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Side-Effect of Fenugreek Consumption

Fenugreek seeds may protect against cancer and improve muscle mass, but they can make your armpits smell like maple syrup.

November 23, 2012 |
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Supplementary Info

Side-Effect of Fenugreek Consumption, 5.0 out of 5 based on 4 ratings

Sources Cited

Shabbeer S, Sobolewski M, Anchoori RK, Kachhap S, Hidalgo M, Jimeno A, Davidson N, Carducci MA, Khan SR. Fenugreek: a naturally occurring edible spice as an anticancer agent. Cancer Biol Ther. 2009 Feb;8(3):272-8.

Korman SH, Cohen E, Preminger A. Pseudo-maple syrup urine disease due to maternal prenatal ingestion of fenugreek. J Paediatr Child Health. 2001 Aug;37(4):403-4.

Riadh Mebazaa, Barbara Rega, Valérie Camel. Analysis of human male armpit sweat after fenugreek ingestion: Characterisation of odour active compounds by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and olfactometryFood Chemistry Volume 128, Issue 1, 1 September 2011, Pages 227–235.

Acknowledgements

Image thanks to: Dvortygirl via Wikimedia Commons.

Transcript

Cancer prevention is all well and good, but there is a side-effect of fenugreek seed consumption, it makes your armpits smell like maple syrup. “Analysis of human male armpit sweat after fenugreek ingestion. And yes, it happens to women too. “In this study, the strong ‘‘maple-syrup’’ odour which appears after fenugreek ingestion was investigated.” They had men plaster some guaze pads into their armpits before and after eating a tablespoon of fenugreek seeds, “sweat was collected over a 24 hour period, and given to a panel of 8, odor assessors to get their take. They described what they smelled as cocoa, roast beef, carrots. … spicy. gravy, honey rose and lilac, peach-like, raspberry. I guess it could be worse. There was one assessor who described one of the fenugreek odor compounds as   Musty sweet onion socks. Another agreed, but thought it more like   fruity floral socks. Of course there was the boring assessor who was like, uh, smells like fenugreek. This is a harmless phenomenon; the only reason I bring it up is that there is actually a serious congenital disorder, called maple syrup urine disease,   branched-chain ketoaciduria. It's completely unrelated but breastfeeding infants with mom’s using fenugreek to boost their milk production may be misdiagnosed. So if you're pregnant or breastfeeding and eating fenugreek, make sure to tell your OB just so they don't worry.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Ashley Rhinehart, RN.

To help out on the site please email volunteer@nutritionfacts.org

Dr. Michael Greger

Doctor's Note

Make sure you see the "prequel" to this video Benefits of Fenugreek Seeds. What happens to armpit odor of those embracing entire diets full of plants? See Body Odor Diet. Then check out Asparagus Pee for another funky odor video. Fenugreek is certainly something I've been trying to incorporate more into my family's diet based on all this amazing new data. It's strong stuff though! I'd be interested to hear any tips on how folks have been able to sneak it into their diets. I make these mean chia seed-encrusted, dried mangoes that I sprinkle with fenugreek powder using the mix-a-yummy-with-yucky technique of adding less-than-delicious things to one's diet (like putting amla in smoothies). I find home dried mangos so yummy I figure I could rub them with almost anything!

For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Increasing Muscle Strength with Fenugreek

If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=515225148 Joshua Trost

    How much fenugreek, and in what form, is most efficient for increasing strength, then?

    • Geoffrey Levens

      Study sited in yesterdays video use 500 mg/day of a standardized extract (to 70% of some frenugreek component or other)

    • Orly

      I have been using it for years to heal my Colitis. I buy the seeds from an Indian store, I found that the organic kind was not as potent.
      Put a tbls in 2 cups of water to soak over night, in the morning add warm water and drink it. It is very strong so you may want to add, raisins or honey. The seeds expand and you can eat them with soup, yogurt or on their own.

  • jball

    Hey, I like the smell of maple syrup!

  • bellybuttonblue

    Does fenugreek increase breast size? Or is that a myth?

    • Orly

      No it does not. It does help to produce breast milk for breast feeding moms.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=8839977 Kevin Reed

    In a cup of coffee, with cocoa powder.

  • HemoDynamic, M.D.

    Sweet stuff!

  • LKSkinner

    Aha! Fenugreek is the base for the condiment “hilbe”, a Yemenite Jewish garnish that is spread on pita or added to soups. I can buy hilbe at the shuk at my favorite pickle-n-olive shop. The Yemenite Jewish community has known for ages that hilbe can lower blood sugar, its ability to improve muscle strength and having the potential to fight cancer are two more good reasons to add it to your diet.

  • AG

    Have there been any studies with fenugreek & its effect on women’s strength-building?

    • Toxins

      There are none sadly, and this is one of the only studies of its kind. Although I wouldn’t doubt that a similar affect would be seen with woman as with men.

  • J Potter

    I’ve been adding powdered or freshly ground fenugreek seeds to sweet potatoes or winter squash, often with other curry spices such as turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, or cayenne. The maple-ish flavor of the fenugreek goes well with the sweetness of those vegetables, and their sweetness counters the fenugreek (or turmeric) bitterness.

