The Anabolic Effect of Fenugreek: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis
Abstract
The use of plant steroids to improve physical health and performance is becoming increasingly popular. One of these plant steroids is diosgenin, which is mainly available in fenugreek. As a result, some studies have been conducted to improve physical health. Fenugreek extracts are also becoming increasingly popular in the context of athletic performance. Based on these assumptions, a systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the promoting effects of fenugreek on strength performance, body composition, and hormone concentration. Four databases were screened according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The current version of ReviewManager (RevMan) was used for the statistical evaluation. Seven studies with 449 participants (378 male, 71 female) met the inclusion criteria. A small effect of fenugreek was detected for total testosterone (standard mean difference (SMD): 0.32; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.09 0.55), free testosterone (SMD: 0.24; 95% CI: −0.04, 0.52), lean body mass (SMD: 0.19; 95% CI: −0.10, 0.49), fat mass (SMD: −0.19; 95% CI: −0.44, 0.05), and leg press performance (SMD: 0.22; 95% CI: −0.02, 0.47), in male athletes. The meta-analysis shows that chronic application of fenugreek has performance-enhancing and anabolic effects in male athletes, but no statements can be made for female athletes.
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Phytosteroids such as 20-hydroxyecdysone and diosgenin have potential performance-enhancing and anabolic effects.
“Phytosteroids, like 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) or diosgenin (DSG) are gaining attention for their potential performance-enhancing and anabolic effects [7–10].”
From How reliable is the labeling of a commercial phytosteroid product? A 12-week randomized double-blind training study (2025) · cites this paper as [8]
A meta-analysis by Isenmann et al. found small effects of diosgenin on lower body performance, body composition, and blood testosterone levels in healthy and trained men, with a small reduction in fat mass and estradiol concentration.
“A meta-analysis by Isenmann et al. found small effects in lower body performance, body composition, and blood testosterone levels in healthy and trained men [8]. A small reduction in fat mass (FM) and estradiol concentration (E2) were also detected.”
From How reliable is the labeling of a commercial phytosteroid product? A 12-week randomized double-blind training study (2025) · cites this paper as [8]
The small sample size (n = 378) and limited number of studies (k = 6) suggest caution in interpreting the meta-analysis results.
“However, the small sample size (n = 378) and limited number of studies (k = 6) suggest caution in interpreting these results.”
From How reliable is the labeling of a commercial phytosteroid product? A 12-week randomized double-blind training study (2025) · cites this paper as [8]
These effects were dose-dependent and similar to previous findings in male participants.
“These effects were dose-dependent and similar to previous findings in male participants [8].”
From How reliable is the labeling of a commercial phytosteroid product? A 12-week randomized double-blind training study (2025) · cites this paper as [8]
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References 47 · Cited by 11
- Authors
- Isenmann, E., Alisauskas, P., Flenker, U., Schalla, J., & Diel, P.
- Affiliations
- German Sport University Cologne (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Isenmann, Eduard
- Venue
- International Journal of Sports Medicine
- Publisher
- Georg Thieme Verlag KG
- Published
- 2023-05-30
- Volume
- 44
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 692-703
- ISSN
- 0172-4622 (ISSN-L)
- 1439-3964
- OpenAlex
- W4378782932
- Semantic Scholar
- 0fbeaebc92b97230bee9400384518a903a212a20
- Cited by
- 11
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 2
- FWCI
- 0.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Journal of Sports Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Hormonal and reproductive studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Sports Performance and Training
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Phytochemical Studies and Bioactivities
- Keywords
- fenugreek, diosgenin, plant steroids, anabolic effects, athletic performance, testosterone, free testosterone, lean body mass, fat mass, male athletes, body composition
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Phytosterols, Testosterone, Trigonella, Anabolic Agents, Athletes
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