What is astaxanthin?

Astaxanthin is a member of the carotenoid pigment family, which along with a wide range of health benefits also boasts the responsibility for salmon, trout and even flamingoes trademark pink colour!

Clinical and experimental studies have shown that astaxanthin exhibits a wide range of important health benefits including; cardiovascular health, eye health, brain health, skin health and exercise endurance and recovery, among others.

You cannot synthesize astaxanthin in the human body, and therefore you must obtain it through diet or supplementation. Natural sources of astaxanthin include; yeast, red-coloured aquatic organisms (e.g. salmon, trout, shrimp) and the most common form of astaxanthin supplements taken from microalgae.

An interesting fact is that both zoos and salmon farmers rely on “dyeing” salmon and flamingoes to create their pink colour. Only wild animals and fish are a natural pink colour obtained through diet.

Top 5 benefits of astaxanthin?

1. Powerful antioxidant – Boost your immune system

An antioxidant is a compound that inhibits oxidation. Through oxidation, free radicals form, which can cause damage to your living cells through oxidative stress.

Research shows that astaxanthin is more than 65 times stronger than vitamin C and 50 times more potent than vitamin E with regards to its ability to protect cell membranes. It is also 6000 times stronger than Vitamin C and 550 times stronger than vitamin E when eliminating free radicals.

Due to its powerful antioxidant properties, astaxanthin benefits include ensuring the proper functioning of the immune system. It also helps reduce nerve damage due to chemotherapy and limit allergy manifestations.

2. Skin Health

Reducing oxidative stress plays a vital role in promoting skin health and slowing down the ageing process. Astaxanthin’s antioxidant properties, along with its anti-inflammatory effects, help to maintain healthy glowing skin.

Astaxanthin has been described as an “internal sun cream” due to its ability to reduce UV damage to skin cells as a result of sunlight exposure. It has also been put forward that it can reduce wrinkles by improving skin elasticity.

3. Exercise endurance and recover

Astaxanthin aids in reducing lactic acid production and storage, supports mitochondrial function, and as already mentioned, reduces oxidative stress. Due to these beneficial properties, astaxanthin supplements are now used by athletes to boost endurance and aid in muscle recovery by protecting cells and reducing muscle damage.

Did you ever wonder why salmon have the stamina to swim upstream?

4. Eye and brain health

A unique characteristic of astaxanthin is that it can pass through the blood-retinal and brain-blood barrier, therefore allowing it to have a protective effect on these areas. It protects against eye fatigue and as a result, improves visual activity and depth perception. It also believed that astaxanthin protects against eye-related macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of blindness.

5. Heart health

Oxidative stress and inflammation are the leading causes of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (plaque build up inside arteries). Due to astaxanthin’s potent antioxidant properties and anti-inflammatory activity, you can conclude that astaxanthin can play a role in preventing cardiovascular disease.

Conclusion

Astaxanthin is fat-soluble and has no side effects when taken with food. Due to its wide range of benefits and it’s exceptionally potent antioxidant properties, it can be a great addition to anyone’s food supplementation routine. We have only covered the top 5 benefits in this short article; however, astaxanthin boasts other benefits including; joint pain, fertility and many more…