Saffron 2020 is an approved eye health supplement to help maintain eyesight in macular degeneration

Saffron 2020, as a nutritional supplement has been developed based on earlier research in 2010 that suggested saffron might help protect against failing eyesight in age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, the most common cause of blindness in elderly people. In that study, conducted in Italy, patients with AMD experienced improvements in their vision after taking saffron pills for 3 months.

According to Professor Silvia Bisti, who carried out the research in patients with AMD, “Patients’ vision improved after taking the saffron pill”. This has created a hope that saffron may be the natural answer to stop or delay vision loss from macular degeneration.

AMD currently affects more than 600,000 Britons. This figure is expected to rise to 756,000 by 2020, according to the British Journal of Ophthalmology.  In the US and Europe there are an estimated 20 million cases, making AMD one of the most common causes of vision loss for the over 50s.

The disease affects a tiny part of the retina that controls central and fine vision, making it difficult for the sufferer to see fine details, like recognizing people’s faces, watching television or reading. AMD also adversely affects the ability to drive.

Saffron 2020 contains, among other important eye health ingredients, the same amount of high quality saffron (20mg) used in the Italian study. Saffron can help increase oxygen flow, and prevent retinal cell death by making cells more resilient against this debilitating eye disease.

Lutein and zeaxanthin are the other key ingredients in Saffron 2020. Our body cannot produce either of these, yet in the eye they act like a natural sunscreen to reduce the damaging effect of intensive light, and help protect the retina from oxidative stress.  Despite their beneficial effects, dietary intake levels have fallen both in the Europe and the US.

Resveratrol, which is also found in skin of grapes, mimics the ability of dietary restriction to delay the effects of age-related conditions, thanks to its biological properties.

The same research team in Italy that conducted the first clinical study in patients with AMD using saffron, encouraged by the initial data, continued giving saffron to AMD patients for a total of 15 months, and tested patients every three months. Their new data confirms initial findings that saffron may hold the key for tackling vision loss in AMD. Their recently published, peer-reviewed article shows that “all patients reported an improvement in their quality of vision.” Most notably, taking long term saffron supplements led to, “improvement in contrast and color perception, reading ability, and vision at low luminances, all ultimately leading to a substantial improvement in the patients’ quality of life.”

This new study shows that taking saffron supplements of 20mg per day, long term, presents a safe natural solution to help prevent eyesight loss in old age, and as reported, “no adverse systemic side effects were recorded.”

In Saffron 2020, the main ingredient is harvested from crocuses and formulated with other nutrients known to benefit the eyes; the natural carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin which are found in vegetables, resveratrol which is also found in red grapes, plus antioxidant vitamins and minerals which are known to support the eyes.

Nutritional supplementation with antioxidants and natural carotenoids may help reduce the risk of cellular damage from oxidative stress, maintain healthy eyesight, and may help improve quality of life in individuals affected with poor visual performance, and age-related eye health problems.

Persavita has done its own research and demonstrated that the combination of saffron with resveratrol provides a novel synergistic effect in protecting retinal cells of the eye. Persavita has received a U.S. patent for the formulation of Saffron 2020 and its use in macular degeneration.

This is the first time this effect has been shown and the data from Persavita’s study was presented at one of leading natural products research conferences in the United States in July 2012. This combination of important eye health ingredients in Saffron 2020 provides a unique once-daily natural supplement for people recently diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration.

Saffron 2020 has been based on advanced research findings to tackle the eye disease in its early stages, help maintain eyesight and improve a sufferer’s quality of life. There is no other similar product on the market except for saffron itself.