Mood swings, anxiety, depression. These are some of the most frequent symptoms that accompany women in that transitional phase, called perimenopause, which generally appears after the age of 40. An aid to alleviate these symptoms could come from saffron, according to a study published in the Journal of menopausal medicine.
It is a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group trial that examined 86 women between the ages of 40 and 60. For 12 months, one half received 14 mg Bid of saffron extract standardized to 3.5% in lepticrosalides, the other half placebo tablets.
The evaluation of symptoms at 4, 8 and 12 weeks of the experimental period was carried out through scores linked to questionnaires recognized by the international scientific community: Gcs (Greene climacteric scale) and Panas (Positive and negative affect schedule).
The results revealed significant improvements in the psychological profile in women who had taken the extract compared to the placebo group: Gcs showed a -33% of anxiety and -32% of depression and the same Panas showed significant reductions of the synthemes in the cognitive-behavioral sphere. No effect, instead, on the symptoms arising from a vasomotor component, such as hot flashes or night sweats. No major side effects were recorded in the “saffron” group other than mild intestinal effects (e.g., episodes of flatulence or nausea).
“The mechanisms associated with the antidepressant and anxiolytic effects of saffron are still not completely clear, although evidence suggests action on several fronts,” comment the Authors. For example, we know its ability to influence neutransmission mechanisms rather than those related to inflammation, hypothalamic/pituitary axis, oxidative stress, mitochondrial activity and neuroplasticity. Alterations at these levels have always been correlated with mood disorders. In addition, pre-clinical studies have shown an effect of saffron on sex hormones, from Fsh, to Lh, to progesterone, to estrogen. As for our study, we can say that the effect of the extract at 12 weeks is an improvement in symptoms related to mood, while nothing is determined on other fronts, from vasomotor to somatic. Given the results, the hope is that we can start soon further studies on perimenopausal women with a wide variety of symptoms, using different dosages of saffron and with the possibility to make also biological measurements of markers to identify cause/effect correlations”.
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