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This naturally derived ingredient must be one of the most exciting things that has ever happened in the world of anti-aging supplementation and nutrition to fight the signs of aging. It belongs to the family of carotenoids and is known to all of us - as the pink color of salmon. Astaxanthin is related to the carotenoid family such as lutein, zeaxanthin, beta-carotene, and lycopene, but that is where the similarity ends. Its chemical structure allows it to uniquely span and protect cell membranes and other similar structures against lipid attack by quickly neutralizing reactive oxygen species (a.k.a free radicals).
Salmon accumulates a very high level of Astaxanthin from their diet, which help protect them from the free radical damaged caused by the environment and the physical stress caused by swimming upstream for spawning.
We can however obtain Astaxanthin by extracting it from marine algae called Haematococcus pluvialis.
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The dietary benefits of Astaxanthin - when using a pure extract, and at least 4 mg per day, can be of great benefit to fight wrinkles and improve skin elasticity, assisting gastric health, reducing hypertension (high blood pressure), enhancing muscle endurance and muscle recovery time. It furthermore helps with Type 2 (II) diabetes as well as eye fatigue.
There is no symptoms of deficiency of astaxanthin, as it is not an essential nutrient required for living, yet it does help fight the signs and symptoms of aging.
There is no RDA for this ingredient as it is not an essential nutrient required to prevent death - yet - research has shown that the optimal dosage of astaxanthin is 4 mg per day - which relates to 200 mg of a 2% extract.
It is of prime importance that when evaluating any Astaxanthin supplement that you ensure that you ingest 4 mg PER DAY - which would require 200 mg of a 2% extract.
Astaxanthin is practically non-toxic in acute animal studies at doses up to 18 grams. When tested for genotoxicity, there was no evidence for mutagenicity in Ames/Salmonella assays nor did it induce micronuclei when tested in vivo up to 2000 mg/kg in mice. There was no maternal, embryo-toxic or teratogenic effects in a teratology study in rabbits given up to 400 mg/kg over most of the gestational period.
No adverse effects were noted in a one-generation reproduction study at doses up to 400 mg/kg in rats. In multiple subchronic feeding studies in rats, astaxanthin did not produce any adverse toxicological effects.
A comprehensive set of studies in both animal and humans clearly constitute a sufficient database to evaluate the potential toxicity of astaxanthin in extracts or algal biomass. The lack of any toxicological findings from any study on astaxanthin is supportive of a reasonable expectation of safety from its recommended use.
Furthermore, an independent expert, Harry G. Preuss M. D. of Georgetown University Medical Centre, has reviewed the available literature through 2001 on the safety of astaxanthin. In his report, Dr. Preuss evaluated dietary, animal toxicity and human studies. His report concludes that astaxanthin, when used in proper doses, is safe and deserves no more safety concerns than the use of other carotenoids.
The best result - for anti-aging - would be achieved when used together with a blend of anti-oxidants - like our Anti-Oxidant Formula.
If you are living a very fast paced and demanding life, and you are looking for an anti-aging way to keep ahead of the game, then this ingredient can be a great help.
If you have a problem with diabetes type II, suffer from eye strain and fatigue (as well as dry eyes), experience gastric problems - including acid-reflux, fighting high blood pressure, wishing to reduce muscle recovery time while increasing muscle strength and endurance plus wanting to fight lines and wrinkles on your face - then look at supplementing your diet with this ingredient.
The manufacturers and patent holders of Astaxanthin claims that its antioxidant effect is 550 times more effective than Vitamin E, 40 times more effective than beta-carotene and 17 times more effective than grape seed extract.
The manufacturers - Fuji Health - has registered a variety of patents on the various applications of astaxanthin, and to have a look at the various patents please click here.
As mentioned, Astaxanthin causes the pink color in salmon, but is extracted from marine algae for human consumption. The marine algae - known as Haematococcus pluvialis - forms astaxanthin due to intense radiation of UV light - to protect itself, yet forming this nearly miraculous ingredient for us to help fight aging.
These are the containers in which Astaxanthin is cultivated outdoors by Fuji Health in Hawaii. |
These containers are used for indoor cultivation of Astaxanthin by Fuji - when sunlight is not available, as at their Swedish facility. |
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