Research paper
Effects of Saffron Extract Supplementation on Mood, Well-Being, and Response to a Psychosocial Stressor in Healthy Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Parallel Group, Clinical Trial
Study answer
What this study found
Chronic saffron extract significantly reduced depressive mood on the POMS Depression subscale and improved social relationships by day 56. Urinary crocetin increased with saffron and correlated with greater reductions in POMS Depression score (rho = −0.50, p = 0.008). Acute saffron intake attenuated the stressor-induced decline in heart rate variability (RMSSD) during the laboratory stressor, indicating enhanced autonomic resilience. No significant effects were observed on the total mood disturbance (POMS-TMD) or on anxiety measures (STAI-State, HADS). Overall, saffron extract shows promise…
- Study & population
- Double-blind, randomized, parallel-group trial with 56 healthy adults (18–54 years; both sexes) with self-reported subclinical mood symptoms, assigned to saffron extract or placebo for 8 weeks.
- Intervention
- 30 mg saffron extract daily for 8 weeks; two capsules daily (15 mg extract per capsule), taken in the morning and evening with meals.
- Key limitation
- Small, selective sample (n=56) and per-protocol analysis; planned sample size (n=72) not reached, limiting power and generalizability; results pertain to healthy adults with subclinical mood symptoms and may not extend to clinical mood disorders; laboratory stressor may not reflect real-world stress; mid-study…
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
Anxiety, stress, and low mood are closely related and may contribute to depressive symptoms. Among non-pharmacological solutions to improve subclinical mood symptoms and resilience to stress, natural products such as saffron—identified as promising f…