Fenugreek supplements show little effect on liver enzymes overall
Mohit M, Mahmoudizadeh M, Hashempur MH, Soltani M, Kazemi A.
Medicinal Plants
The fenugreek seeds sold as a cooking spice or herbal supplement in health food stores don't appear to meaningfully change liver enzyme readings, which matters if you or someone you know takes it hoping for a liver boost.
Fenugreek is an herb whose seeds are used in cooking and sold as a supplement, sometimes marketed for liver health. Researchers combined data from 16 clinical trials with over a thousand people and found fenugreek didn't really move two key liver enzymes, ALT and AST. There was a hint that higher doses, a gram or more per day, might lower a third enzyme called ALP, but the overall picture is that this plant isn't a strong liver enzyme changer.
Key Findings
Meta-analysis of 16 controlled trials with 1,171 total participants found no significant effect of fenugreek on AST (WMD = 0.03 IU/L) or ALT (WMD = -1.41 IU/L).
ALP showed no significant overall change (SMD = -0.21), but doses of 1 g/day or more produced a significant reduction in ALP levels.
Authors call for further research into effective dosing in more homogeneous populations and better evaluation of safety.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A review pooling 16 clinical trials found that fenugreek supplements don't meaningfully change most liver enzyme levels in people, though higher doses (1 gram or more per day) showed a modest benefit for one marker called ALP.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
The Effect of Fenugreek (<i>Trigonella foenum-graecum</i>) Supplementation on Liver Function Enzymes; a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled Clinical Trials.
<h4>Background and aim</h4>The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effect of fenugreek supplementation on key liver enzymes, including alkaline phosphatase (ALP), a...
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Fenugreek is an annual plant in the family Fabaceae, with leaves consisting of three small obovate to oblong leaflets. It is cultivated worldwide as a semiarid crop. Its leaves and seeds are common ingredients in dishes from the Indian subcontinent, and have been used as a culinary ingredient sin...