Examination of Curcumin and Fenugreek Soluble Fiber Supplementation on Submaximal and Maximal Aerobic Performance Indices

Abstract

This study examined the effects of curcumin and fenugreek soluble fiber supplementation on the ventilatory threshold (VT) and peak oxygen consumption ( V ˙ O2 peak). Methods: Forty-five untrained men and women were randomly assigned to one of three supplementation groups: placebo (PLA, n = 13), 500 mg·day−1 CurQfen® (CUR, n = 14), or 300 mg·day−1 fenugreek soluble fiber (FEN, n = 18). Participants completed a maximal graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer to determine the VT and V ˙ O2 peak before (PRE) and after (POST) 28 days of daily supplementation. Separate, one-way analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) were used to examine the between-group differences for adjusted POST VT and V ˙ O2 peak values, covaried for the respective PRE-test values. Results: The adjusted POST VT V ˙ O2 values for the CUR (mean ± SD = 1.593 ± 0.157 L·min−1) and FEN (1.597 ± 0.157 L·min−1) groups were greater than (p = 0.039 and p = 0.025, respectively) the PLA (1.465 ± 0.155 L·min−1) group, but the FEN and CUR groups were not different (p = 0.943). There were no differences in the adjusted V ˙ O2 peak values (F = 0.613, p = 0.547) among groups. Conclusion: These findings indicated that fenugreek soluble fiber was responsible for the improvements in the submaximal performance index for both CUR and FEN groups.