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. 2025 Apr 22;17(4):e82774.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.82774. eCollection 2025 Apr.

Sex-Specific Effects of Cumin Supplementation on Body Composition, Lipid Levels, and Glycemic Profiles: A Pilot Study

Shin Suzuki  1 , Ayako Otsuka  2 , Etsuko Kurata  2 , Kimito Mio  1 , Tasuku Inaba  1 , Kentaro Yoshida  1 , Shoji Kinoshita  1 , Toyohiro Hamaguchi  3 , Eun Sangsoo  4 , Masahiro Abo  1
Affiliations

Sex-Specific Effects of Cumin Supplementation on Body Composition, Lipid Levels, and Glycemic Profiles: A Pilot Study

Shin Suzuki et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Objectives: Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) is a medicinal plant in the Apiaceae family that is considered promising for treating lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. However, sex differences in the effects of cumin have not been well studied. This study aims to clarify the effects of cumin on body composition and lipid and glucose profiles and examine the differences in these effects between men and women.

Design and methods: We conducted a before-and-after trial with 29 healthy adults aged 22-74 at a single facility. After a two-month pre-intervention period, participants consumed 2 g of cumin powder daily for two months. We measured body composition using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Additionally, we assessed blood biomarkers, including lipid and blood glucose profiles, at baseline and both before and after the intervention period. We analyzed the data using Student's t-tests and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests.

Results: In women, cumin intake significantly reduced the extracellular-to-total body water ratio and increased phase angle, suggesting improved muscle quality. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) decreased significantly in both sexes, while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) decreased in men only. There were no significant changes in glucose profiles.

Conclusion: Cumin showed sex-specific effects on body composition and lipid profiles. Muscle quality improved in women only following cumin consumption, and while its effects on LDL-C were similar in both sexes, its effects on HDL-C were specific to men. These findings indicate that cumin's health benefits vary by sex, highlighting its potential for personalized use.

Keywords: body composition; cumin; lipid profile; muscle quality; sex differences.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. The Ethics Committee of Koyama Rehabilitation Hospital issued approval 2022-1. The study was conducted in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: This study was supported by a grant from the Yamazaki Spice Promotion Foundation (grant no. 269) to Shin Suzuki. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

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