The Mediterranean spice saffron is rich in potent carotenoids including crocin and safranal. Previous studies suggest that saffron may have antitumor and antioxidant effects. Now breakthrough research reports that saffron may help treat and prevent eye problems such as macular degeneration. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of age-related permanent vision loss. The macula, a small area of the eye’s retina, deteriorates in AMD, causing blindness. There is no cure for AMD and treatments have limited effectiveness.
The randomized, double-blind study investigated the effects of saffron supplementation on vision. Researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia and the University of L’Aquila in Italy administered a saffron supplement daily to one group of subjects with AMD for three months. They were then administered a placebo supplement for three months. Another group of participants were given the supplements in the reverse order. Eyesight measurements were obtained from the participants.
The researchers found that all of the participants had improvements in their vision while taking saffron. However, the vision benefits disappeared when the participants stopped taking the saffron supplement.
“Saffron appears to affect genes which regulate the fatty acid content of the cell membrane, and this makes the vision cells tougher and more resilient,” says study author Professor Silvia Bisti, a visiting scholar based at The VisionCentre at the University of Sydney, in a news release. “Measurements using objective eye sight tests showed patient’s vision improved after taking the saffron pill. When they were tested with traditional eye charts, a number of patients could read one or two lines smaller than before, while others reported they could read newspapers and books again.”
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