as dietary component through its fiber and bioactive components.(3)

Many toxicological studies suggested a broad margin of safety of fenugreek seed for long-term duration.(2) 

  • The furostanol saponin glycoside based standardized fenugreek seed extract (Fenu-FG) was found safe during preclinical safety assessments.
  • The prenatal oral exposure of Fenu-FG was devoid of maternal or developmental fetotoxicity or teratogenicity.
  • Oral exposure of low molecular weight galactomannans based standardized fenugreek seed extract (LMWGAL-TF) during the prenatal period did not induce significant maternal and embryo-fetal toxicity.
  • None of the Glycoside-based standardized fenugreek seed extract (SFSE-G)-treated groups showed maternal and embryo-fetal toxicity. SFSE-G was found safe for acute and sub-chronic administration in rats with no mutagenic potential.
  • IDM01 (the botanical composition of 4-hydroxyisoleucine- and TRG-based standardized fenugreek) was found safe during preclinical acute and sub-chronic toxicity in rats without mutagenicity or genotoxicity.
  • LMWGAL-TF was found safe during acute and sub-chronic toxicity studies in rats with no mutagenicity.
  • SFSE-G was found safe for acute and subacute administration in rats.
  • Vicenin-1 was found safe for acute and subacute administration in rats.
  • foenum-graecum seed extract is a well-tolerated and is an effective botanical medicine for use in the support of sexual function of pre-menopausal women.
  • There were no adverse events recorded during the clinical trial.
  • The Testofen, a standardized Trigonella foenum-graecum (Fenugreek) extract was well tolerated.
  • After extensive in-vitro and in-vivo safety and efficacy studies it has been concluded that novel fenugreek extract (FE), FenfuroTM is safe and effective in treating type 2 diabetes.
  • The fenugreek glycoside (Fenu-FG) supplementation was found to be safe and well-tolerated.
  • foenum-graecum appears safe when taken over an 8-week time period.
  • Standardized fenugreek seed extract (IBPR) was found to be safe and well tolerated.
  • Consumption by Type 2 diabetic patients up to 25 g Fenugreek seed powder per day for 6 months, has no significant impact on weight, clinical signs, and serum variables of toxicity like serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase and serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine, bilirubin, and blood urea, further suggesting the safety of fenugreek.(1)

Reference

  1. Bahmani M, Shirzad H, Mirhosseini M, Mesripour A, Rafieian-Kopaei M. A Review on Ethnobotanical and Therapeutic Uses of Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graceum L). J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2016 Jan;21(1):53-62. doi: 10.1177/2156587215583405. Epub 2015 Apr 27. PMID: 25922446.
  2. Kandhare AD, Thakurdesai PA, Wangikar P, Bodhankar SL. A systematic literature review of fenugreek seed toxicity by using ToxRTool: evidence from preclinical and clinical studies. Heliyon. 2019 Apr 24;5(4):e01536. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01536. PMID: 31049444; PMCID: PMC6482331.
  3. Konstantinidis N, Franke H, Schwarz S, Lachenmeier DW. Risk Assessment of Trigonelline in Coffee and Coffee By-Products. Molecules. 2023 Apr 14;28(8):3460. doi: 10.3390/molecules28083460. PMID: 37110693; PMCID: PMC10146819.
  4. Srinivasan K. Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum): A Review of Health Beneficial Physiological Effects. Food Reviews International – FOOD REV INT. 2006, 22. 203-224. 10.1080/87559120600586315.
  5. Graf BL, Raskin I, Cefalu WT, Ribnicky DM. Plant-derived therapeutics for the treatment of metabolic syndrome. Curr Opin Investig Drugs. 2010 Oct;11(10):1107-15. PMID: 20872313; PMCID: PMC3755736.
  6. Kassaian N, Azadbakht L, Forghani B, Amini M. Effect of fenugreek seeds on blood glucose and lipid profiles in type 2 diabetic patients. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2009 Jan;79(1):34-9. doi: 10.1024/0300-9831.79.1.34. PMID: 19839001.
  7. Gopalpura, Preethi B. et al. “Effect of Trigonella foenum-graecum seeds on the glycemic index of food: A clinical evaluation.” International Journal of Diabetes in Developing Countries 27 (2007): 41.
  8. Neelakantan N, Narayanan M, de Souza RJ, van Dam RM. Effect of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) intake on glycemia: a meta-analysis of clinical trials. Nutr J. 2014 Jan 18;13:7. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-13-7. PMID: 24438170; PMCID: PMC3901758.
  9. 21 CFR Part 182.20 Essential oils, oleoresins (solvent-free), and natural extractives (including distillates), https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm?fr=182.20, March 28, 2023; accessed May 30, 2023.