SHORT-TERM NUTRITIONAL AND SAFETY EVALUATION OF FENUGREEK

Antidiabetic properties of fenugreek seeds have been demonstrated in e xperimental animals as well as in humans. However, its safety has not been investigated. In a short term experiment of 90 days, nutritional and toxicological properties of fenugreek seeds were evaluated in 4 gr oups of weanling rats. Group I received casein based control diet whil e diets of experimental groups II, III and IV were supplemented with f enugreek seeds at 5, 10 and 20 g% level respectively. After ninety day s of feeding, animals were sacrificed. Food intake, gain in body weigh t and feed efficiency ratios in both control and experimental groups w ere found to be similar. There was a negative correlation between fenu greek content of diet and dry matter digestibility (r = -0.8731) as we ll as protein digestibility (r = -0.7557). Haematological parameters l ike Hb, PCV and total as well as differential WBC counts were also not different. Activities of liver function enzymes like SCOT, SGPT and s erum alkaline phosphatase were essentially the same. Male rats receivi ng diets with 10 and 20% fenugreek seeds had significantly lower level s of serum cholesterol when compared to animals receiving diets with 0 and 5% fenugreek seeds. Histopathological examination of various tiss ues revealed no significant changes attributable to the consumption of fenugreek seeds. It is concluded that fenugreek appears to be essenti ally non-toxic in doses given to rats in this study over a 90 day peri od.