The effect of berberine and fenugreek seed co-supplementation on inflammatory factor, lipid and glycemic profile in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a double-blind controlled randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND: Type 2 Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world and has many complications. Due to the importance of using alternative therapies in managing symptoms of this disease, the present study was designed and conducted to investigate the effect of co-supplementation of berberine and fenugreek in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 50 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Participants were randomized in the intervention group, which received 3 capsules/day of 500 mg (300 mg of berberine + 200 mg of fenugreek seed powder) or placebo for 12 weeks. Biochemical and anthropometric variables were measured at the beginning and end of the study. RESULTS: We observed that fasting insulin, HbA1C, and hs-CRP significantly decreased in the intervention group compared to the baseline. The mean difference in insulin resistance (-0.32 vs. 0.15), fasting blood sugar (-14.40 vs. 1.68), and fasting insulin (- 2.18 vs. 1.34) were clinically significant in comparison to the control group. Almost all domains of SF-12 scores were significantly higher in the intervention group than in the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of berberine and fenugreek seed can improve cardio-metabolic status in patients with diabetes and support the anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory role of herb in the improvement of quality of life. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13098-022-00888-9.