Fenugreek Fights Diabetes, Heart Disease And Obesity

Fenugreek
anean and
does not
t disease

seeds are used extensively in the recipes of countries in the Mediterr

India, it is not as well known in Asia as many other spices. Fenugreek
only impart a distinctive flavor but it also has several very importan
preventing properties.

Fenugreek in Traditional Medicine

Fenugreek has been used to treat a number of conditions traditionally such as
Natural cure for heartburn and acid reflux.
Remedy to aid milk production in lactating women.
Remedy to ease child birth for pregnant women.
Breast enlargement.
Home remedy for fever.
Herbal cure for skin inflammation.
Recent investigations into the medicinal properties of this spice suggest it is
important not only as a preventive for chronic diseases such as diabetes, but al
so for enhancing normal physiological processes, especially with respect to athl
etic performance.
Medicinal properties of fenugreek
Cardiovascular disease and blood lipids
Fenugreek has a strong modulating effect on blood lipid levels and can substantia
lly reduce the risk of atherosclerosis.
In diabetics, who usually suffer lipid imbalances, it has demonstrated a remarkab
le ability to lower cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL levels while raising HDL
levels.
Another property of fenugreek is the reduction of platelet aggregation which, in
turn, dramatically reduces the risk of abnormal blood clotting associated with h
eart attacks and strokes.
Fenugreek also contains many important antioxidants and has the added benefit of
protecting other dietary and internally produced antioxidants from free-radical
damage. This has important cardioprotective benefits, as well as helping to fort
ify the body against a range of other chronic conditions.
Diabetes
Fenugreek, which has comparable anti-diabetic potency to cinnamon, is one of the
most valuable spices for the control of glucose metabolism and thus the prevent
ion and treatment of Type II diabetes. Owing to its many properties it helps in
the prevention and treatment of diabetes in several ways.
Fenugreek lowers cellular insulin resistance and controls blood glucose homeostas
is.
It has been shown to lower blood glucose levels of Type II diabetics by as much a
s 46 percent.
It also increases the levels of several important antioxidants and reduces the da
maging oxidation of lipids associated with diabetes.
Fenugreek seeds are a very rich in a type of dietary fibre that modulates post-pr
andial blood glucose levels by delaying the absorption of sugar in the intestine
s.
This mucilaginous fiber also reduces the absorption of fat and cholesterol from t
he intestines thus providing additional protection against heart disease and obe
sity.
Cataracts
Fenugreek is also effective against diabetes-related cataracts which occur common

ly in diabetics.
The enzymes that control glucose uptake into the lens of the eye do not function
normally in diabetics and, as a result, glucose and its metabolites, fructose an
d sorbitol, accumulate in the lens tissues.
The lenses of diabetic patients are also prone damage by enzymes that would norma
lly protect against destructive free radicals, and a combination of these factor
s leads to the gradual opacification of the lens known as a cataract.
As fenugreek has been shown to partially reverse both the metabolic changes in th
e lens and to reduce the density of the cataract, it is likely to be even more e
ffective as a prophylactic agent against cataract formation in diabetics.
Alzheimer's and other neuro-degenerative diseases
Fenugreek contains the compound trigonellene that has shown to stimulate the reg
eneration of brain cells. This property has stimulated further research to see w
hether it can help in the prevention of diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkins
on's diseases.
Sport
One of the greatest difficulties facing athletes who compete in endurance events
is maintaining a readily available supply of energy in the body. In order to ac
hieve this, muscle carbohydrate stores, in the form of glycogen, must be continu
ously replenished.
In an event lasting more than one-and-a-half hours, glycogen stores become deple
ted, and for the remainder of the event the athlete has to rely on external sour
ces of energy, such as high carbohydrate drinks, which are inferior to glycogen
as an energy source.
Post event re-synthesis of glycogen is also very important, and the two hours im
mediately following prolonged exercise is the crucial time for this process to o
ccur.
Fenugreek has been shown to have a strong effect on glycogen replenishment; incre
asing post-event re-synthesis by over 60 percent in some endurance athletes.
While its effects on glycogen re-synthesis during an event have yet to be tested,
fenugreek is likely to exhibit a similarly beneficial effect during, as well as
after, exercise.
Hormones
Fenugreek is one of the richest sources
ul spice for women who have low estrogen
Phytoestrogens are also thought to help
and fenugreek may well be proven to have
operty be investigated in the future.

of phytoestrogens and is thus a very usef

levels.
protect against certain types of cancer,
anti-tumorigenic effects should this pr

Selenium
Fenugreek is one of the richest sources of selenium, which is among the most impo
rtant antioxidant micronutrients.
When consumed regularly, selenium appears to have a protective effect against a r
ange of cancers, including those of the colon, lung and prostate.
Recent evidence also shows that selenium helps to prevent the progression of HIV
and other chronic viral illnesses.
While other spices like chilies and cinnamon hold the culinary and medicinal hea
dlines, the research into fenugreek is showing us that this spice has health ben
efits on a par with, or even superior to, those of the better known spices.
However it is important to appreciate that synergism between different spices en

hances the bioavailability and efficacy of their respective bioactive compounds.

Therefore, to obtain optimum benefit from fenugreek, it is important to use it
with other common spices in both the prevention and treatment of disease.