Phytotherapy research : PTRFeb 11, 2025

Saffron supplements and their effects on blood sugar, fat metabolism, and blood pressure in people with metabolic syndrome and related conditions

GLP-1 Therapies Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗OA ↗

Updated Apr 4, 2026

Abstract

Saffron supplementation produced significant reductions in fasting blood glucose and blood pressure in 1486 participants with .

Fasting blood glucose decreased by 6.67 mg/dL compared to placebo.
Glycosylated hemoglobin A1c dropped by 0.25% with saffron supplementation.
Total cholesterol levels were reduced by 4.77 mg/dL.
Systolic blood pressure decreased by 1.15 mmHg.
Diastolic blood pressure showed a reduction of 1.61 mmHg.
No significant changes were found in insulin resistance, triglycerides, or body mass index.

Simplified

Saffron is a traditional herbal medicine used to treat conditions associated with (MetS). However, the conclusions of relevant clinical studies have been inconsistent. This study aimed to assess the impact of saffron supplementation on the metabolism of glycolipids and blood pressure in individuals with MetS and related disorders. Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Embase were comprehensively searched for studies investigating saffron supplementation for MetS and related disorders up to February 2024. Stata 17.0 was used to conduct the Meta-analysis. Twenty-five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in this study, involving 1486 participants with MetS and related conditions. Compared to placebo, saffron supplementation triggered significant reductions in fasting blood glucose (FBG) (WMD: -6.67 mg/dL; 95% CI: -10.55, -2.78; p = 0.001; I = 50.0%), glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (WMD: -0.25%; 95% CI: -0.35, -0.14; p < 0.001; I = 0.0%), total cholesterol (TC) (WMD: -4.77 mg/dL; 95% CI: -8.83, -0.71; p = 0.021; I = 31.8%), systolic blood pressure (SBP) (WMD: -1.15 mmHg; 95% CI: -1.66, -0.64; p < 0.001; I = 41.8%), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (WMD: -1.61 mmHg; 95% CI: -1.88, -1.34; p < 0.001; I = 7.0%). However, no significant changes were observed for homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC). Saffron supplementation has an improving effect on FBG, HbA1c, TC, DBP, and SBP in patients with MetS and related disorders. Nonetheless, additional high-quality RCTs involving diverse ethnic populations are necessary to validate this effect. 2 2 2 2 2

Key numbers

-6.67 mg/dL

Decrease in Fasting Blood Glucose

Weighted mean difference from saffron supplementation vs. placebo

-0.25%

Decrease in Glycosylated Hemoglobin A1c

Weighted mean difference from saffron supplementation vs. placebo

-4.77 mg/dL

Decrease in Total Cholesterol

Weighted mean difference from saffron supplementation vs. placebo

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Saffron supplements and their effects on blood sugar, fat metabolism, and blood pressure in people with metabolic syndrome and related conditions

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