Hello and welcome to the Nutrition Diva Podcast, a show where we take a closer look at the latest

nutrition trends, products, and claims

so that you can make more informed decisions about what to eat.

I'm your host, Monica Reinagel,

and today I have a couple of questions from listeners

about specific foods and supplements.

Larry wrote to ask what I thought about Spirulina.

He says it's one of many ingredients in a green powder drink mix that he recently purchased.

But before we dig into that, I also have a question here from Donnie,

who wrote, I've heard that there are benefits to taking saffron

as a supplement, including treatment of Alzheimer's

disease, as well as it being an antidepressants and an anti-convulsant among other things.

Is there any truth to these claims?

There is, in fact, some intriguing research on saffron and its effects on the brain.

It appears to regulate neurotransmitters. It may help protect the brain

against the effects of stress and even promote neuroplasticity. Although this is all

very exciting, the clinical research is still very much in the preliminary stages,

mostly limited to small short duration studies that need to be replicated in larger and more diverse populations before we can feel really confident in their

validity. That said, multiple small trials have shown a moderate improvement in symptoms of depression and anxiety, in some cases

rivaling the impact of prescription antidepressants.

Other small trials have found that saffron led to modest cognitive improvement

in people suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Now saffron supplements should be completely avoided by anyone who is pregnant or could become pregnant.

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