The Effect of Foeniculum Vulgare (Fennel) on Body Composition in Postmenopausal Women with Excess Weight: A Double-blind Randomized Placebo-controlled Trial

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of fennel on body composition. METHODS: This study is a secondary analysis of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Fifty-four out of 60 patients were able to successfully complete the original study. Seven out of 54 patients were excluded because they were not overweight and obese. Thus, 47 women were included in this secondary analysis. Of these 47 women, 22 were in the fennel group and 25 were in placebo group. Body weight, body mass index (BMI) as well as fat distribution was measured at the baseline and after a three-month follow-up. RESULTS: Comparison of fennel and placebo groups did not reveal any significant effect in terms of body weight, BMI, waist and hip circumferences and fat distribution. Also, the results of paired t-test did not variation of these parameters across groups before and after 12-week treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Menopausal women in fennel group experienced a slight increase in body weight and fat distribution, which was not significant. Further studies with larger sample sizes are recommended to validate the results of this study.