The Effect of Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) Supplementation on Liver Function Enzymes; a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled Clinical Trials.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effect of fenugreek supplementation on key liver enzymes, including alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). METHOD: PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched from 1990 up to April 2025. Clinical trials examining the effects of fenugreek supplements on liver enzymes, specifically ALP, ALT and AST, were included in the study if they met the inclusion criteria. Random-effects meta-analysis was employed to calculate pooled weighted mean differences (WMD) and standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). To evaluate statistical heterogeneity, the I-squared (I2) statistic was used. RESULTS: Sixteen studies were included, involving a total of 1171 participants. Results indicated that fenugreek supplementation had no significant effect on ALP (SMD = -0.21, 95% CI = -0.44, 0.03), AST (WMD = 0.03 IU/L, 95% CI = -0.12 to 0.18), and ALT (WMD = -1.41 IU/L, 95% CI = -3.07, 0.26). However, a significant reduction in ALP was observed for a dose of more than 1 g/day. CONCLUSION: Fenugreek didn't affect ALT and AST. However, there is potential benefit at doses ≥ 1 g/day regarding ALP. Further research should investigate effective doses in homogeneous populations and evaluating safety.