The £1.20 ‘superfood’ that ‘boosts your sex life, slashes diabetes risk and helps you lose weight’

THERE isn’t a set definition of superfoods, though the term tends to describe ingredients that offer lots of nutritional benefits for minimal calories.

The list of foods you can power-pack your meals with is ever-growing, from blueberries to chia seeds and beans.

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But a superfood you may not have the heart of is fenugreek, a herb also known as Methi that forms a core ingredient in Indian cooking and has been touted for its alternative medicinal properties.

Fenugreek – a plant that produces green leaves and pods with small, golden-brown seeds – was the subject of a recent study published in the Journal of Food Science, which conducted a lengthy review of research into the superfood and ways it may be used.

Adding a sweet, nutty taste to sauces, the herb may also help bring down blood sugar levels – slashing diabetes risk – and could also lower blood pressure and help with weight loss, the researchers suggested.

Other studies have also pointed to fenugreek being used to boost libido and give your sex life a boost.

Here are five possible ways the superfood – which you can nab for £.120 in seed form at Sainsbury’s or dried for £1.50 – may boost your health.

1. It can boost your sex life

Studies have shown that sprinkling fenugreek into meals may help boost both men’s and women’s sex drives.

Men taking a 500mg fenugreek supplement saw improvements to their libido and sperm counts within just eight weeks, as it upped their testosterone levels.

The herb might also lend a helping hand to women, as a 2021 study showed it improved vaginal dryness, irritability and mood.

2. It could help slash diabetes risk

There’s some scientific evidence that fenugreek may reduce blood sugar levels, though more high-quality research into the topic is needed.

A 2017 study published in the International Quarterly Journal of Research in Ayurveda compared a group of participants with type 2 diabetes who consumed 10 grams of fenugreek seeds soaked in hot water daily with another group of type 2 diabetics who didn’t.

After five months, those who ate fenugreek daily had significantly lower blood sugar levels than the second group.

Meanwhile, a study published in 2011 found that having fenugreek 15 minutes before a meal of rice or chapatis leads to a slower rise in blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes.

If you do choose to add fenugreek or other blood-sugar-lowering foods to your diet, it’s best you speak with a healthy professional beforehand as they may interfere with diabetes medications you’re already taking.

3. It can help lose weight

Researchers behind the fenugreek review said the herb may help with weight loss as it can reduce the absorption of fat and sugars in your gut, according to a 2010 study.

A 2009 study found that 18 people who were obese who ate 8g of fenugreek fibre with their breakfast felt fuller for longer afterwards and had fewer hunger pangs.

4. May help lower blood pressure

Studies also suggest that fenugreek may also help reduce high blood pressure.

Having high blood pressure means extra strain is placed on your blood vessels, heart and other organs, raising your risk of heart attacks, strokes and heart disease.

Blood pressure is measured in two numbers: systolic pressure is the force at which your heart pumps blood around your body, while diastolic pressure is the resistance to the blood flow in the blood vessels between heartbeats when blood is pumped around your heart.

A 2023 meta-analysis published in the journal High Blood Pressure & Cardiovascular Prevention which covered 373 participants found that having up to 15g of fenugreek a day for 12 weeks significantly lowered systolic blood pressure, though not diastolic pressure.

“Further investigations are warranted to ensure the clinical relevance of these findings,” the researchers noted.

5. It may reduce cholesterol

A review of 12 studies published in 2016 noted that fenugreek significantly decreased total cholesterol levels in people with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

High cholesterol is when you have too much of a fatty substance called cholesterol in your blood, making you more likely to have heart problems or a stroke.

It comes after 564 registered dietitians banded together to elect the top 10 superfoods that are here to stay in 2024 – from mushrooms to salmon and green tea.