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Effect of fenugreek seeds on intravenous glucose disposition in non‐insulin dependent diabetic patients
Author(s) -
Raghuram T. C.,
Sharma R. D.,
Sivakumar B.,
Sahay B. K.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
phytotherapy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.019
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1573
pISSN - 0951-418X
DOI - 10.1002/ptr.2650080206
Subject(s) - trigonella , postprandial , insulin , medicine , crossover study , phytotherapy , diabetes mellitus , carbohydrate metabolism , endocrinology , glucose tolerance test , metabolism , insulin resistance , traditional medicine , alternative medicine , pathology , placebo
The hypoglycaemic activity of fenugreek seeds ( Trigonella foenum graecum ) in experimental animals and humans has been well documented. Fenugreek has been shown to reduce fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels in diabetic patients. However, it is not clear whether the improvement in glucose tolerance is due to the effect of fenugreek on the absorption or metabolism of glucose. A metabolic study was carried out, and diets with or without 25 g fenugreek were given randomly to 10 non‐insulin dependent diabetics, each for 15 days, in a crossover design. An intravenous glucose tolerance test (GTT) at the end of each study period indicated that fenugreek in the diet significantly reduced the area under the plasma glucose curve (AUC), half‐life, and increased the metabolic clearance rate. In addition, it increased erythrocyte insulin receptors. These results suggest that fenugreek can improve peripheral glucose utilization which contributes to an improvement in glucose tolerance. Thus, fenugreek may exert its hypoglycaemic effect by acting at the insulin receptor as well as at the gastrointestinal level.