Eight threads of saffron a day can improve visual acuity in older adults with mild or moderate age-related macular degeneration.
The Benefits of Saffron for Treating Age-Related Macular Degeneration
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Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
In addition to two to three daily servings of green leafy vegetables, berries are considered a healthy choice for the preservation of eye health. As we age, our critical retinal pigment epithelium layer starts to break down. However, we may be able to decelerate that aging with blueberries. Human RPE cells bathed in blueberry anthocyanins had fewer free radicals and a lower proportion of aged cells, suggesting that blueberries and other red, blue, and purple pigmented fruits and vegetables may help prevent age-related macular degeneration. Protective properties have also been demonstrated in vitro on RPE cells from purple sweet potato anthocyanin, as well as the yellow pigment in turmeric and an amla (Indian gooseberry) extract.
However, the only human interventional trials on berries for vision were a month-long trial of a bilberry extract that demonstrated significantly less eye strain after iPad use compared to placebo, and a study showing three weeks of blueberry juice or freeze-dried blueberry powder both significantly improved photostress recovery time (the time needed to recuperate visual acuity after bright light exposure) by about five seconds. Only one pigmented food has been put to the test in macular degeneration patients: the spice saffron.
Saffron is so potent that the whole spice can be stuffed into capsules to pit head-to-head against placebo. Those with early-stage age-related macular degeneration were randomized to a tiny pinch (20 mg, about eight threads) of saffron versus placebo for three months. Compared to the placebo group, the saffron group experienced a significant improvement in retinal flicker sensitivity—that’s our ability to pick out high-frequency light pulses (rather than seeing the flickering light as a steady beam) that diminishes with age. It’s a sensitive test of retinal function, but it is of questionable clinical value. However, there was a small improvement in visual acuity in 80 percent of the saffron subjects (being able to see one line further down on an eye chart) versus none improving in the placebo group. This is particularly important for those with age-related macular degeneration for whom vision tends to get worse over time, not better.
What about a more substantial pinch (50 mg, about 20 threads)? Compared to placebo, three months of this larger dose led to a similar improvement in visual acuity in macular degeneration patients, suggesting more is not necessarily better. Saffron is the most expensive spice there is, selling for about $200 an ounce (28 g); so, being able to get away with a 20 mg dose (about 15 cents a day) rather than a 50 mg dose (closer to 40 cents a day) could add up over the long run. Even smaller doses may work too, but they just haven’t been tested.
What about the tiny pinch over a year instead of just three months? Early-stage macular patients were given 20 mg of saffron a day for an average of 14 months and average visual acuity improved by two eye chart lines. They also reported an improvement in contrast and color perception, reading ability, low-light vision, and overall quality of life. The problem is the study lacked a control group; so, it’s hard to put much stock in subjective measures of improvement. Interestingly, a six-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial found no objective acuity improvement in either the placebo group or a 30-mg-a-day saffron group, yet reported that the patients unwittingly in the saffron group gave subjective reports of better vision and general wellbeing. The researchers suggest this may be an antidepressant effect, and indeed, a meta-analysis of a dozen randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of saffron for depression found it beat out placebo, and was found comparable to antidepressant drugs.
The largest saffron vision trial to date was a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial in which 100 older adults with mild or moderate age-related macular degeneration were randomized to 20 mg of saffron a day or placebo for three months, then switched to the opposite group for an additional three months. When on the tiny daily pinch of saffron there was a significant, yet modest, improvement in visual acuity, and this was the case for both those on and off best practice therapy (the beta-carotene free AREDS supplementation), suggesting an additive benefit.
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- Rhone M, Basu A. Phytochemicals and age-related eye diseases. Nutr Rev. 2008;66(8):465-472.
- Liu Y, Song X, Zhang D, et al. Blueberry anthocyanins: protection against ageing and light-induced damage in retinal pigment epithelial cells. Br J Nutr. 2012;108(1):16-27.
- Sun M, Lu X, Hao L, Wu T, Zhao H, Wang C. The influences of purple sweet potato anthocyanin on the growth characteristics of human retinal pigment epithelial cells. Food Nutr Res. 2015;59:27830.
- Zhu W, Wu Y, Meng YF, et al. Effect of curcumin on aging retinal pigment epithelial cells. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2015;9:5337-5344.
