Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is a herb with a number of health effects in humans. Fenugreek belongs to the legume family of plants and like other legumes, fenugreek may have a number of weight loss properties. The fibre in fenugreek is one component of the plant that may have beneficial weight loss effects. The seeds of fenugreek are rich in fibre which is largely water soluble galactomannan fibre. This fibre is composed of a linear (1, 4) β-linked D-mannan backbone, with D-galactosyl residue bonded as single unit side chains by (1, 6) α-linkages. In one study subjects were fed 4 or 8 grams of fenugreek seed fibre and their hunger was recorded every 30 minutes for 3.5 hours. The 8 gram dose of fibre significantly increased satiety in the subjects and caused a trend towards a reduction in the amount of food eaten at an ad libitum lunch later in the day. This suggests that fenugreek seed fibre may help with fat loss when incorporated as part of a healthy diet. IIn this regard fenugreek fibre is similar to fibre from other legumes.
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Mathern, J. R., Raatz, S. K., Thomas, W. and Slavin, J. L. 2009. Effect of fenugreek fiber on satiety, blood glucose and insulin response and energy intake in obese subjects. Phytotherapy Research. 23(11): 1543-1548
