Cumin seed: the cholesterol trials used capsules

Every health effect on this page comes from cumin taken as a supplement, as powder, capsules or oil, and we found no trial of cumin used as a seasoning in food. In a meta-analysis of 6 small Iranian randomized trials in 376 adults, cumin supplements lowered total cholesterol by 10.9 mg/dL (95% CI 0.4 to 21.4) and LDL by 6.9 mg/dL (2.4 to 11.5). That analysis probably includes one trial whose publisher later issued an expression of concern. HDL rose by 3.4 mg/dL (1.6 to 5.1). A second meta-analysis of 8 trials found a smaller total cholesterol drop of about 4 mg/dL and a BMI drop of 0.88 kg/m2 (95% CI 0.18 to 1.58), with no clear effect on LDL overall and evidence quality graded as limited. Blood sugar is where the answer is unclear. A meta-analysis of 8 trials in 552 adults found fasting sugar 17.8 mg/dL lower, a result that did not reach significance, with an interval running from 36.4 lower to 0.9 higher.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Cumin seed carries about 66 mg iron and 366 mg magnesium per 3.5 oz (100 g), but the UK table repeats the US numbers exactly, so there is no independent second measurement. — Dried cumin seed, per 3.5 oz (100 g) (n = 1 record) Evidence E source
  Iron 66.36 mg, copper 0.87 mg, magnesium 366 mg in both USDA SR Legacy 170923 and CoFID 13-889; CoFID also calcium 931 mg, fat 22.3 g, protein 17.8 g, AOAC fiber 10.5 g

What it does to your health

• A meta-analysis of 6 randomized trials in 376 adults found cumin supplements lowered total cholesterol by about 11 mg/dL and LDL by about 7 mg/dL and raised HDL by about 3 mg/dL. — Adults in randomized controlled trials of cumin supplementation (n = 376 (6 RCTs)) Evidence A source
  TC -10.90 [-21.39, -0.42] mg/dL; LDL-C -6.94 [-11.53, -2.35]; HDL-C +3.35 [1.58, 5.12]; TG -20.48 [-41.23, -0.26], p = 0.053
• A meta-analysis of 8 randomized trials found cumin supplements lowered BMI by 0.88 kg/m2 and total cholesterol by about 4 mg/dL, with no clear effect on LDL overall. — Adults in randomized controlled trials of Cuminum cyminum supplementation (n = 8 RCTs) Evidence A source
  BMI -0.88 kg/m2 (95% CI -1.58, -0.18); TC -3.96 mg/dL (-6.51, -1.04); LDL-C not significant overall

Safety, limits and interactions

• Lab data in diabetic rats suggest that cumin seed extract interacts with the diabetes drug glyburide: with half the drug dose it lowered blood glucose as much as the full dose, and glyburide blood levels behaved differently. — streptozotocin diabetic Wistar rats Evidence D source
  Cumin extract 600 mg/kg plus half-dose glyburide lowered glucose by more than 45% from baseline, similar to full-dose glyburide, without hypoglycemia; glyburide pharmacokinetics differed

What people believe that the data does not support

• A meta-analysis of 8 randomized trials in 552 adults found cumin supplements did not significantly lower fasting blood sugar, insulin or insulin resistance. — Adults in placebo-controlled RCTs of cumin supplementation (n = 552 (8 RCTs)) Evidence A source
  FBS -17.77 mg/dL (95% CI -36.42 to 0.87), p = .06; HOMA-IR -0.06 (-0.21 to 0.10)
• In a randomized trial of 56 adults with metabolic syndrome, 75 mg cumin essential oil three times daily for 8 weeks changed none of the syndrome markers except diastolic pressure, about 4 mmHg lower than placebo. — Patients with metabolic syndrome aged 18-60 years, 8 weeks (n = 56) Evidence B source
  DBP 81.41 vs 84.09 mmHg, MD -3.98 (95% CI -7.60, -0.35); other components not different
• US federal rules list cumin (Cuminum cyminum) among spices generally recognized as safe for their intended use as a seasoning. — US regulation of spices and natural seasonings Evidence E source
  GRAS listing for intended seasoning use; no health claim implied