- Nashine S, Kanodia R, Nesburn AB, Soman G, Kuppermann BD, Kenney MC. Nutraceutical effects of Emblicaofficinalis in age-related macular degeneration. Aging (Albany NY). 2019;11(4):1177-1188.
- Park CY, Gu N, Lim CY, et al. The effect of Vaccinium uliginosum extract on tablet computer-induced asthenopia: randomized placebo-controlled study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2016;16:296.
- Kalt W, McDonald JE, Fillmore SAE, Tremblay F. Blueberry effects on dark vision and recovery after photobleaching: placebo-controlled crossover studies. J Agric Food Chem. 2014;62(46):11180-11189.
- Falsini B, Piccardi M, Minnella A, et al. Influence of saffron supplementation on retinal flicker sensitivity in early age-related macular degeneration. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010;51(12):6118-6124.
- Riazi A, Panahi Y, Alishiri AA, Hosseini MA, Karimi Zarchi AA, Sahebkar A. The impact of saffron (Crocus sativus) supplementation on visual function in patients with dry age-related macular degeneration. Ital J Med. 2016;11(2):196-201.
- Piccardi M, Marangoni D, Minnella AM, et al. A longitudinal follow-up study of saffron supplementation in early age-related macular degeneration: sustained benefits to central retinal function. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:429124.
- Lashay A, Sadough G, Ashrafi E, Lashay M, Movassat M, Akhondzadeh S. Short-term outcomes of saffron supplementation in patients with age-related macular degeneration: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. Med Hypothesis Discov Innov Ophthalmol. 2016;5(1):32-38.
- Dai L, Chen L, Wang W. Safety and efficacy of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) for treating mild to moderate depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2020;208(4):269-276.
- Broadhead GK, Grigg JR, McCluskey P, Hong T, Schlub TE, Chang AA. Saffron therapy for the treatment of mild/moderate age-related macular degeneration: a randomised clinical trial. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2019;257(1):31-40.
Motion graphics by Avo Media
Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
In addition to two to three daily servings of green leafy vegetables, berries are considered a healthy choice for the preservation of eye health. As we age, our critical retinal pigment epithelium layer starts to break down. However, we may be able to decelerate that aging with blueberries. Human RPE cells bathed in blueberry anthocyanins had fewer free radicals and a lower proportion of aged cells, suggesting that blueberries and other red, blue, and purple pigmented fruits and vegetables may help prevent age-related macular degeneration. Protective properties have also been demonstrated in vitro on RPE cells from purple sweet potato anthocyanin, as well as the yellow pigment in turmeric and an amla (Indian gooseberry) extract.
However, the only human interventional trials on berries for vision were a month-long trial of a bilberry extract that demonstrated significantly less eye strain after iPad use compared to placebo, and a study showing three weeks of blueberry juice or freeze-dried blueberry powder both significantly improved photostress recovery time (the time needed to recuperate visual acuity after bright light exposure) by about five seconds. Only one pigmented food has been put to the test in macular degeneration patients: the spice saffron.
Saffron is so potent that the whole spice can be stuffed into capsules to pit head-to-head against placebo. Those with early-stage age-related macular degeneration were randomized to a tiny pinch (20 mg, about eight threads) of saffron versus placebo for three months. Compared to the placebo group, the saffron group experienced a significant improvement in retinal flicker sensitivity—that’s our ability to pick out high-frequency light pulses (rather than seeing the flickering light as a steady beam) that diminishes with age. It’s a sensitive test of retinal function, but it is of questionable clinical value. However, there was a small improvement in visual acuity in 80 percent of the saffron subjects (being able to see one line further down on an eye chart) versus none improving in the placebo group. This is particularly important for those with age-related macular degeneration for whom vision tends to get worse over time, not better.
What about a more substantial pinch (50 mg, about 20 threads)? Compared to placebo, three months of this larger dose led to a similar improvement in visual acuity in macular degeneration patients, suggesting more is not necessarily better. Saffron is the most expensive spice there is, selling for about $200 an ounce (28 g); so, being able to get away with a 20 mg dose (about 15 cents a day) rather than a 50 mg dose (closer to 40 cents a day) could add up over the long run. Even smaller doses may work too, but they just haven’t been tested.
