How to live longer: The herbal supplement that could help boost your life expectancy

HOW TO live longer: The secret to long life expectancy has much to do with how we maintain our bodies, and a healthy diet comes highly recommended. Certain foods have been hailed for their health-boosting qualities, including a herbal supplement. Long life expectancy could be achieved by consuming fenugreek. Fenugreek is a herb similar to clover. People use its fresh and dried seeds, leaves, twigs and roots as a spice and supplement. So how can it help you live longer? One of fenugreek’s most notable benefits is to reduce the risk of diabetes. Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person’s blood sugar level to become too high, and left untreated, serious complications can occur, including cardiovascular disease and kidney failure. A few studies in animals have shown at least four compounds in fenugreek have anti diabetic properties. They’ve been shown to reduce intestinal glucose absorption, delay gastric emptying, improve insulin sensitivity and action, and reduce concentrations of lipid-binding protein. READ MORE: Coronavirus symptoms update: New study reveals the two most ‘prevalent’ symptoms A study published in 2017 showed mice fed a high-fat diet with two percent whole fenugreek seed supplementation for 16 weeks had better glucose tolerance than those who didn’t receive the supplementation. Fenugreek could also improve weight loss. Being overweight or obese can lead to a number of serious and potentially life-threatening conditions, including type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and some types of cancer. But in a study published in 2015 nine overweight female Korean participants drank a fennel, fenugreek or placebo tea before lunch. Those who drank fenugreek tea reported feeling less hungry and more full, which can help weight loss. Fenugreek may also help regulate cholesterol levels and improve blood pressure, which can reduce the risk of heart problems. Studies have suggested this may be because fenugreek seeds combating roughly 48 percent dietary fibre. Dietary fibre is hard to digest and forms a viscous gel in the intestines making it harder to digest sugars and fats. Fenugreek has also been linked to other health benefits, although not necessarily ones that improve life expectancy. Research has shown fenugreek may help increase low testosterone and sperm levels. In a study published in 2017, 50 male volunteers took an extract of fenugreek seeds for 12 weeks. Around 85 percent of the participants had an increased sperm count. The results also showed participants had improved mental alertness, mood and libido. Fenugreek has also been shown to improve milk production and flow. As such, experts of traditional Asian medicine have long recommended fenugreek for this use.