Trigonella foenum graecum Slightly Increases Testosterone, but Fails to Illicit Gains in Lean Body Mass

A recently published study by Colin Willborn et al. (Willborn. 2010) found that supplementation with 500mg of the purported aromatase inhibitor Trigonella foenum graecum did increase total testosterone +6.57% and bioavailable testosterone +12.26%  over an eight week period. Yet, the ingredient that is part of several commercially sold "muscle builders" did not increase lean body mass in thirty resistance-trained men.

Figure 1: Body-fat loss from baseline testing (T1) through Week 8 (T3), mean Delta ± SD.

What it did do, however, was to support a reduction in body fat (-2.0%), beyond the one seen in the placebo group (cf. figure 1). This is particularly interesting, because the hormonal data shows that the extract in fact failed to block aromatization effectively; this may be concluded from the fact, that apart from the rise in testosterone, there was a minor increase in estrogen, as well. In view of the lack of strength gains

No significant changes were detected among groups for Wingate peak or mean power, total body weight, dihydrotestosterone, hemodynamic variables, or clinical safety data.

and the overall safety of the extract, this might be something more geared for the dieters out there than for those of you who are looking for a test booster to build some mass.