What about the tiny pinch over a year instead of just three months? Early-stage macular patients were given 20 mg of saffron a day for an average of 14 months and average visual acuity improved by two eye chart lines. They also reported an improvement in contrast and color perception, reading ability, low-light vision, and overall quality of life. The problem is the study lacked a control group; so, it’s hard to put much stock in subjective measures of improvement. Interestingly, a six-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial found no objective acuity improvement in either the placebo group or a 30-mg-a-day saffron group, yet reported that the patients unwittingly in the saffron group gave subjective reports of better vision and general wellbeing. The researchers suggest this may be an antidepressant effect, and indeed, a meta-analysis of a dozen randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of saffron for depression found it beat out placebo, and was found comparable to antidepressant drugs.
The largest saffron vision trial to date was a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial in which 100 older adults with mild or moderate age-related macular degeneration were randomized to 20 mg of saffron a day or placebo for three months, then switched to the opposite group for an additional three months. When on the tiny daily pinch of saffron there was a significant, yet modest, improvement in visual acuity, and this was the case for both those on and off best practice therapy (the beta-carotene free AREDS supplementation), suggesting an additive benefit.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Rhone M, Basu A. Phytochemicals and age-related eye diseases. Nutr Rev. 2008;66(8):465-472.
- Liu Y, Song X, Zhang D, et al. Blueberry anthocyanins: protection against ageing and light-induced damage in retinal pigment epithelial cells. Br J Nutr. 2012;108(1):16-27.
- Sun M, Lu X, Hao L, Wu T, Zhao H, Wang C. The influences of purple sweet potato anthocyanin on the growth characteristics of human retinal pigment epithelial cells. Food Nutr Res. 2015;59:27830.
- Zhu W, Wu Y, Meng YF, et al. Effect of curcumin on aging retinal pigment epithelial cells. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2015;9:5337-5344.
- Nashine S, Kanodia R, Nesburn AB, Soman G, Kuppermann BD, Kenney MC. Nutraceutical effects of Emblicaofficinalis in age-related macular degeneration. Aging (Albany NY). 2019;11(4):1177-1188.
- Park CY, Gu N, Lim CY, et al. The effect of Vaccinium uliginosum extract on tablet computer-induced asthenopia: randomized placebo-controlled study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2016;16:296.
- Kalt W, McDonald JE, Fillmore SAE, Tremblay F. Blueberry effects on dark vision and recovery after photobleaching: placebo-controlled crossover studies. J Agric Food Chem. 2014;62(46):11180-11189.
- Falsini B, Piccardi M, Minnella A, et al. Influence of saffron supplementation on retinal flicker sensitivity in early age-related macular degeneration. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010;51(12):6118-6124.
- Riazi A, Panahi Y, Alishiri AA, Hosseini MA, Karimi Zarchi AA, Sahebkar A. The impact of saffron (Crocus sativus) supplementation on visual function in patients with dry age-related macular degeneration. Ital J Med. 2016;11(2):196-201.
- Piccardi M, Marangoni D, Minnella AM, et al. A longitudinal follow-up study of saffron supplementation in early age-related macular degeneration: sustained benefits to central retinal function. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:429124.
- Lashay A, Sadough G, Ashrafi E, Lashay M, Movassat M, Akhondzadeh S. Short-term outcomes of saffron supplementation in patients with age-related macular degeneration: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. Med Hypothesis Discov Innov Ophthalmol. 2016;5(1):32-38.
- Dai L, Chen L, Wang W. Safety and efficacy of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) for treating mild to moderate depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2020;208(4):269-276.
- Broadhead GK, Grigg JR, McCluskey P, Hong T, Schlub TE, Chang AA. Saffron therapy for the treatment of mild/moderate age-related macular degeneration: a randomised clinical trial. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2019;257(1):31-40.
Motion graphics by Avo Media
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Title
The Benefits of Saffron for Treating Age-Related Macular Degeneration
LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Content URLDoctor's Note
What else can saffron do? See:
- Benefits of Cumin and Saffron for Weight Loss
- Saffron vs. Memantine (Namenda) for Alzheimer’s
- Saffron for Erectile Dysfunction
- Saffron for the Treatment of PMS
- Saffron vs. Prozac
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