Does saffron help with depression and stress?
Saffron (15–30 mg/day) shows a measurable reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety in studies, with tolerability that appears more favourable than that of common antidepressants.
Saffron (as a standardised extract of 15 to 30 mg per day) measurably reduces symptoms of depression compared with a dummy treatment. On self-reported rating scales, scores fall by an average of just over 4 points. Anxiety symptoms also decrease, with an average drop of 5 points. However, on scales completed by a doctor rather than the patient, no clear effect was found. That is an important distinction: the benefit shows up primarily in how people feel themselves.
Compared with commonly used antidepressants (SSRIs such as fluoxetine or sertraline), saffron produced a similar effect in mild to moderate depression. That is a striking finding. Saffron was also better tolerated: people in the saffron group reported fewer side effects than those taking SSRIs. Compared with a dummy treatment, there was no difference in side effects. Saffron does not replace standard treatment, but for people with mild symptoms it is a serious option worth discussing with your doctor.
A small 8-week study looked at saffron as an addition to an existing treatment, specifically in people with persistent loss of pleasure and motivation (anhedonia). This is a symptom that is difficult to address with standard treatment. The results were encouraging, but the study was too small to draw firm conclusions.
Saffron has not been studied in people with burnout or post-traumatic stress disorder. The findings on ordinary stress symptoms therefore do not apply to those conditions.
This answer is based on several combined analyses of studies in people, including research involving hundreds of participants. Even so, the researchers themselves rated the certainty of the evidence as "moderate at best," and in most analyses there was considerable variation in outcomes between the individual studies. In addition, the risk of bias was low in only 10 of the 31 study designs examined; in the remainder there was some cause for concern. The evidence is therefore present and consistently positive in direction, but not strong enough for definitive conclusions.
Is there a link between depression and a higher risk of dementia?
Depression is strongly associated with a higher risk of dementia, though it remains uncertain whether depression causes dementia or is sometimes an early sign of it. Treating depression appears to lower the risk, so if you or someone close to you is experiencing depressive symptoms, it is worth taking them seriously and discussing them with a doctor.
How does creatine improve mood and wellbeing?
Small studies occasionally show positive signals in depression, but an international guideline based on many studies concludes that the evidence for creatine in mood and wellbeing is currently insufficient.
Does drinking coffee really help against dementia, or is that a myth?
Drinking 2 to 3 cups of caffeinated coffee daily is associated with a lower dementia risk in several large studies, but this is not a proven causal relationship. Adding tea appears to strengthen the association, and decaffeinated coffee adds nothing.
What does long-term stress do to your memory?
Long-term stress harms memory through measurable changes in the brain, and early-life stress raises the risk of memory problems later in life. The better you manage stress, the less damage that accumulation causes.
Does olive oil protect your brain against decline?
Olive oil as part of the Mediterranean diet is associated with a lower risk of dementia. Whether olive oil itself makes the difference cannot be established on the basis of current research.
Does regular sauna use protect your brain against decline?
People who used a sauna four to seven times a week developed dementia considerably less often in long-running research than people who went once a week, but whether sauna is the cause is unknown. If you already exercise regularly and have a healthy lifestyle, using the sauna more often is an accessible addition with a plausible biological rationale.