Fenugreek: effect and higher testosterone levels?

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Does fenugreek increase testosterone? At least according to some studies. The (extract of the) plant is promoted as a “testosterone booster”. However, before we all rush to order the herb or seeds of this plant for the vegetable garden, it is wise to take a closer look at these studies.

What is Fenugreek

Fenugreek (Latin name: Trigonella foenum-graecum) is a plant from the so-called legume family (Leguminosae or Fabaceae). It is known by various names and is mainly found in the Middle East and Asia. India is the largest producer of fenugreek. It is used in the kitchen as a vegetable, as an herb, and as a spice (the seeds). It is a commonly used ingredient in Indian cuisine, where it is used, among other things, for curries.

However, fenugreek is attributed positive effects. The reason for this article was a question someone asked me about the effect of fenugreek as a natural breast enlarger for women. I had once heard something about fenugreek as an agent that increases lactate production, but indicated that I would dive deeper into it. However, I got stuck on the supposed effects of fenugreek that personally interest me more.

I came across various studies on fenugreek and its testosterone- and strength-enhancing effect. Now it’s good to know that I approach this subject with a considerable amount of skepticism. It’s not the first time we’ve heard about testosterone-boosting plants where all positive studies towards this are done or funded by producers of that same plant (such as Tribulus Terrestris). For fenugreek, some studies on the effect on testosterone, but also on body composition (muscle and fat mass) were conducted by reputable institutions, but unfortunately funded by producers of fenugreek (extract) or based products. This makes it difficult to assess their reliability. I will therefore discuss several of these studies and the source in the hope of showing a good picture of fenugreek and its effect on testosterone. First, however, let’s look at the theory. Why would fenugreek increase testosterone?

Steroidal saponins in Fenugreek

Fenugreek contains a lot of so-called steroidal saponins. About 4-6 percent of the weight of the dried seeds is made up of it (1). Steroidal saponins have the same chemical base structure as sex hormones. Therefore, in theory, they can act as precursors to sex hormones, a substance involved in the production of these. In this case, the theory is that steroidal saponins can be converted into dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which can be converted into androstenedione, which can then be converted into testosterone (but also estrogen).

Are you still following?

Steroidal saponins in fenugreek increase Luteinizing Hormone

The so-called HPT-axis (or HPTA) is responsible for the production and release of testosterone. HPTA stands for hypothalamic–pituitary–testicular-axis, the collaboration between the hypothalamus, the pituitary (pituitary gland), and testes. The often shown diagram on the side shows the steps that precede the production and release of testosterone by the testes. The steroidal saponins in fenugreek would increase Luteinizing Hormone (LH), which signals for increased release of testosterone by the testes.

Steroidal saponins in fenugreek are anabolic themselves

In the end, we are interested in testosterone because of its anabolic and androgenic effects, the body getting a signal to build more muscle mass and thereby strengthen male characteristics. Because the steroidal saponins in fenugreek have the same chemical base structure as sex hormones such as testosterone, it is presumed that these saponins themselves could also have an anabolic effect, thus directly causing more strength and muscle mass without influencing testosterone.

Practical effects of Fenugreek

So we have seen two theories on how fenugreek or the saponins in it could increase testosterone. A third theory assumes an action similar to testosterone and thus a more direct effect on strength and muscle mass. Let’s see what the studies have yielded.

“Fenugreek has no effect on hormonal balance”

American researchers from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor divided 46 men into two groups in 2009 (2). One group received daily, for 8 weeks, 500mg of fenugreek extract. The other group received a placebo. During the eight weeks, they trained four times per week. At the end of the 8 weeks, the hormonal profile was compared to that at the start of the study, looking at the influence on the muscle-degrading stress hormone cortisol, insulin, leptin, (free) testosterone, estrogen, and dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

After eight weeks, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. The only difference seen between the placebo and fenugreek group was the change in DHT. DHT is made from testosterone, it has a three times stronger androgenic effect. That sounds good because it also leads to an increase in strength and muscle mass. However, DHT also has adverse effects, for example, it leads to an increased risk of baldness (I once wrote an article about creatine and baldness and the role of DHT in this). Remarkably, however, DHT significantly decreased in the fenugreek group. This would normally lead one to think that testosterone also dropped, were it not for the fact that it had remained the same. Another, more positive, explanation could be a reduced conversion of testosterone into DHT.

