Effect of Complementary Saffron and Resistance Training on Serum Levels of Growth Hormone, Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 and Testosterone in Young Men

Data shows the positive effects of resistance training on increasing muscle mass, through hormones and increasing metabolic rate and protein synthesis. Considering the increasing trend among athletes turning to chemical anabolic, steroids, researchers are looking for altennative, less harmful substitutes for these individuals. Since saffron is a valuable, well known spice, rich in carotenoids and has been used in traditional medicine for a variety of conditions, Therefore the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of six weeks of saffron supplementation and resistance training on serum levels of growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and testosterone in young men. Thirty young male volunteers, were randomly divided into two groups of experimental and controls (n=15 each) Both groups performed a six-week protocol of resistance training (four sessions per week with an intensity of 60-70% of a maximal repeat). The experimental group received a 150 mg tablet of saffron daily for the duration of the study. Before the training and 48 hours after the last session of the training program, fasting blood samples were taken from subjects to measure hormones. Mean age of the participants in the control and experimental groups was 23.93 and 23.40 years respectively. Statistical analysis showed that testosterone (p=0.001 and 0.001), GH (p=0.01 and 0.003) and IGF-1 (p=0.02 and 0.002) levels increased significantly in the control and experimental groups after six weeks (p≤0.05). In addition, there was a significant difference in testosterone levels (p=0.001) between the two groups after six weeks, a difference not significant in GH and IGF-1 levels (p≤0.05). Results of this study show that saffron supplementation with resistance training can increase testosterone levels in young men.