Astaxanthin is one of the most sought-after antioxidant supplements right now – and for good reason. It is rich in vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant, and is also a substance with anti-fatigue and anti-inflammatory properties, along with a host of other health benefits.
Our natural astaxanthin is extracted without solvents from the microalga Haematococcus pluvialis.
As a member of a group of micronutrients called carotenoids, astaxanthin has a characteristic reddish colour. Eating foods rich in astaxanthin offers a myriad of notable health benefits.
In fact, the effects of astaxanthin on health have been well documented in more than 1,000 peer-reviewed medical publications and journals.
The history of carotenoids
Astaxanthin is one of the many well-known carotenoids. Carotenoids are pigmented phytochemicals found in abundance in plants, bacteria, algae and a plethora of other living organisms. They are one of the most diverse groups of natural pigments, responsible for the bright orange, red and yellow colours found mainly in vegetables, fruit and many parts of plants.
Carotenoids belong to the class of fat-soluble terpenes, compounds also known as tetraterpenoids. They are among the oldest and most studied phytochemicals in the history of biology. In fact, their uses and benefits were being studied in detail as early as the 1800s. The most recognisable member of the group is undoubtedly carotene, often associated with carrots and, by extension, with vitamin A. So it’s not all that surprising that carotene was the first carotenoid to be identified. Heinrich Wilhelm Ferdinand Wackenroder actually discovered it by accident in the late 1820s while studying another phytochemical used as an anthelmintic.
However, it was a famous Austrian chemist, Adolf Lieben, who is credited with discovering carotenoids in human tissue while carrying out research at the University of Palermo in 1863. Today, more than 1,100 carotenoid compounds have been documented. They can all be divided into two broad categories:
- Xanthophylls – these are oxygen-containing carotenoids that usually have a yellow pigment. Astaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin are good examples. Foods rich in xanthophylls include pumpkin, egg yolk, avocado, courgettes, spinach and kale. They are often linked to eye health.
- Carotenes – these are carotenoids that contain no oxygen and are generally associated with orange pigment. They include alpha (α) carotene, beta (β) carotene and lycopene. Foods rich in carotene include papaya, tomatoes, mandarins, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe melon and, of course, carrots.
Whatever their category, all carotenoids have antioxidant properties that vary depending on the compound in question.
What is astaxanthin?
Astaxanthin is an increasingly popular carotenoid belonging to the xanthophyll subclass. It occurs naturally in certain algae, and its colour ranges from red to pink. Astaxanthin can also be found in certain types of seafood. In fact, it is what gives lobster, salmon, fish roe, trout, crab and other seafood their reddish colour. This substance is also responsible for the pink colour of flamingo feathers.
In everyday and technical usage, astaxanthin goes by many other names, including 3R,3'S-astaxanthin, 3R,3'R-astaxanthin, 3S,3'S-astaxanthin, 3,3′-dihydroxy-4, 4′-diketo-beta-carotene, dihydroxy-3,3′ dioxo-4,4′ beta-carotene, Ovoester, micro-alga, microalga, microalgae, astaxantina or astaxanthine.
Astaxanthin is often called “the king of carotenoids” because of its reputation as one of the most powerful antioxidants found in nature. This substance is particularly important because it never turns into a pro-oxidant. This means it can never cause destructive oxidation in the body, which makes it ideal for health and performance.
As an antioxidant, astaxanthin helps reduce oxidation, a natural phenomenon responsible for the vast majority of inflammation in our bodies. If left unchecked, prolonged inflammation can do irreparable damage to our health and well-being. More specifically, inflammation is responsible for premature ageing, brain-related conditions such as dementia, eye problems, heart disease, arthritis and a large number of cancers. As an effective antioxidant, astaxanthin can help fight these diseases and a long list of other health problems.
How does astaxanthin work?
Your body cannot produce astaxanthin on its own, which means you need to get it from your diet or from food supplements. If you prefer to rely on foods rich in astaxanthin, you need to eat plenty of salmon, prawns, lobster, rainbow trout and other seafood.
Seafood, however, may not be a realistic way to obtain a significant amount of astaxanthin. The richest seafood source – sockeye salmon, for example – contains only 4.5 mg of this compound per ounce. That isn’t enough to achieve the desired health benefits. This is why most people opt for food supplements. Those made from the alga Haematococcus pluvialis contain the highest amount of bioavailable astaxanthin: 3% of its biomass is pure astaxanthin. In fact, it is the only supplement approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a safe and viable source of dietary astaxanthin.
Phaffia rhodozyma, a popular red yeast, and certain crustaceans are the two other main commercially viable sources of astaxanthin. There is also synthetic astaxanthin, traditionally used by manufacturers to produce food colourings and fish feed.
So how does astaxanthin actually work?
It’s quite simple and straightforward: it’s an antioxidant.
- 100% natural astaxanthin is 550 times more effective as an antioxidant than vitamin E.
- Astaxanthin is almost 6,000 times more powerful than vitamin C, one of the most important vitamins for strengthening the immune system.
- It is also 550 times richer as a source of antioxidants than green tea or other catechins.
Against this background, astaxanthin is clearly one of the best ways to get antioxidants into your body. As you may already know, antioxidants are important for your body. They play a significant role in human growth, health and well-being. These ingenious compounds have some of the most powerful anti-inflammatory properties.
The antioxidant properties of astaxanthin help explain its health benefits and claims, particularly when it is used to help manage and treat a variety of diseases such as cancer. Biologically speaking, antioxidants are nimble molecules that repair damage caused at cellular level by unstable, harmful molecules called free radicals. These molecules are constantly released during metabolism.
Make no mistake, free radicals have their purpose too. For example, our disease-fighting immune system uses certain free radicals to kill viruses, bacteria and other germs that try to infect our bodies. Unfortunately, free radicals left unchecked can also destroy healthy cells. There is meant to be a delicate balance between free radicals and antioxidants. In fact, it is the job of antioxidants such as astaxanthin to keep free radicals under control.
Anything that upsets this balance can lead to oxidative stress, a state that can be harmful to our bodies. Antioxidants act on free radicals by giving them electrons. This process stabilises and neutralises the free radicals. So, by definition, antioxidants reverse the oxidation process – and therefore prevent oxidative stress from occurring. Persistent oxidative stress can lead to an increased risk of health problems, including neurodegenerative disorders, heart disease and a number of cancers. Prolonged interference from free radicals can help speed up the ageing process.
In our daily lives, we are exposed to several risk factors that increase the formation of free radicals. Certain lifestyle habits and environmental factors promote oxidative stress. These include excessive alcohol consumption, a diet high in carbohydrates, certain toxins, smoking, excessive intake of certain metals (zinc, copper, magnesium or iron), too much or too little oxygen in the blood, air pollution and infections, to name but a few.
