The effect of saffron supplementation on glycemic parameters: An overview of systematic reviews

Research output: Contribution to journalReviewResearchpeer-review

  • Behnam Sadigi
  • Reza Yarani
  • Mojgan Mirghafourvand
  • Nikolaj Travica
  • Zahra Yousefi
  • Seyed Kazem Shakouri
  • Alireza Ostadrahimi
  • Majid Mobasseri
  • Pociot, Flemming
  • Sarvin Sanaie
  • Mostafa Araj-Khodaei

Due to the widespread use of herbal medicine and evidence pointing to the health benefits of saffron supplementation, this review was performed to evaluate the effects of saffron supplementation on glycemic parameters and lipid profiles based on previous reviews. Relevant articles were retrieved from various databases, which included PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane until 2020, with no date restrictions. The quality of the included reviews was assessed using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) checklist. Finally, of 877 obtained articles, eight reviews meeting the inclusion criteria were included for analysis. Among the eight included reviews, seven articles were meta-analyses. In addition, one review had an average quality while seven had a good quality. A narrative description of the included reviews was performed, while a network meta-analysis was not conducted. A brief review of the results was reported according to the weighted mean difference and mean difference. Seven included reviews assessed the effects of saffron or crocin supplementation on glycemic parameters, and six examined these effects on lipid profile parameters. Almost half of the articles reported significant effects of these supplements on glycemic parameters and lipid profiles. Taken together, results suggest that saffron supplementation may improve glycemic and lipid profile parameters; however, further high-quality studies are needed to confirm the clinical efficacy of saffron on glycemic parameters and lipid profiles.

Original languageEnglish
JournalPhytotherapy Research
Volume36
Issue number9
Pages (from-to)3444-3458
Number of pages15
ISSN0951-418X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

    Research areas

  • Crocin, glycemic parameters, lipid profile, overview, saffron

ID: 344442347