    • LynnCS

      I want you to cook for me…Mmmm! Do you bake and mash with the spices? Would love to try it.

    • WholeFoodChomper

      Great culinary tip for us fenugreek newbies! Thx!

  • HereHere

    Fenugreek is something I discovered by becoming a vegan, and I am so glad. I love to toast it, add some oil, garlic, paprika and soy sauce, then add in steamed potatoes. It is de-lish! And now I learn it is anti-cancer. Woo hoo!

    • WholeFoodChomper

      Ooo! Another great tip that I cannot wait to try!

  • Thea

    This is so, so, so interesting!

    Thank you to those people who commented on this video about how you use fenugreek. I needed some ideas. THANKS!

  • WholeFoodChomper

    That is a great side effect! A natural deodorant of sorts. How about a recipe for the chia mango treats? :)

  • http://twitter.com/vitalhn Bob and Mahnoosh

    Fresh fenugreek greens (not seeds) can be used along with parsley and cilantro with beans (pinto or red beans) onion and garlic to make a good tasty stew. Fresh fenugreek can be found in Persian stores (it is called shambaleleh). You can easily grow your own by planting some of the seeds! We also grind the seeds and add to bread when we bake bread where it adds a nice rich flavor.

    • WholeFoodChomper

      Sounds yummy! And, judging by the recent video about sprouts, I bet you those sprouted fenugreek greens have even more antioxidants. Now, I need to find me a Persian store in town. I gotta try that stew! Do you have a more exact recipe or a name for the stew so that I can search it on the net?

  • Shane

    Hi Dr Greger. How do you eat your fenugreek powder? I have tried a few recipes so far and none have been good. It’s strong stuff. Thanks

    • WholeFoodChomper

      Hope you don’t mind me chiming in. ;-) You could probably use powdered fenugreek in the recipes shared by HereHere and J Potter above. I got a bit experimental myself. Since viewing this video I rushed out to get some powdered fenugreek at an awesome co-op in town. I’ve been adding it to my coffee, homemade chai tea, and most recently to a modified sweet carrot salad inspired by a _Forks Over Knives_ recipe (p. 109).

      For my homemade chai, I usually use whatever spices I have. These days its whole cloves, powdered cinnamon, powdered allspice, crushed cardamom pods, fennel seeds, ginger (raw or powdered), and now powdered fenugreek. I don’t measure these ingredients out so, if you need exact measurements I recommend hitting up your preferred search engine for a more concise recipe. But what I do is add water to a pot, throw in some tea bags (green, oolong, jasmine, peppermint, you can use whatever you like or have), then I add the spices I have, I let that boil and steep for a few minutes. Then, I pour the tea mixture through a fine mesh sieve to separate out all the floaties. I add a bit of soy milk to the mix and a touch of sweetner. Viola, chai tea with a bit o’ fenugreek.

      For the modified sweet carrot salad inspired by a _Forks Over Knives_ recipe you will need: 5-7 shredded carrots, 2 peeled and diced apples (or leave the peel on if the apple if it is organic), 1 tbs of hibiscus tea (recipe called for apple juice, but the tea is all I had), juice of 1 lemon, 1/2 tsp of powdered cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of powdered fenugreek, 1/4 teaspoon of powdered ginger, and 1/2 cup of Trader Joe’s Golden Berry Blend (golden raisins, cherries, cranberries, and blueberries). Mix and chill for about 1 hour. I thought it was pretty good and was exactly what I needed to satisfy my sweets craving tonight.

      I imagine you could also add a bit of the powdered fenugreek to your smoothie or oatmeal mixture as well.

      I gotta tell you, though, this video tells no lie. Just the few days of sprinkling powdered fenugreek in my food and I can already smell the difference. Will have to see if the muscle mass follows suit. :)

      • Shane

        Thanks! :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Tumeria-V-Langlois/530882647 Tumeria V Langlois

    How much fenugreek should you consume a day? I am a body builder and would like to improve my muscle mass and strength. I have been taking about a tablespoon or so a day (ground) since watching the video. Today I realized that despite a spin ride, sweating a lot and forgetting to put on deodorant- There was NO body odor that I could detect.

  • Michelle Sears

    I don’t think it smells like maple syrup at all! It smelled like urine to me when my husband started taking it! I asked him to stop because the stench was so pungent and made me sick. Before we figured out it was the fenugreek, I thought he’d stopped washing his hands after using the bathroom!

    • WholeFoodChomper

      Yikes! Your post made me think, what if what I smell as maple syrup smells like urine to someone else? That is entirely possible.

  • Shane

    My wife is now forbidding me to eat fenugreek. She doesn’t like that i have a new smell :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/lauren.r.ard Lauren Rae Layton Ard

    I bought some fenugreek capsules to start taking, and I noticed on the side it warns against taking while pregnant. What’s with that?

    • http://www.facebook.com/lauren.r.ard Lauren Rae Layton Ard

      And is it so dangerous that I should stop taking it even while trying to conceive?

  • iVegan, CPT

    I’ve been milling fenugreek seeds for about three days now and adding about a tablespoon to my pre-work out shakes. Not only have I started to notice the strength increase but my arm pits totally smell like maple syrup! Win!

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