“More strength and testosterone, less fat and estradiol due to fenugreek”

Some of the same researchers from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor gave 15 young weightlifters daily 500mg of fenugreek extract for 8 weeks in 2010. Another group of 15 weightlifters received a placebo instead. (3) There was little difference in strength between the two groups after 8 weeks. The increase in strength was comparable. The increase in lean mass (including muscle mass) also increased to the same extent (by 1.6kg). In the group that received fenugreek, the fat percentage decreased by almost 2% while in the placebo group it had hardly decreased by half a percent. In fact, this is the most important information since ultimately it’s the results that matter, but in this context, we obviously want to know to what extent testosterone is responsible for these differences. In the fenugreek group, (freely available) testosterone increased by 26% (fig. right). Despite the (statistically significant) increase in testosterone, estradiol did not increase significantly. Testosterone can be converted into the female sex hormone estradiol, just as in DHT. An increase in testosterone normally leads to a greater conversion into estradiol by the enzyme aromatase, a problem that steroid users often encounter. The fact that estradiol did not increase despite the increase in testosterone led the researchers to suspect that the fenugreek extract may act as an aromatase inhibitor, a substance that inhibits the action of the enzyme (hence the abbreviation AI).

“Higher estrogenic effect due to diosgenin in fenugreek”

However, you gain little from this possibly reduced conversion into estrogen if one of the saponins in fenugreek, diosgenin, itself has an estrogenic effect. Diosgenin, according to two studies, can bind to estrogen receptors, thereby causing the effects of estrogen (4,5). These studies were conducted to see to what extent fenugreek could work as an alternative to the hormone therapies sometimes given to women to reduce the adverse effects of menopause. Not what you want to hear if you’re trying to increase testosterone.

At the same time, this could explain why fenugreek could work as an aromatase inhibitor lowering estrogen. The release of estrogen works just like testosterone according to so-called “negative feedback”, simply put this means that when there is already a lot of estrogen present, the release is lowered. When a substance can bind with the receptors of cells meant for estrogen (such as diosgenin can) then it can seem as if there is already enough estrogen, thus lowering the release. If this is indeed how fenugreek works as an aromatase inhibitor, then you don’t seem to benefit from it since another substance then seeks the adverse effects of estrogen instead of estrogen itself.

“Not more testosterone, but more muscle mass and less fat”

In 2010, the same researchers conducted a similar study where testosterone actually decreased (although not significantly) (6). Despite this decrease, the muscle mass in the fenugreek group increased and the fat percentage decreased to a greater extent than in the placebo group. The researchers could not explain the action in this case either. This study was also funded by Indus Biotech.

Are theories about fenugreek correct?

We had two theories that assumed an increase in testosterone due to fenugreek. The 2010 study from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor would confirm this (at least, at least one of them) while the 2009 study contradicted it because it showed no increase in testosterone.

Although they were conducted by a reputable institution, both studies were funded by Indus Biotech, which is also the producer of the examined fenugreek extract. You can always wonder to what extent the researchers consciously or unconsciously steered the results in a certain direction. The “good news” here is that Hardin-Baylor is not unequivocally positive, which is good for credibility. This is simultaneously the bad news since both studies contradict each other, you still know nothing about the influence of fenugreek on testosterone. However, it doesn’t seem very convincing.

“Fenugreek increases libido, but not testosterone”

An Australian study from 2011 looked at the effect of fenugreek on male libido. Sixty healthy men without “little problems down there” (no erectile dysfunction) received daily 600mg Testofen, a product based on fenugreek extract now added to various, more or less effective, testosterone boosters (7). The men were asked to indicate subjectively according to a certain protocol how their libido was. In addition, the researchers also looked at the influence on hormones such as testosterone. The researchers saw no increase in testosterone. Nevertheless, the men who received Testofen indicated that their libido had increased.

“Fenugreek halves testosterone in rabbits and reduces fertility”

Then the study that is most negative about fenugreek. Even as a libido booster, I have no confidence in fenugreek. In 2006, it was shown that administration of fenugreek to rabbits resulted in reduced fertility in females while in males testosterone halved and the testes decreased in size (7).

