Saffron benefits for the heart are a collection of saffron’s effect on fat metabolism and its impact on the heart muscles. Saffron can decrease the risk of heart attacks and MI disease. The primary factor of heart disease is LDL sedimentation in coronary arteries, and saffron can regulate and reduce it directly.
In this case, facts and research don’t mean that saffron can treat all heart diseases or can be an independent drug. Saffron can be an ancillary medicine for heart disease only, and with this vision, let’s review the mechanism of saffron’s benefits for the heart.
Saffron Benefits for Heart
- Reduce and regulate cholesterol levels
- Antioxidant properties of saffron
- Anti-inflammatory properties
To obtain a good view of the benefits of saffron for the heart, we categorize its benefits into three sections. Each of these benefits is related to and affected by others. Let’s check the first:
1. Is Saffron Good for Cholesterol?
In biochemistry science, we measure cholesterol levels with their carrier. Lipoproteins are the carrier of fats and consist of soluble ingredients in the blood. The fats group are insoluble in blood and can’t transfer in blood only, so fats join lipoprotein groups and go all over the body.
LDL is one of these lipoproteins which have a high amount of cholesterol and work in bringing it from the liver to our body’s organs. For example, LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) brings cholesterol to coronary arteries, and if it increases function, we will have (MI).
Researches show that saffron can decrease by 50% of LDL, and this has a direct relative to MI risks. Crocetin is a natural carotenoid antioxidant and can affect vascular cell adhesion and decrease LDL cholesterol. Look at to below picture. Saffron can reduce the yellow section in the vessels.
Professor of Biochemistry, University: if we can decrease 1 gram of LDL, the risk of MI will reduce by 1%. It is wonderful and exciting.
2. Antioxidant Properties of Saffron
Saffron is an important antioxidant and can affect our cardiovascular health.
Research shows that flavonoids are one of the most important antioxidants of saffron that can positively affect cardiovascular disease. Results show that saffron can help improve people with heart disease danger. Please read the linked articles.
Also, research shows that crocetin and two compounds of safranal can increase antibacterial and antiviral physiological activity in the body. All of us know what’s mean these activities; these saffron benefits can save us from some viral and bacterial heart attacks.
3. Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Inflammations are a critical mechanism of our immune system against external and internal destructive factors. Do you know why sometimes we don’t like this function and want to go against that? Just know that sometimes inflammations can kill us.
One of the distractive mechanisms of infectious agents such as coronavirus is the indirect activation of the immune system. This activation leads to severe inflammation in the lungs, leading to a decrease in oxygen concentration. A reduction in oxygen concentration leads to heart dysfunction and upset us.
Saffron can regulate the immune system and control inflammatory activity. Many drugs produced for heart health are based on saffron ingredients. You can read this article for more information.
Saffron Benefits for Heart in Traditional Medicine
Traditional medicine mentioned that saffron could increase heart permeability to drugs and nutrients. Recommended treating heart disease using a combination of chemical drugs and saffron. Saffron can also regulate the rhythmic beats of heart nodes, which can help regulate blood pressure.
It’s necessary to mention that saffron has a positive systemic effect on our body’s organs, and this can be useful for preventing and treating heart disease and increasing life quality. So you can use saffron in your food regime and benefit from its properties of saffron.
you can use saffron in the template of saffron drinks such as saffron milk and saffron tea and saffron foods such as saffron rice and saffron sweets.
Myocardial Infarction
MI is one of the highest mortality causes in the world and kills millions of people every year. First, you should know the most important symptom of an MI attack.
- Long term chest pain (more than 30 minutes)
- Shortness of breath
- Vertigo
- Gastrointestinal symptoms
- Fatigue
One of the main symptoms of heart attacks is uncommon chest pain. This pain doesn’t get better by Nitroglycerin and takes longer than 30 minutes.
MI isn’t a rapid disease, and it longs for some months or even some years. One of the most important reasons for this disease is cholesterol deposition in the coronary artery wall. We should do everything that we can to decrease this mechanism, and as we said, saffron can help us in this case.
So, if you are at risk of heart attacks, you can use saffron in your daily food regime and monitor your LDL by medical laboratory test. Of course, this process must be under physician supervision.
