Background: The antidiabetic potential of fenugreek has been highlighted in past literature, and various in-vitro and in-vivo studies have validated its glucose-lowering effects; however, very limited data are available on its effects on diabetic patients.
Objective: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials that assessed patients who were administered fenugreek.
Methods: The PRISMA guidelines (Supplemental Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/MS9/A361) were followed when conducting this meta-analysis. PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and MEDLINE were searched from inception until June 2023, for randomized control trials that compared fenugreek with control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and reported the following outcomes of interest: fasting blood glucose, glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and postprandial glucose levels. The findings were presented as mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and were pooled using a random effects model.
Results: Fenugreek significantly (P<0.001) reduced the fasting blood sugar (FBS), HbA1c levels and postprandial glucose levels in diabetic patients when compared to the control.
Conclusion: Among patients with type 2 DM, our comparisons demonstrated a reduction in FBS, HbA1c levels and postprandial glucose levels with the administration of fenugreek seed at 2-5 mg dose in powder form.
Keywords: HbA1c; fasting blood glucose; fenugreek (Trigonella foenumgraecum); randomized clinical trials; type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.