Astaxanthin - king of the antioxidants - yet you've never heard of it!
Astaxanthin
This month we introduce Astaxanthin to our range. So what is it?
- Astaxanthin belongs to a family of naturally occurring pigments called carotenoids.
https://youtu.be/wDk5TObVHMI
How is it sourced?
- Astaxanthin is found in abundance in marine animals such as salmon, crab and flamingos that live on astaxanthin containing plankton and micro algae and is responsible for their pink-red colour.
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Haematococcus pluvialis (H. pluvialis), a single-celled green algae, is believed to have the highest capacity to accumulate astaxanthin in nature – it does so under environmental stresses such as starvation, high salt, elevated temperature, or irradiation.
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Astaxanthin produced from H. pluvialis is the primary natural source of astaxanthin and is the source of astaxanthin used in our Asta-Shield product.
How does it work?
- So called 'Free radicals' are formed in the body as part of day to day living (endogenous) and due to pollution, alcohol, tobacco smoke, heavy metals, solvents, pesticides, radiation, UV light and certain drugs (exogenous sources)
- They are like "Tasmanian devils" from the cartoon - Wreaking havoc wherever they touch, causing disease.
- To counteract the damage of free radicals antioxidants are used by the body to soak these explosive chemicals.
- Astaxanthin is one of the best Antioxidants known to man. It is 6000 times more effective than vitamin C which is considered to be a good antioxidant by many commentators.
- This is because astaxanthin (as with other carotenoids) is not destroyed during the process of neutralising free radicals, meaning that it can repeatedly do its thing, quashing disease forming reactions.
BENEFITS
- Whilst research into astaxanthin is still in its relative infancy some human, as well as animal and mechanistic studies have found it to be highly beneficial to the following systems and conditions
MUSCULOSKELETAL ISSUES:
- Reduces pain in joints, tendons and muscles
- Aids Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Reduced Muscle Fatigue from Lactic Acid Buildup During Exercise
FATIGUE
- Astaxanthin provides excellent recovery from exercise
SKIN:
- Reduces UV damage
- Improves moisture & elasticity
- Reduces wrinkles
IMMUNE SYSTEM:
- Improves immune defences
- Reduces inflammation
CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH:
- Improves blood flow
- Lowers blood pressure
- Lowers lipids (cholesterol & triglycerides)
BRAIN:
- Improves cognitive function, memory and learning
- Protects the brain from ischemic stroke
- Benefits for Parkinson & Alzheimer's disease
FERTILITY:
- Improves sperm quality
- Improves fertility
CANCER:
- Suppresses cell growth, proliferation and metastasis
ENERGY
- Astaxanthin can protect and benefit the mitochondria
- Boosting strength and endurance in human clinical trials
Can you get it from natural Sources?
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Yes but to achieve 4mg intake you would need to
consume -
- 6.7 portions of wild pink salmon
Note comparing Asta-Shield to other products:
- Products claiming to deliver 4mg of astaxanthin often only contain 4mg of the bulk oil, with a 10% concentration of active astaxanthin. Therefore,
- These products only deliver 0.4mg of active Astaxanthin
- Astashield AstaPure® pure delivers 42mg of oil per capsule and 4mg active astaxanthin
Note pictures from https://www.milesonveggies.com/