The effects of a saffron extract (Affron®) on mood, sleep, self-esteem, and exploratory measures of physical appearance in women aged 50 to 70 years experiencing low mood and poor sleep: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Authors

Adrian L Lopresti, Stephen J Smith

Published in

Frontiers in nutrition. Volume 13. Pages 1838513. Epub Jun 17, 2026.

Abstract

Depression is commonly accompanied by sleep disturbances and low self-esteem. Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) has demonstrated antidepressant and sleep-enhancing effects in previous clinical trials; however, its efficacy in women experiencing both low mood and poor sleep has not been specifically examined. Furthermore, the effects of saffron on self-esteem and skin health remain largely unexplored.
To examine the effects of supplementation with a saffron extract (Affron®) on mood, sleep, self-esteem, and skin health in women aged 50-70 years experiencing low mood and self-reported poor sleep.
In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 86 women were allocated in a 1:1 ratio to receive either 28 mg/day of a saffron extract or placebo for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) depression subscale. Secondary outcomes included the PROMIS Sleep Disturbance and Sleep-Related Impairment scales, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, a self-report measure of physical appearance, and facial skin age estimated using an artificial intelligence-based application.
Compared with placebo, saffron resulted in greater reductions in DASS-21 depression scores (adjusted mean difference: 2.37; 95% CI: 0.23, 4.51; d = 0.48, p = 0.030). A clinically meaningful improvement in depressive symptoms (≥7-point reduction) was achieved by 48.8% of participants receiving saffron compared with 25.6% receiving placebo (p = 0.026). Saffron was also associated with greater improvements in self-esteem (adjusted mean difference: 1.43; 95% CI: 0.22, 2.64; d = 0.51; p = 0.022) and sleep-related impairment (adjusted mean difference: 2.99; 95% CI: 0.12, 5.86; d = 0.45; p = 0.041). No significant between-group differences were observed for sleep disturbance (p = 0.786), self-rated physical appearance (p = 0.964), or estimated facial skin age (p = 0.473). Saffron was well tolerated, with no serious adverse events reported.
Supplementation with a saffron extract (Affron®) for 12 weeks was associated with improvements in depressive symptoms. Improvements were also observed in self-esteem and sleep-related impairment; however, these secondary findings should be considered exploratory and require confirmation in adequately powered studies. No significant group differences were observed for sleep disturbance, perceived physical appearance, or estimated facial skin age.
https://anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12625000638437p.aspx, ACTRN (registration number): ACTRN12625000638437p.

PMID:
42389708
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 02 Jul 2026.

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