Saffron Extract for 6 Weeks Did Not Improve Mild Depression, Anxiety or Fatigue Scores

Randomised trial results published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition show that saffron (Crocus sativus) extract, which has drawn attention as a mood-improving ingredient, did not reduce mild depressive symptoms that fall short of the criteria for major depressive disorder. The results come from the NutriNeuro team, run jointly by the University of Bordeaux and the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE).

No difference in the combined depression, anxiety and fatigue score

The researchers split 51 healthy adults with subclinical symptoms such as low mood, fatigue and anxiety into a saffron extract group and a placebo group and had them take it for 6 weeks. The primary measure was a value combining standardised scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), the State Anxiety Inventory and the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory. Saffron extract had no significant effect on the combined score, nor on the depression, anxiety and fatigue scores individually. There were also no differences in inflammation markers or in reactivity of the stress hormone axis (HPA axis).

In the secondary measure, the mental health score of the quality-of-life questionnaire (SF-12), a between-group difference over time was observed, and in blood metabolite analysis the level of N-acetylphenylalanine differed. The researchers said these signals could be due to chance and need to be confirmed in a sufficiently large trial.

With a sample of only 51, the possibility remains that a small effect was missed. It must also be kept in mind when interpreting the results that this was not a study of patients with depression who meet diagnostic criteria.