Who this works differently for

• A 2025 meta-analysis of 9 randomized trials in adults with metabolic disorders found cumin lowered fasting blood sugar (SMD -1.38) with very high heterogeneity, and effects on sugar and triglycerides were larger in adults over 50. — Adults with metabolic disorders, interventions 8 to 24 weeks (n = 9 RCTs) Evidence A source
  FBS SMD -1.38 (95% CI -2.26 to -0.50), I2 94.6%; TG SMD -0.58 (-1.14, -0.02); WC SMD -0.46 (-0.87, -0.04); HDL-C SMD +0.77 (0.02 to 1.52)
• A 2026 case report describes the first known cumin anaphylaxis triggered by inhaling the spice in a child, and notes spice allergy is rare in children but rising with packaged foods. — One adolescent patient, case report with literature review (n = 1) Evidence D source
  Anaphylaxis via inhalation; prick-by-prick test with spice powder recommended for diagnosis

What is still unknown

• In a two-month pilot trial without a control group, 29 healthy adults took 2 g of cumin powder a day and reported no adverse effects. Pregnant women and people on glucose or lipid drugs were excluded, so safety in those groups was not tested. — 29 healthy adults aged 22-74 (16 women, 13 men); pregnant women and users of glucose or lipid drugs excluded (n = 29) Evidence C source
  No adverse effects or events reported at 2 g cumin powder a day for two months
• In diabetic rats, cumin alone lowered mean blood glucose by 15.3%, gave no added benefit on top of the drug gliclazide and did not change how the drug was absorbed or cleared. — nicotinamide-streptozotocin diabetic rats Evidence D source
  Cumin lowered mean blood glucose 15.3%; no added benefit with gliclazide; gliclazide pharmacokinetics unchanged

The bottom line

A 2025 meta-analysis of 9 trials in adults with metabolic disorders did find lower fasting sugar, reported only as a standardized difference of 1.38 with heterogeneity of 94.6 percent, so the trials disagreed widely about the size. It also reported larger effects on sugar and triglycerides in adults over 50. With one analysis short of significance and another built on trials that disagree this much, the question of blood sugar is not settled. In a randomized trial of 56 adults with metabolic syndrome, 75 mg of cumin essential oil three times a day for 8 weeks changed none of the syndrome markers except diastolic pressure. That one secondary difference, from an oil made from the seed, was about 4 mmHg lower than placebo (95% CI 0.4 to 7.6). Dried cumin seed carries about 66 mg iron and 366 mg magnesium per 3.5 oz (100 g) in the US table, and the UK table repeats those numbers exactly, so there is no independent second measurement. We have no card on how much of that iron the body absorbs, or on how much cumin a typical dish uses. A 2026 case report of a single teenager describes anaphylaxis from breathing in cumin, which its authors call the first such report in a child. US federal rules list cumin as generally recognized as safe for its intended use as a seasoning, and that listing does not cover the supplement doses used in the trials. Safety at supplement doses is barely studied. In a two-month pilot without a control group, 29 healthy adults took 2 g of cumin powder a day and reported no adverse effects. That is an amount within kitchen use, and pregnant women and people on drugs for blood sugar or blood fats were excluded. We have no card giving an upper limit for cumin as a supplement, and we found no human study of cumin supplements taken with diabetes medicines. In diabetic rats, a cumin seed extract at 600 mg/kg, far above spice use, added to half a dose of the drug glyburide lowered blood sugar as much as the full dose and changed how the drug behaved in the blood. A second rat study found no added effect with gliclazide. For someone on blood sugar medicine, whether cumin supplements add to the drug's effect is therefore unknown. We have no card on pregnancy, breastfeeding or blood thinners with cumin supplements.

