Anyone particularly keen on South Asian food might care to read through this and think.
The amount used sounds as if it is far more than food would have - but I could be entirely wrong on that. Nevertheless, it does suggest that we need to be as careful over "natural" medicines as over "synthetic" ones.
Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes. 2017 Apr 13. doi: 10.1055/s-0043-103458. [Epub ahead of print]
Fenugreek, A Potent Hypoglycaemic Herb Can Cause Central Hypothyroidism Via Leptin - A Threat To Diabetes Phytotherapy.
Majumdar J1, Chakraborty P1, Mitra A2, Sarkar NK3, Sarkar S1.
Author information
1 Department of Zoology, City College, 102/1 Raja Rammohan Sarani, Kolkata, Affiliated to University of Calcutta, West Bengal, India.
2 School of Medical Science & Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India.
3 Department of Biological Sciences, Presidency University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Abstract
Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum), a medicinal herb with potent antihyperglycaemic and hypoglycaemic effects, is used to treat diabetes. This study is aimed to explore the interaction of fenugreek seed extract (FSE) and HPT (hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid) axis in context of leptin secretion which have important role in normal and type-1 diabetic subjects. FSE (confirmed to contain trigonelline, diosgenin, 4 hydroxyisoleucine) was gavaged (0.25βgm/kg body weight/day) to normal and alloxan-induced type-1 diabetic rats for 4 weeks. Expression of hypothalamic prepro-TRH (Thyrotropin releasing hormone) mRNA, serum levels of TRH, TSH (Thyroid stimulating hormone), fT3, fT4, insulin, leptin, glucose; thyroperoxidase activity and growth of thyroid gland, food intake, adiposity index were also studied FSE significantly down regulated prepro-TRH mRNA expression; decreased serum TRH, TSH, fT3, fT4 levels, and regressed thyroid gland in FSE-fed normal and diabetic rats than those observed in normal diet-fed control and diabetic rats. FSE decreased (p<0.005-0.001) adiposity index and leptin secretion, increased food intake and body weight in all FSE-fed rats. FSE improved insulin secretion, decreased glucose level but impaired HPT axis in diabetic rats, indicating insulin-independent central hypothyroidism. Results suggested that the dominant signal to hypothalamus suppressing HPT axis is the fall in leptin level which i resulted from decreased adiposity index following FSE feeding. Fenugreek simultaneously having hypoglycaemic and hypothyroidal actions raises questions whether it can be safely used to treat diabetes and/or hyperthyroidism as was suggested by many workers.
Β© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart Β· New York.
PMID: 28407664
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-103458
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/284...
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