Original Research Paper Fenugreek: A therapeutic complement for patients with borderline hyperlipidemia: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial Elahe Yousefi a , Saeid Zareiy b , Rosa Zavoshy a , Mostafa Noroozi a , Hassan Jahanihashemi c , Hamidreza Ardalani d, * a Department of Human Nutrition, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran b Department of Aerospace and Subaquatic Medicine, Aja University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran c Children Growth Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran d Department of Horticultural Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran A R T I C L E I N F O Article history: Received 18 October 2016 Accepted 29 December 2016 Available online 20 January 2017 Keywords: Clinical trial Dyslipidemias Fenugreek Lipid profile Trigonella foenum-graecum A B S T R A C T Objective: Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is a medicinal plant from Fabaceae family. This clinical study was designed to evaluate the effects of Fenugreek seeds supplementation on serum biochemical parameters of patients with borderline hyperlipidemia. Materials and methods: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted on 56 patients with borderline hyperlipidemia that were divided in two groups: F group received 8 g Fenugreek seeds powder sachets and P group received placebo sachets daily for 8 weeks. After 2 months, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), fasting blood glucose (FBG) and body mass index (BMI) were evaluated and compared with the baseline. Results: After 2 months, TG, TC, LDL and FBG significantly decreased in F group in comparison with P group, but these changes were not significant in HDL and BMI. Conclusion: Our findings showed that Fenugreek seeds supplementation, as a phenolic-rich herb can be effective in the reduction of some lipid profile in patients with borderline hyperlipidemia. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Dyslipidemias, a kind of disorder of lipid metabolism, are common worldwide and are characterised by increased plasma levels of the various lipid and lipoprotein fractions including total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), triglycerides, chylomicrons and their effects on cardiovascular disorders [1]. Hypercholesterolemia and the level of LDL have an important role in development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the reduction thereof can assist in the management of cardiovascular disease. Despite the diverse lipid-lowering drugs such as statins (3- hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase) for the control of hyperlipidemia, a significant number of patients do not reach their LDL target points and the side effects of these drugs have been reported in some studies [2–4]. To expedite the reduction of LDL cholesterol, higher doses of statins can be administered. However, even with high doses of statins, atherogenic dyslipidemia is not completely reversed. For this reason, other approaches to the treatment of combined hyperlipidemia may be considered [5]. On the other hand, in recent years, herbal medicines such as Melissa officinalis, Silybum marianum, Anethum graveolens and Rhus coriaria have been used for management of hyperlipidemia [6–8]. Nowadays, there is an increase in the interest in dietary bioactive compounds that protect humans against several diseases and/or reduce their intensity [9]. Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) belongs to Fabaceae family. It is a highly antioxidant and phenolic- rich food that contains flavonoids, such as kaempferol 3-O- glycoside, apigenin-7-O-rutinoside, and naringenin. The effects of these phenolic compounds in hyperlipidemia have been demon- strated in the literature [10,11]. Therefore, studies aimed to find complementary and alternative way to treatment diseases with much more efficacy and less adverse effects for normalisation of lipid profile seems to be essential. Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; CVD, cardiovascular disease; FBS, fasting blood sugar; HDL, high density lipoprotein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; TG, triglycerides; SCFAs, short-chain fatty acids; TCH, total cholesterol; VLDL, very low- density lipoprotein. * Corresponding author at: Department of Horticultural Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. E-mail address: hrardalani@srbiau.ac.ir (H. Ardalani). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aimed.2016.12.002 2212-9588/© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Advances in Integrative Medicine 4 (2017) 31–35 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Advances in Integrative Medicine journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/aimed brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk provided by Qazvin University of Medical Sciences Repository