The use of fenugreek supplementation in diabetes

Abstract

During the 1970s and 1980s, several experimental researches on rats and dogs suggested that fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum seeds) has a hypoglycemic effect [1-4]. The work of Madar, et al. (1988) suggested that fenugreek have the potential to be used in the treatment of non-insulin dependent diabetics, as they reported that the use of powdered fenugreek seed in a dose of 15 g soaked in water was associated with a marked decrease in the postprandial glucose levels [5]. Sharma and colleagues (1990) reported that the use of defatted fenugreek seed powder in the treatment of in type I diabetes, in a dose of 100 g divided in two doses for ten days, was associated with a considerable lowering of fasting blood sugar and resulted in an improvement in the glucose tolerance test. They also found a 54% lowering of 24-hour urinary glucose excretion. Treatment also had an important lowering effect on serum total cholesterol, LDL and VLDL cholesterol and triglycerides were also signifi cantly reduced [6]. Khosla and colleagues (1995) reported an experimental study on rats which showed that oral fenugreek (2 and 8 g/ kg dose) was associated with a considerable lowering (P < 0.05) in blood glucose in normal and diabetic rats, and the hypoglycemic effect in this study was dose related [7]. Sauvaire, et al. (1998) reported that 4-hydroxyisoleucine which is an amino acid extracted and purifi ed from fenugreek seeds has an insulinotropic effect. 4-Hydroxyisoleucine augments glucose-induced insulin secretion from islets of Langerhans from rats and humans [8]. The experimental work of Broca, et al. (1998) on rats suggested that the antidiabetic effects of 4-hydroxyisoleucine on rats with non-insulin dependent diabetes result is partly attributed to a direct stimulation of the pancreatic B cell. They found that in non-insulin-dependent diabetic rats, a single intravenous administration of 4-hydroxyisoleucine in a dose of 50 mg/kg restored to some extent glucose-induced insulin response without affecting glucose tolerance. They also found that the subchronic intake of 4-hydroxyisoleucine. 50 mg/kg, daily lowered basal hyperglycemia, reduced basal insulinemia, and, improved glucose tolerance [9]. The experimental work of Raju, et al. (2001) on alloxan diabetic rats showed that fenugreek seed powder improves glucose homeostasis in tissues by reversing the abnormal glycolytic, gluconeogenic and lipogenic enzymes [10]. The experimental work of Anuradha and Ravikumar (2001) on rats showed that diabetic rats experience an increased lipid peroxidation and a higher susceptibility to oxidative stress associated with depletion of antioxidants in liver, kidney and pancreas. They reported that treatment with fenugreek seed powder normalized the antioxidant status [11]. Abstract Dietary health supplements have increasingly used in the prevention and treatment of chronic disorders. During the previous decades, fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) seeds have been reported to have hypoglycemic and cholesterol lowering effects when used in type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, and in experimental diabetic animals. The aim of this paper is to review fenugreek research fi ndings relevant to its use in diabetes. There is convincing research evidence suggesting that fenugreek can improve hyperglycemia and has a protective effective against diabetic complications through immunomodulatory, insulin stimulation, and antioxidant effects, enhancing adipocyte differentiation, inhibition of infl ammation in adipose tissues, and preventing or lessening pancreatic and renal damage. Many of the benefi cial effects of fenugreek in diabetes have been attributed to four bioactive components including diosgenin, 4-hydroxyisoleucine, furostanolic saponins, and the fi ber in fenugreek.