Benefits
Snacking and satiety: fewer snacking episodes than placebo
In one 8-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 60 healthy, mildly overweight women, self-recorded snacking frequency fell significantly more on 176.5 mg/day than on placebo (P < .05). The authors describe a satiating effect, but the abstract reports no satiety score. One small trial, not independently replicated.
Body weight: small difference in one trial, not confirmed elsewhere
In that trial the extract group lost significantly more weight than placebo (P < .01) with calorie intake unrestricted, but other body measurements and vital signs were almost unchanged. A pooled analysis of 25 saffron trials in overweight adults found no significant effect on body weight or BMI, and a 28-day trial of a combination containing this extract found no difference from placebo in body mass.
Combination trial: no detectable change in weight, cravings or hunger
A 28-day randomized, double-blind university trial gave 20 overweight adults 178 mg of this extract daily with 100 mg naringin and 2,000 IU vitamin D3, or placebo. Calorie intake, body mass, BMI, waist size, food cravings, hunger, fullness and mood did not differ between groups. It was small and short, and it tested a combination rather than the extract alone.
Mood and stress-eating rationale: untested for this extract
The trial authors proposed that the extract reduces snacking through a suggested mood-improving effect, since snacking is often linked to stress. The 8-week trial abstract reports no mood or stress measurements, and the 28-day combination trial found no difference from placebo in mood states, anxiety or stress, so for this extract the mood route remains a hypothesis.
Studied only in healthy, mildly overweight women, for 8 weeks
The single trial of the extract on its own enrolled 60 healthy, mildly overweight women for 8 weeks, so it says nothing about men, people at a higher body weight, or use beyond 8 weeks. Findings from other saffron preparations, including mood research on other branded extracts, do not transfer to this one.
Mechanism of action
Proposed mood-mediated route
The trial authors hypothesized that the extract would reduce snacking and enhance satiety through a suggested mood-improving effect, noting that snacking is frequently associated with stress. Mood, stress and serotonin were not reported outcomes of that trial, and a 28-day combination trial found no difference from placebo in mood states, so this is a proposed route rather than a measured one.
Proposed satiety signalling
The authors concluded that the extract creates a satiating effect that could contribute to weight loss. Satiety hormones, appetite scores and measured food intake are not reported in the trial abstract, so how the extract might influence fullness has not been shown.
Saffron compounds and standardization
Retail labels state 88.25 mg of extract per capsule standardized to 0.3% safranal. Crocin and crocetin are other saffron compounds studied for metabolic effects, but how much any one compound contributes to the reported snacking effect has not been tested, and no trial has compared this extract head to head with other saffron extracts.
Non-stimulant profile
The extract is not a stimulant. In the 8-week trial vital signs remained almost unchanged in both groups and no participant withdrew because of the product. Safety beyond 8 weeks has not been studied, so suitability for long-term daily use is not established.
Clinical trials
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 176.5 mg/day of Satiereal (one capsule twice daily) versus placebo for 8 weeks, with caloric intake left unrestricted (Gout et al. 2010, Nutrition Research). The primary variable was body weight; the main secondary variable was snacking frequency, self-recorded daily in a nutrition diary. The same extract is sold in North America as Supresa. The abstract does not state funding.
Sixty healthy, mildly overweight women; 31 on the extract and 29 on placebo, over 8 weeks.
Body weight fell significantly more on the extract than on placebo (P < .01) and mean snacking frequency fell significantly more (P < .05). Other anthropometric measures and vital signs remained almost unchanged in both groups, so the weight difference was small. No participant withdrew because of the product. The abstract reports no satiety score and no mood or stress outcome. One small, short trial in women only, not independently replicated.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 30 mg/day saffron aqueous extract, 30 mg/day crocin or placebo for 8 weeks (Abedimanesh et al. 2017, Journal of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Research). This is a different saffron preparation at about one-sixth of the Satiereal dose, not Satiereal.
84 adults aged 40 to 65 with coronary artery disease.
Appetite decreased significantly within the saffron extract group (P < 0.001) and the crocin group (P = 0.029), and energy and dietary intake fell within both groups while remaining unchanged on placebo; the abstract reports these as within-group changes. Decreases in BMI, waist circumference and fat mass were significantly greater with saffron extract than with crocin (P < 0.001). Lipid profile did not differ at the end of the study. Because the preparation, dose and population differ, the results are not evidence for Satiereal.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial at Hofstra University of a supplement containing 178 mg Satiereal, 100 mg naringin and 2,000 IU vitamin D3 daily for 28 days (Gonzalez et al. 2018, Journal of Dietary Supplements). Measures included body mass, BMI, waist circumference, self-reported food records, Profile of Mood States, visual analog scales and food-craving questionnaires.
Twenty healthy overweight adults (mean age 25.5, mean BMI 29.9); ten on the supplement and ten on placebo, over 28 days.
No significant difference between groups in total calorie or macronutrient intake, body mass, BMI or waist circumference, and none in mood states, food cravings, anxiety, fullness, bloating, hunger or stress. The authors concluded the supplement had no detectable beneficial effect on body-weight management. With 20 people over 28 days it could miss a modest effect, and the extract was given with other ingredients, so the result applies to the combination rather than the extract alone.
Systematic review and meta-analysis of 25 randomized controlled trials of saffron in overweight and obese patients (Tahmasbi et al. 2022, Phytotherapy Research). It pools various saffron preparations and doses; it is not a trial of Satiereal.
Overweight and obese adults pooled across 25 randomized trials of various saffron preparations.
Pooling the trials showed no significant effect of saffron on body weight (-0.32 kg; CI -3.15 to 2.51; p = 0.82), BMI (-0.06 kg/m2; CI -1.04 to 0.93; p = 0.91), waist circumference (p = 0.41) or hip circumference (p = 0.89). Waist-to-hip ratio fell significantly (SMD -0.41; CI -0.73 to -0.09; p = 0.01). The authors noted limitations mainly from heterogeneity among the included studies and called for higher-quality evidence.