The data presented in this study clearly demonstrate an antifertility effect of fenugreek seeds in the female rabbits and more of a toxicity effect in the male rabbits. In males, testis weight was reduced, with evident damage to the seminiferous tubules and interstitial tissues as shown by the histopathology of testis tissue sections. In addition, the plasma concentration of the androgen hormone and sperm concentrations were halved in the treated animals.

A. Kassem, University of Sana’a

That’s not exactly cheerful! Moreover, it reminds me of the dangers I described for Tribulus Terrestris. (Studies by the producer indicate an increase in testosterone while independent research showed that it could lead to homosexual behavior in rabbits.) Now, I’m not homophobic, but you can imagine that these tendencies were not directly caused by an increase in testosterone.

Conclusion

What can we conclude about fenugreek? So far, I have not come across any testosterone booster that really seems to work. That also seems to apply to fenugreek. Maybe that’s just as well. Our body has needed thousands of years to develop and adapt to the food we eat. This means that major effects of food in the body are often regulated by processes that achieve the opposite of the consumed food. For example, if you eat very little, you lose weight, but your body tries to moderate this by slowing down your metabolism.

Steroid users experience the problems they encounter because the body cannot respond sufficiently to this huge increase in testosterone-derived substances. As long as these are administered, you will feel stronger, more potent, but also more aggressive (which is a positive point in terms of training, but not in many other situations). When you then stop without doing a so-called post-cycle therapy, other problems arise. Your body has tried to regulate this increase in testosterone by, for example, suppressing its own production through the same negative feedback as just described about estrogen. Then nothing more comes in from outside and nothing is produced by the body for a while. That tough, potent man who wants to jump on his girlfriend three times a day, suddenly has no desire at all for a few weeks. Muscle mass and strength decrease again.

If you know this because you have used a steroid cycle, then you can prepare for it. However, if this happens because you were creative with a salad and threw a certain Indian plant through it, then it’s not so pleasant. Actually, I am therefore quite pleased that so far no real natural testosterone boosters seem to exist, let alone work to the extent of anabolic steroids. I chose not to use steroids for a reason. Why would I then take a plant from which I expect the same action and adverse effects?

In other words, if they don’t work it’s a waste of money and if they do work then you can worry about other things.

References

1. “trigonella-foenum-graecum”. globinmed. 2010-1011. Retrieved 2014-07-19.
2. Taylor, Lem W.; Wilborn, Colin D.1; Bushey, Brandon; Poole, Chris; Foster, Cliffa A.; Campbell, Bill2; Kreider, Richard B. FACSM; Willoughby, Darryn S. FACSMFenugreek Extract Supplementation Has No Effect On The Hormonal Profile Of Resistance-trained Males: 2085: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2009 – Volume 41 – Issue 5 – p 228
3. Wilborn C, Taylor L, Poole C, Foster C, Willoughby D, Kreider R. Effects of a purported aromatase and 5α-reductase inhibitor on hormone profiles in college-age men.Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2010 Dec;20(6):457-65.
4. Aradhana A, Rao AR, Kale RK. 1992. Diosgenin – a growth stimulator of mammary gland of ovariectomized mouse. Indian J Exp Biol 30: 367–370.
5. Sreeja S, Anju VS, Sreeja S. 2010. In vitro estrogenic activities of fenugreek Trigonella foenum graecum seeds. Indian J Med Res 131: 814 – 819.
6. Chris Poole, Brandon Bushey, Cliffa Foster, Bill Campbell, Darryn Willoughby, Richard Kreider, Lem Taylor, and Colin Wilborn. The effects of a commercially available botanical supplement on strength, body composition, power output, and hormonal profiles in resistance-trained males.J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2010; 7: 34.
7. Steels E, Rao A, Vitetta L. Physiological Aspects of Male Libido Enhanced by Standardized Trigonella foenum-graecum Extract and Mineral Formulation. Phytother Res. 2011 Feb 10. doi: 10.1002/ptr.3360.
8. Kassem A, Al-Aghbari A, AL-Habori M, Al-Mamary M. Evaluation of the potential antifertility effect of fenugreek seeds in male and female rabbits. Contraception. 2006 Mar;73(3):301-6. Epub 2005 Nov 2. PubMed PMID: 16472574.