BackgroundFenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is a leguminous, annual plant originating in India and North Africa. In recent years Fenugreek has been touted as an ergogenic aid. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of Fenugreek supplementation on strength and body composition.Methods49 Resistance trained men were matched according to body weight and randomly assigned to ingest in a double blind manner capsules containing 500 mg of a placebo (N = 23, 20 ± 1.9 years, 178 ± 6.3 cm, 85 ± 12.7 kg, 17 ± 5.6 %BF) or Fenugreek (N = 26, 21 ± 2.8 years, 178 ± 6 cm, 90 ± 18.2 kg, 19.3 ± 8.4 %BF). Subjects participated in a supervised 4-day per week periodized resistance-training program split into two upper and two lower extremity workouts per week for a total of 8-weeks. At 0, 4, and 8-weeks, subjects underwent hydrodensiometery body composition, 1-RM strength, muscle endurance, and anaerobic capacity testing. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and are presented as mean ± SD changes from baseline after 60-days.ResultsNo significant differences (p > 0.05) between groups were noted for training volume. Significant group × time interaction effects were observed among groups in changes in body fat (FEN: -2.3 ± 1.4%BF; PL: -0.39 ± 1.6 %BF, p < 0.001), leg press 1-RM (FEN: 84.6 ± 36.2 kg; PL: 48 ± 29.5 kg, p < 0.001), and bench press 1-RM (FEN: 9.1 ± 6.9 kg; PL: 4.3 ± 5.6 kg, p = 0.01). No significant interactions was observed among groups for Wingate power analysis (p = 0.95) or muscular endurance on bench press (p = 0.87) or leg press (p = 0.61). In addition, there were no changes among groups in any clinical safety data including lipid panel, liver function, kidney function, and/or CBC panel (p > 0.05).ConclusionIt is concluded that 500 mg of this proprietary Fenugreek extraction had a significant impact on both upper- and lower-body strength and body composition in comparison to placebo in a double blind controlled trial. These changes were obtained with no clinical side effects.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a commercially available thermogenic product (TP) on resting energy expenditure (REE) and hemodynamic variables in a randomized, double-blind, placebo (PL)-controlled study. Eight male (age: 23.0 ± 3.70 years, weight: 95.77 ± 16.44 kg, height: 182.4 ± 7.87 cm) and 10 female (age: 23.6 ± 4.81 years, weight: 67.25 ± 5.74 kg, height: 172.42 ± 10.31 cm) physically active individuals participated in this study. Participants reported to the laboratory on a 10-h fast and performed baseline testing on REE, heart rate, and blood pressure. Participants were then randomly assigned to ingest 3 capsules of either an experimental TP or a vitamin E PL. Criterion variables were then measured at 1-, 2-, and 3-h post ingestion. Data were analyzed by 2-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) using SPSS, version 16.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Ill.). Supplementation of the TP resulted in a significant main effect for time (p = 0.040) and for interaction (p < 0.01) in REE when compared with PL. Post hoc analysis revealed that there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) between groups at baseline, but the TP group was significantly higher (p < 0.01) than the PL group at 1-, 2-, and 3-h post, with peak values being achieved at 2-h post time point. The TP group also experienced an overall increase in REE by 17.3%, 19.6%, and 15.3% at the 1-, 2-, and 3-h time points, respectively, over baseline values. Conversely, the PL group experienced a reduction in REE by 2.5%, 1.8%, and 0.3% at the same time points compared with baseline values. There was no significant change in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, or diastolic blood pressure in either group. Taken on a daily basis, a TP may increase overall energy expenditure. Caloric expenditure significantly increased at all 3 time points in the TP group, whereas the PL group experienced no change in energy expenditure.

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