Home / Astaxanthin From Microalgae

Astaxanthin From Microalgae

What is Astaxanthin?

Did you know that in order for salmon to reach their spawning grounds, they need the power to swim upstream against strong currents continuously for a week or more? They can accomplish this because their bodies are loaded with astaxanthin, the carotenoid pigment that gives salmon their brilliant pink color, and is also the most powerful naturally occurring antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrient on earth!

Salmon don’t make astaxanthin themselves, but they get it by feeding on the microalgae, H. Pluvialis that produce it. Astaxanthin protects H. Pluvialis allowing them to thrive even in the harshest environmental conditions, including a complete lack of food and water. Luckily, just like salmon and microalgae, you can also benefit from astaxanthin, by taking AstaMatrix® every day.

What Makes Astaxanthin a Superior Antioxidant?

While Astaxanthin shares some similarities with its carotenoid cousins, lutein, lycopene, and beta-carotene, it is by far the most powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory carotenoid of them all! In fact, Astaxanthin is 5 times more powerful than beta-carotene, over 6,000 times stronger than vitamin C and 500 times stronger than vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)!

The strength and potency of Astaxanthin aren't the only things that make it so special, but also how it combats oxidative stress and inflammation!

Provides “Whole Cell” protection. Astaxanthin positions itself across the entire cell membrane, protecting the exterior from free radical attack, the interior where the free radicals originate, and the oxidation prone lipid bilayer.
Controls Multiple Free Radicals. Certain Antioxidants, like Vitamin C or Vitamin E, can only handle one type of free radical at a time, whereas astaxanthin has several covered simultaneously!
Can Cross the Blood-Brain and Blood-Retinal Barriers. The majority of well-known antioxidants out there can’t cross these important protective barriers. This means astaxanthin has the power to impact disorders related to the brain, central nervous system, and eyes!
Never Turns Pro-Oxidant. After Antioxidants do their job quenching free radicals and fighting ROS, they can become unstable themselves further adding to the problem they were trying to resolve! However, the special properties of astaxanthin ensure it always stays stable and never turns pro-oxidant.
Less is More. Clinical studies have found that taking little as 2mg of astaxanthin a day, can reduce oxidative damage to DNA by 40%!

Why Do I Need Astaxanthin?

The fact is, if you are alive and breathing, you are producing free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS), as they are a byproduct of normal metabolic processes. While your body has a built-in antioxidant defense network to keep these harmful substances from causing damage, constant exposure to factors such as pollution, pesticides, medications and processed or fried foods, cause the production of free radicals and ROS to increase to a point where they far outweigh what your defenses can handle. This tipping point is where damage from oxidative stress and inflammation occur in your cells.

Importantly, these aren’t imbalances you can feel initially. Instead, they silently contribute to premature cellular aging and later the onset of chronic health conditions, the symptoms of which you are then left to deal with after the damage has begun. So what can you do? You can prevent the damage from ever occurring, by eating at least nine daily servings of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables in order to boost your antioxidant defenses, or you can take two AstaMatrix® softgels daily!

What Does Science Say?

Studies have shown that astaxanthin has numerous health benefits! In fact, astaxanthin has the ability not only to decrease the risk of particular diseases that are related to oxidative stress and inflammation but has immune stimulating effects. Astaxanthin also supports cardiovascular, brain and joint health prevents premature skin and cellular aging, and improves muscle strength and endurance!