Astaxanthin For Cardiovascular Health
Updated Apr. 23rd, 2024 | Read Time: 5 Minutes | What You Will Learn:
- Top Health Benefits of Astaxanthin
- Antioxidant Benefits
- Skin Benefits
- Neurologic Benefits
- Cardiovascular and Blood Sugar Benefits
- Other Astaxanthin Supplement Benefits
- Where To Buy Astaxanthin Supplements
- Important Information
- Astaxanthin FAQs
- What is Astaxanthin?
- What Are The Benefits of Astaxanthin?
- Are There Astaxanthin Side Effects?
- Where Can I Buy Astaxanthin in Canada?
Astaxanthin is a xanthophyll carotenoid molecule that gives a reddish colour to various organisms such as microalgae, yeast, salmon, trout, krill, shrimp, crayfish, and some other crustaceans. This nutrient is a potent antioxidant with many different health benefits. Read on to discover them, and learn how to take an astaxanthin supplement.
Top Health Benefits of Astaxanthin
Antioxidant Benefits
Astaxanthin is a type of carotenoid, which means it's related to beta-carotene and lycopene, two other types of carotenoids that make carrots and tomatoes orange and red.
When researchers measured their antioxidant activity against each other, they found that astaxanthin had more significant antioxidant activity than either beta-carotene or lycopene.
This nutrient from the ocean is a potent antioxidant that can protect our cells against free radical damage. Free radicals are produced in your body when you exercise, experience stress, or come into contact with toxins from pollution. When unstable molecules—aka free radicals—come into contact with your cells, they can create a chain reaction that leads to cell damage. These free radicals can damage your skin, causing it to look older and less vibrant, as well as contribute to other diseases such as heart disease.
But antioxidants prevent this damage by donating an electron to stabilize the free radicals. Antioxidants also help reduce inflammation in your body.
This antioxidant protection allows astaxanthin to help to prevent and treat eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and neurodegenerative conditions.
At the same time, this protects the skin against the physical signs of aging, including wrinkles and age spots. Because it is an anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy agent, it is beneficial for maintaining healthy skin, including helping skin retain a youthful glow.
Skin Benefits
Research shows that taking 6 mg of astaxanthin daily can improve skin texture, reduce wrinkles and spots, enhance skin elasticity, and increase moisture content.
Neurologic Benefits
Astaxanthin is highly beneficial in several neurological concerns. It can help prevent and treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's and has also been shown to help recover from a stroke.
Cardiovascular and Blood Sugar Benefits
This nutrient has also been found to help reduce cholesterol levels and lower the risk of developing metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a disease state that involves central obesity, high blood pressure, poor blood sugar control, and unhealthy cholesterol levels. It is also used to treat diabetes and to help prevent diabetic nephropathy. At the same time, current research has found that it protects the heart muscle against permanent damage from a heart attack.
Other Astaxanthin Supplement Benefits
In addition to its health benefits listed above, astaxanthin is effective in the treatment of:
- chronic inflammatory diseases
- gastrointestinal diseases
- liver diseases
- improving exercise performance
- some cases of male infertility
Where To Buy Astaxanthin Supplements
Eating a diet sufficient in astaxanthin containing fish and shellfish, such as salmon, trout, krill, and shrimp can help increase your levels of this beneficial nutrient. However, because our environment puts us in contact with free radicals, it can also be helpful to supplement.
Supplements are most often extracted from microalgae formally called Haematococcus Pluvialis and from the waste shells of commercially prepared shrimp. There is no established dosage for this supplement. So suggested dosages on the label of each product should be followed.
Important Information
It is used in farms across North America as a feed supplement for salmon, crabs, shrimp and chicken to impart a yellow-orange colour to the food. Interestingly, the freeing of this pigment is responsible for lobsters and shrimp turning red when cooked.
The astaxanthin used in farms is often produced synthetically from petrochemical sources. Supplementation has not been studied in pregnant or breastfeeding women, so it should be obtained from food sources instead.
Astaxanthin FAQs
What is Astaxanthin?
Astaxanthin is a carotenoid antioxidant that can be taken as a supplement to offset the effects of free radical damage. It is related to other carotenoid nutrients, such as lycopene and beta-carotene.
What Are The Benefits of Astaxanthin?
It has been shown to benefit the skin by improving skin's hydration and texture while reducing age spots and wrinkles. It also helps the cardiovascular system and eye health and can be used for neurological concerns.
Are There Astaxanthin Side Effects?
Astaxanthin is generally safe. However, it is recommended that pregnant people avoid it.
Where Can I Buy Astaxanthin in Canada?
Most health food stores will carry astaxanthin supplements.
As we age we have been learning that a lot of the predictable outcomes of aging are myths rather than facts. Lifestyle choices, diet, exercise and thought forms factor in greatly as to how we age. Polyunsaturated fatty acids contribute greatly to systemic inflammation and free radical damage affecting joints, eyes, heart, nerves, circulation etc. Astaxanthin does wonders at limiting and reversing much of this damage. Cataracts, macular degeneration joint pain are not death sentences with the right nutrition...astaxanthin! We have benefited hugely from regular astaxanthin supplements. We try to take ones with either coconut oil or olive oil as part of the ingredients.
Hello Peter,
Indeed, it's important to always be learning about our health and different approaches that can work for us, as well as working with different doctors. We're glad you've found our articles helpful, we work hard to provide knowledge on natural health. Astaxanthin has many benefits and it's great to hear it has been helping you. Thank you for sharing. If you'd like to learn more about eye health or natural antioxidants, check out our other articles too.
https://www.nationalnutrition.ca/articles/health-concerns/eye-health/
https://www.nationalnutrition.ca/articles/supplements/antioxidants/
Have a healthy day!
This antioxidant is amazing! It has so many great benefits to it and seems to treat a wide variety of conditions. My favorite being anti-aging, who knew! Also impressed by its neurological, cardiovascular and sugar control benefits as well! It appears that you can get this antioxidant from many seafood sources, are there any supplements i.e. fish oils, etc. that you can also get this antioxidant from if your not a big seafood eater? Would love to know!
Hello,
We're glad you enjoyed learning about this potent antioxidant! Astaxanthin is also found in yeast and microalgae or you can take it in supplement form, which you can find here:
https://www.nationalnutrition.ca/antioxidants/single-antioxidants/astanxanthin.html
Have a healthy day!