Sources

1. cmsd-daily-r6-08 · composition dataset
   Spices, cumin seed (FDC 170923, SR Legacy): iron 66.36 mg, copper 0.867 mg, magnesium 366 mg per 100 g; Cumin seeds (CoFID 13-889, group H): iron 66.36 mg, copper 0.87 mg, magnesium 366 mg, calcium 931 mg, fat 22.3 g, protein 17.8 g, AOAC fibre 10.5 g, sodium 168 mg, water 8.1 g per 100 g; Foundation samples 0
   USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy FDC 170923; CoFID 2021 (Public Health England) code 13-889, OGL v3.0 · checked 2026-09-30
2. cmsd-daily-r6-01 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   Meta-analysis of data from six eligible RCTs with 376 participants showed a significant reduction in plasma concentration of total cholesterol (MD [95% CI] -10.90 [-21.39, -0.42] mg/dl, p = 0.042) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (MD [95% CI] -6.94 [-11.53, -2.35] mg/dl, p = 0.003) after supplementation with cumin compared with control treatment, and plasma concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (MD [95% CI] 3.35 [1.58, 5.12] mg/dl, p˂0.001) were found to be increased.
   Phytother Res, 2018 · checked 2026-09-30
3. cmsd-daily-r6-02 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   The data from our eight included studies have indicated that CC supplementation can lower body mass index (BMI) (WMD = -0.88 kg/m2 ; 95%CI: -1.58, -0.18; p = .023) and total cholesterol (TC) (WMD = -3.96 mg/dl; 95%CI: -6.51, -1.04; p=.008).
   Phytother Res, 2022 · checked 2026-09-30
4. sf-cmsd-hf2-2 · animal study
   The extract alone, and in combination with glyburide (half-dose), significantly lowered elevated glucose (by more than 45% from baseline; without producing hypoglycemia), and other lipid and renal parameters. The effects produced by 2.5 mg/kg glyburide, and 5 mg/kg glyburide (without extract) were similar. ... HPLC analysis revealed differing pharmacokinetics of glyburide in the groups treated with 5 mg/kg dose, and 2.5 mg/kg + 600 mg/kg extract.
   Pharmacodynamic interaction of cumin seeds (Cuminum cyminum L.) with glyburide in diabetes, J Complement Integr Med (2019) · checked 2026-10-08
5. cmsd-daily-r6-03 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   The results of the meta-analysis suggest that cumin supplementation did not significantly alter serum FBS (WMD: -17.77 mg/dl; 95% CI: -36.42 to 0.87, p = .06), insulin (WMD: -0.49 Hedges' g; 95% CI: -1.19 to 0.21, p =.16) levels and HOMA-IR (WMD: -0.06; 95% CI: -0.21 to 0.10, p = 0.48) index.
   Phytother Res, 2021 · checked 2026-09-30
6. cmsd-daily-r6-05 · randomized controlled trial
   At the end of study, except for diastolic blood pressure (DBP), the other assessed variables were not significantly different between two groups. ... However, DBP was significantly lower in CuEO compared with the placebo group at the end of study (81.41 ± 5.88 vs. 84.09 ± 5.54 mmHg, MD with 95% CI: -3.98 [-7.60, -0.35] mmHg, p < .05).
   Phytother Res, 2019 · checked 2026-09-30
7. cmsd-daily-r6-07 · federal regulation
   Spices and other natural seasonings and flavorings that are generally recognized as safe for their intended use, within the meaning of section 409 of the Act, are as follows: ... Cumin (cummin) | Cuminum cyminum L.
   21 CFR 182.10, Spices and other natural seasonings and flavorings (eCFR) · checked 2026-09-30
8. cmsd-daily-r6-04 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   Specifically, cumin demonstrated a significant reduction in fasting blood sugar (FBS) (SMD: -1.38; 95% CI: -2.26 to -0.50, p = 0.002; I 2 = 94.6%, p < 0.001), triglycerides (TG) (SMD: -0.58; 95% CI: -1.14, -0.02, p = 0.044; I 2 = 88.7%, p < 0.001), and waist circumference (WC) (SMD: -0.46; 95% CI: -0.87, -0.04, p = 0.033; I 2 = 56.1%, p = 0.077). ... Furthermore, subgroup analysis revealed that cumin could have more beneficial effects in older adults (>50 years old) in term of FBS and TG.
   Front Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-09-30
9. cmsd-daily-r6-06 · case report
   To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of cumin anaphylaxis via inhalation in a pediatric patient. Spice allergies should be suspected in patients with allergic manifestations occurring briefly after the consumption or inhalation of multiple different and unrelated foods.
   Front Immunol, 2026 · checked 2026-09-30
10. sf-cmsd-hf2-1 · before-and-after trial
    The following exclusion criteria were applied: allergy to cumin or other plants in the Apiaceae family, diagnosis of any severe medical condition, use of medications that could affect glucose or lipid metabolism, or being pregnant or possibly pregnant. ... All 29 participants (16 women and 13 men) successfully completed the two-month intervention of consuming 2 g of cumin powder daily. No adverse effects or events were reported by any participants during the study period.
    Sex-Specific Effects of Cumin Supplementation on Body Composition, Lipid Levels, and Glycemic Profiles: A Pilot Study, Cureus (2025) · checked 2026-10-08
11. sf-cmsd-hf2-3 · animal study
    Cumin and garden cress have shown 15.3% and 15.9% reduction in mean BGL (1-24h) (p-value < 0.001), respectively. ... There was no significant advantage of simultaneously administered 'cumin + GLZ'. Cumin did not affect PK of GLZ.
    Effect of C. cyminum and L. sativum on Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Antidiabetic Drug Gliclazide, Curr Drug Metab (2022) · checked 2026-10-08