Fenugreek extract improves strength and muscle mass, says recent study

Photo © iStockphoto.com/Ibrakovic 

A study recently published in Translational Sports Medicine¹ found that supplementation with a patented fenugreek extract called Testofen (from Gencor, Irvine, CA) increased strength and muscle mass. In the study, 138 males were given either 600 mg of Testofen, 300 mg of Testofen, or placebo every day for 8 weeks. Researchers measured muscle strength and endurance, functional threshold power, body composition, and sex hormones at baseline, weeks 4, and week 8.

Results showed that subjects given Testofen saw significant improvements in maximal leg presses compared to placebo. In the 600 mg group, subjects saw decreases in body mass of 1.2 kg, a 1.4% decrease in body fat, and an increase in lean mass by 1.8% at 8 weeks. This same group also saw increases in testosterone concentrations compared to baseline at 8 weeks.

“After years of research showing Testofen’s positive effects for men, we wanted to assess its efficacy on muscle strength and endurance,” said R.V. Venkatesh, managing director at Gencor Pacific, in a press release. “The results verified the powerful effects of Testofen and supported our initial hypothesis that participants would experience improvements in body composition, muscle performance and endurance.”

“These significant and positive results show that Testofen may be an effective ergogenic aid for those wanting to rapidly improve their exercise performance and body composition above and beyond exercise training only,” added Chase Shryoc, vice president of Sales and Business Development. “We are thrilled about the results of this study and look forward to incorporating Testofen into its next sports nutrition product.”
 

References:

1. Rao AJ et al. “Testofen® (Fenugreek extract) increases strength and muscle mass compared to placebo in response to calisthenics. A randomized control trial.” Translational Sports Medicine, Published online ahead of print on March 10, 2020.