Affron is associated with improvements in psychological symptoms of menopause
A new randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study reveals the positive effects of affron, a premium saffron ingredient, extract on menopausal symptoms in women during perimenopause. The saffron extract, administered for 12 weeks at 28 mg a day, was associated with greater improvements in psychological symptoms.
In the two-arm, parallel-group, 12-week, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, published in the Journal of Menopausal Medicine, June 2, 2021, healthy perimenopausal women aged between 40-60 experiencing menopausal complaints but without severe hot flushes, were recruited and randomised to receive either a placebo or 28 mg of a saffron extract (affron). Results revealed a 33 per cent reduction in anxiety symptoms and a 32 per cent reduction in depression scores from baseline to week 12. There also was a significantly greater reduction in the negative effects of mood (p=.043) compared to the placebo. However, saffron had no impact on vasomotor symptoms or other somatic symptoms, suggesting affron’s capabilities are predominantly active in alleviating the negative stress effects of menopause without influencing hormones. This avoids the some of the problems associated with the estrogenic approach and allows the safe integration of affron with another hormone influencing/ balancing ingredients.
“This is the first study of affron examining menopause symptoms in average perimenopausal women,” explains Alberto Espinel, Manager of Strategic R&D in Active and Functional Natural Ingredients, Pharmactive. “It opens a new health category in our offering of evidence-based personalized nutrition targeting specific demographics.”
Affron does not contain estrogenic compounds. The active ingredients—crocins and safranal—are well tolerated and have a proven capacity for helping to control symptoms related to mood health, including, occasional anxiety, stress, sleep disruption, and more.
The clean-label saffron extract is backed by seven clinical studies demonstrating its capacity to improve mood, relieve stress and occasional sadness, support relaxation and help enhance sleep. It is also the first saffron extract clinically studied on adolescents.