Pharmactive’s saffron extract reduces psychological menopause symptoms in study

16 Jun 2021 --- Pharmactive’s Affron ingredient, a saffron extract, was linked to improved psychological symptoms in perimenopausal women in a new study. The company says this opens a “new health category” in its offering of evidence-based personalized nutrition targeting specific demographics.

“Affron specifically targets women struggling with psychological aspects during this stage of life, such as low mood, irritability or nervousness, without the necessity of influencing estrogen levels, which may promote problems in some women,” Julia Díaz, head of marketing at Pharmactive, tells NutritionInsight.

Healthy perimenopausal women between the ages of 40 to 60 years old and experiencing menopausal complaints but no severe hot flushes were recruited and randomized to receive either a placebo or 28 mg of Affron in a 12-week, parallel-group, randomized, double-blind experiment.Affron is an all-natural saffron extract that improves mood, relieves stress and supports relaxation.  

From week one to week twelve, there was a 33 percent reduction in stress and a 32 percent decrease in low mood scores. In comparison to the placebo, there was also a considerable reduction in the negative effects of mood.

Good for mood
Perimenopause is a hormonal change that occurs in women in the 40-year range, and it can last up to 10 years.

Hot flushes, night sweats and sleep problems are common signs of this transition, as are changes in cognitive function, performance and mood, including melancholy and stress.

Mood changes are widely regarded as the most clinically debilitating event for women, according to the company.

“Until now, there has been very little scientific knowledge of the effect of Affron on menopause. I would say this arm of research is fairly new. Still, we intend to examine this connection more comprehensively and position Affron as an excellent tool to help manage mood concerns associated with menopause,” Díaz adds.

Affron has already been approved as an official aid for low mood-related issues in the US and the nutraceutical sector. It holds the potential to relieve anxiety and improve relaxation as well as sleep quality.

Mood has taken center stage as one of Innova Market Insights Top Trends for 2021.The market researcher finds 44 percent of global consumers have taken action to improve their mental and emotional well-being.

Natural alternative
Affron was found to not affect vasomotor symptoms or other somatic symptoms, implying that its capabilities primarily focus on reducing the adverse stress effects of menopause without affecting hormones.
The intake of Affron by menopausal women does not interfere with their body’s hormones.  

This eliminates some of the drawbacks of the estrogenic approach and allows Affron to be safely used with other hormone-influencing ingredients.

Additionally, there are no estrogenic chemicals in Affron. Crocins and safranal, the active ingredients, are well tolerated and have been shown to help reduce symptoms associated with mood health.

“These benefits have not been recognized in herbal extracts focused on the balance of estrogens as alternative hormonal therapy replacement,” notes Alberto Espinel, manager of strategic research and development in active and functional natural ingredients for Pharmactive.

“This means that in comparison to other botanical extracts that target menopause symptoms, Affron doesn’t have undesirable estrogenic effects. This is a key advantage for perimenopausal women seeking natural solutions,” he adds.

Industry previously flagged that women are looking for natural or less artificial solutions to assist them achieve optimal health.

By Nicole Kerr, with additional reporting by Katherine Durrell