Red Threads

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" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

HSI e-Alert - Red Threads

Mon, 23 May 2005 12:48:31 -0400

 

HSI e-Alert - Red Threads

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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May 23, 2005

 

Dear Reader,

 

Morocco, India, Spain, Iran, Azerbaijan, Italy, Turkey, Greece...

 

These exotic locales have one thing in common: The cultivation of

saffron, a spice that's exceedingly difficult to harvest.

 

Saffron is produced from fragile, dark red filaments that must be hand

picked from tiny Crocus sativus flowers that bloom for less than four

weeks each year. The harvest is painstaking; more than 4,600 flowers

net only one ounce of saffron threads. No wonder the threads sell for

$200 per ounce.

 

So, what does the price of saffron have to do with health? Plenty, as

it turns out. In fact, new research shows that saffron just might be

an effective antidepressant.

 

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Mild to moderate

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Most people know saffron as a spice common to Mediterranean, Eastern

and Middle-Eastern recipes. In addition to adding a unique flavor to

foods, saffron has also been used for many centuries as a medical

treatment for a variety of health conditions, including inflammation,

digestive problems, kidney stones, menstrual disorders, colds,

insomnia, asthma and depression.

 

The last item on that list was the focus of a recent saffron study

conducted by researchers at the Tehran University of Medical Services

in Iran.

 

Forty patients who were diagnosed with mild to moderate depression

were recruited to receive either 30 mg of saffron per day or 20 mg of

Prozac per day. No placebo was used. After measuring depressive

symptoms throughout the six-week trial period, both saffron and Prozac

were found to be equally effective in relieving depression.

 

The authors note that the promising results justify funding for larger

saffron studies of longer duration that would include placebo groups.

Neither saffron nor Prozac caused adverse side effects, but that

result would almost certainly be different in a longer trial. Saffron

is considered a generally safe botanical, but should not be taken by

women who are pregnant.

 

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Big guns & botanicals

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Because saffron is expensive, using it daily to address depression may

not be practical. It may also be hard to find high quality saffron in

supplement form. From what I've read, saffron powder is not

recommended because it's often produced with fillers, synthetic

materials or rejected dry saffron stems. As with any botanical

product, a doctor or an experienced herbalist should be consulted

before taking saffron.

 

Still, this new study is intriguing for two reasons: 1) It suggests

that we may have another item to add to the list of natural treatments

for depression (others include St. John's wort, omega 3 fatty acids, B

vitamins and magnesium), and 2) Once again a best selling depression

drug has performed no better than a botanical.

 

In the e-Alert " Two Heads Are No Better Than One " (4/23/02), I told

you about a Duke University study that compared St. John's wort to

Zoloft in treating severe depression. The result: Neither St. John's

wort nor Zoloft were more effective overall than placebo in treating

severe forms of depression.

 

St. John's wort is generally used to treat mild to moderate depression

- not severe depression. Zoloft, however, is frequently prescribed to

treat severe depression, but in an eight-week trial, this blockbuster

drug with sales of more than $2 billion per year was found to be no

more effective than placebo.

 

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Saffron's future

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In spite of the high price of saffron supplements, this botanical is

one to watch. Animal research has indicated that saffron may inhibit

cancer formation and shrink existing tumors while enhancing the

effectiveness of chemotherapy. And other studies have shown that the

anti-inflammatory properties of saffron may help prevent atherosclerosis.

 

I'll be keeping an eye out for further research of this exotic botanical.

 

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....and another thing

 

They say it's much worse than they thought it would be.

 

But is it really so bad?

 

According to a recent survey, Americans just don't measure up when it

comes to these four key health goals recommended by doctors:

 

* Exercise regularly

* Maintain proper body weight

* Eat five or more servings of vegetables and fruits each day

* Don't smoke

 

And according to a Reuters report, the Michigan State University

researchers who conducted the survey were surprised to find that only

three percent of Americans follow all four of these health guidelines.

 

Doesn't sound so good, does it? Only three percent. And this was no

timid little phone survey; it involved about 153,000 subjects who

participated in a U.S. government trial in 2000.

 

But let's look at how subjects answered when asked which of those

guidelines they followed individually:

 

* Exercise regularly: 22 percent

* Maintain proper body weight: 40 percent

* Five servings daily of fruits and vegetables: 23 percent

* Don't smoke: 76 percent

 

Now it doesn't look so bad. Arguably, smoking is the item on the list

that creates the greatest health risk. And only one in four smoke?

That's excellent. And the percentage of non-smokers has been growing

in recent years - obviously a very good trend.

 

The other three categories could use improving, but more than one in

five exercise regularly, and nearly one in four gets the recommended

minimum of fruits and vegetables each day. I thought both of those

categories would score lower.

 

Michigan State researcher Matthew Reeves told Reuters that we need to

do more " societally and in terms of government " in creating an

environment where it's easier to follow the Big Four guidelines.

 

Do more " societally " ? Is he suggesting that healthy people put more

pressure on friends and loved ones? That sounds like the perfect way

to become the relative everyone tries to avoid at Thanksgiving dinner.

Or does he want to see public service advertising on TV with " Get

Healthy! " messages? Are you stifling a yawn? Me too.

 

And government intervention? Please. Let's go to Exhibit A: The new

USDA Food Guide Pyramid. Case closed.

 

I certainly hope that Mr. Reeves isn't suggesting something more

intimidating; especially " in terms of government. " Because you can't

make people be healthy. A lot of people simply don't want to lead a

healthy lifestyle. And that's their right. I once worked with someone

whose father had emphysema and needed to receive oxygen from a tank.

One evening he accidentally set his oxygen tube and himself on fire

while lighting a cigarette. And even THAT didn't convince him to quit

smoking!

 

Someone like that is probably not inclined to eat right and exercise

daily, no matter how many times they hear it's good for them. So let's

not fret too much over the fact that only three percent do all the

right things. Those people are really no different from the emphysema

patient who refuses to stop smoking. They're all just doing what

they're most inclined to do.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

Health Sciences Institute

 

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Sources:

Hydro-Alcoholic Extract of Crocus Sativus L. Versus Fluoxetine in the

Treatment of Mild to Moderate Depression: A Double-Blind, Randomized

Pilot Trial " Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Vol. 97, No. 2, 2/28/05,

sciencedirect.com " A Spicy Treatment for Depression " Kimberly

Beauchamp, N.D., Healthnotes Newswire, 4/21/05, pccnaturalmarkets.com

" Few Americans Follow Health Advice, Report Says " Reuters, 4/26/05,

reuters.com

 

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