J Menopausal Med.  2018 Apr;24(1):29-33. 10.6118/jmm.2018.24.1.29.

The Effect of Short-term Treatment with Fennel on Lipid Profile in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Afiat M
• Amini E
• Ghazanfarpour M
• Nouri B
• Mousavi MS
• Babakhanian M
• Rakhshandeh H

• KMID: 2429217
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.6118/jmm.2018.24.1.29

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The present trial aimed to assess the effects of Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) on lipid profiles.
METHODS
In this double blind, randomized and placebo-controlled trial, sixty eligible postmenopausal women were randomly assigned into the fennel and placebo groups. Total blood cholesterol, cholesterol fractions, and triglycerides were tested at the baseline, and after three-month follow-up.
RESULTS
There was no significant difference in triglyceride (P = 0.679), total cholesterol (P = 0.103), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; P = 0.146) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; P = 0.266) levels between the two groups. In addition, in both groups, a paired t.test showed no significant difference in all mentioned parameters, except for HDL-C, indicating significant borderline improvement (P = 0.052) in the fennel group.
CONCLUSIONS
The fennel group revealed a very slight positive change in LDL-C, triglyceride and HDL-C. Further studies with longer durations, higher doses, and larger sample sizes are recommended to validate the results.

Keyword

Foeniculum; Lipids; Postmenopause

MeSH Terms

Cholesterol
Female
Foeniculum*
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Lipoproteins
Postmenopause
Sample Size
Triglycerides
Cholesterol
Lipoproteins
Triglycerides

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