Saffron Supplements Improve Cell Health in Those With Metabolic Syndrome

by | Jul 6, 2016 | 2015, Botanicals, Metabolic Syndrome, Pancreatic Health

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. A twelve week supplementation of 100 mgs of saffron significantly reduced the cellular damage in participating subjects with metabolic syndrome compared to control group.

metabolic syndromeFor the 47 million people with Metabolic Syndrome, characterized by excessive fat tissue in and around the abdomen (“central obesity”), increased blood pressure (130/85 mmHg or higher), and insulin resistance (the body can’t properly use insulin to control blood sugar) (1), a central mechanism that leads to the onset of cardiovascular disease is cell damage in the form of oxidative stress (2, 3).

As a result, finding ways to minimize oxidative stress may be beneficial to heart health in those with metabolic syndrome. Fortunately, saffron, an herb known for decades to have therapeutic properties for a wide range of illnesses (4), may help maintain cellular health. A 2015 study (5) involved 56 subjects (16 men, 40 women) aged 31 to 52 with metabolic syndrome. They received either 100 milligrams of saffron per kilogram of bodyweight or a placebo for 12 weeks. Before and after the supplementation period, blood samples were taken to assess cellular health in the form of a “pro-antioxidant balance” assay (6) that measures the rate of cellular damage.

After 12 weeks, researchers noted “a significant reduction” in cellular damage compared to the placebo group. Specifically, those in the saffron group saw a 14.3% decrease in cellular damage (94.03 to 80.67 HK units) compared to a 4.7% decrease in the placebo group (91.03 to 86.84 HK units) (p = 0.035).

When suggesting how saffron elicits these healthful benefits, the researchers cited research showing saffron to improve nerve function and promote oxygen delivery to tissues (7) as well as strong antioxidant properties (8).

For the researchers, “Saffron supplements can modulate [cellular damage] in subjects with metabolic syndrome, implying an improvement in some aspects of oxidative stress or antioxidant protection” but that “Further studies should be undertaken in order to determine the exact constituent of saffron that has the greatest antioxidant effect, and the dosage required for optimum effect on [minimizing cellular damage].”

Source: Kermani, Tayyebeh, Seyyed Hadi Mousavi, Maryam Shemshian, Abdolreza Norouzy, Mohsen Mazidi, Atefeh Moezzi, Toktam Moghiman, Majid Ghayour-Mobarhan, and Gordon A. Ferns. “Saffron supplements modulate serum pro-oxidant-antioxidant balance in patients with metabolic syndrome: A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.” Avicenna journal of phytomedicine 5, no. 5 (2015): 427.

 Posted July 5, 2016.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.

References:

  1. American Heart Association Website: “Metabolic Syndrome” posted on the American Heart Association website
  2. Alamdari DH, Ghayour-Mobarhan M, Tavallaie S, Parizadeh MR, Moohebati M, Ghafoori F. 2008. Prooxidant-antioxidant balance as a new risk factor in patients with angiographically defined coronary artery disease. Clin Biochem ,41:375-380
  3. Rahsepar AA, Mirzaee A, Moodi F, Moohebati M, Tavallaie S, Eshraghi A. 2012. Anti-Heat Shock Protein 27 Titers and Oxidative Stress Levels are Elevated in Patients WithValvular Heart Disease. Angiology, 63: 609-16
  4. Nair SC, Pannikar B, Panikkar KR. 1991.Antitumour activity of saffron (Crocus sativus). Cancer Lett, 57: 109-1014
  5. Kermani T. Saffron supplements modulate serum pro-oxidant-antioxidant balance in patients with metabolic syndrome: A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Avicenna J Phytomed 2015 Sep-Oct;5(5):427-33
  6. Falsoleiman H, Dehghani M, Moohebati M.. 2011. Changes in prooxidant- antioxidant balance after bare metal and drug eluting stent implantation in patients with stable coronary disease. Clin Biochem, 44: 160-164
  7. Hosseinzadeh H, Modaghegh MH, Saffari Z. 2009. Crocus sativus L. (Saffron) extract and its active constituents (crocin and safranal) on ischemia-reperfusion in rat skeletal muscle. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 6: 343-350
  8. Gong W, Gottlieb S, Collins J, Blescia A, Dietz H, Goldmuntz E, McDonald-McGinn DM, Zackai EH, Emanuel BS, Driscoll DA, Budarf ML. 2001. Mutation analysis of TBX1 in non-deleted patients with features of DGS/VCFS or isolated cardiovascular defects. J Med Genet. , 38: E45