Evidence mapPaperPMID 42389708Full record

Trial reportFrontiers in nutrition2026

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.

Adrian L Lopresti, Stephen J Smith

Abstract readClinical Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Frontiers in nutrition, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Adrian L LoprestiClinical Research Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Stephen J SmithClinical Research Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Depression is commonly accompanied by sleep disturbances and low self-esteem. Saffron ( Objective: 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. Methods: 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. Results: Compared with placebo, saffron resulted in greater reductions in DASS-21 depression scores (adjusted mean difference: 2.37; 95% CI: 0.23, 4.51; Conclusion: 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. Clinical trial registration: https://anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12625000638437p.aspx, ACTRN (registration number): ACTRN12625000638437p.

Indexed as

clinical trialCrocus sativusdepressionphysical attractivenesssaffronself-esteemsleep

Identifiers

PMID42389708
PMCPMC13318664

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.