Download the HQ PDF with graphs here
In this article we will highlight how Astaxanthin can help with certain eye health problems. According to the most recent US data (CDC), 2.5% of people over 40 are either legally blind OR have low vision. Sixty percent of the entire US population has some kind of visual correction in the form of lenses, glasses or has had eye surgery. This percentage is expected to be the same in Europe meaning 265M people in the EU. Apart from visual acuity, there are several other eye health problems as Dry eye disease, Cataract, glaucoma, AMD and more.
The most common cause of eye disorders is ageing. Over time the chance of getting eye trauma simply increases and with the body being able to cope less with the consequences of this trauma, the eye will be more prone to developing the different conditions.
One of the major concerns of scientists is blue light and high UV, as this puts constant stress on the eye. Seeing how the society has changed towards one that is almost continuously online, or at least focussed on screens all day, one can predict serious amount of individuals with eye problems in the nearby future.
Prevention of eye issues caused by screen time is important and this market is already taking off with blue light filters, special glasses and supplements.
The incidence of AMD, Cataract, DED, and many eye related problems are higher in individuals that smoke, are overweight and aging. These individuals usually have a higher inflammation status
No wonder that many studies have involved antioxidants to decrease inflammation and reactive oxygen species. In this report we give you an update about the latest studies done with Astaxanthin, a natural antioxidant made from the algae Haematococcus Pluvialis with a special focus on Drye Eye Disease & protection against blue light.
The unstable tear film encountered with DED gives rise to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and an inflammation cascade responsible for symptoms like itching, redness and more.
Several animal & cell-line models have been used to study this condition. In the various studies researchers showed that Astaxanthin reduces ROS & age related markers.
Huang et al (2016) did one of the few RCT's on DED with 2mg Astaxanthin per day and a mix of other antioxidants. 70% of the patients that received the astaxanthin indicated an improvement in their conditions after 16 weeks whereas placebo did not.
Intense blue light has been shown to increase ROS 20-fold in human corneal epithelial cells models. In these same model cell viability reduced with nearly 80% (Cristaldi et al, 2020). Though most research studies use high dosages of blue light to trigger effects, experiments with several cell phone types also revealed 80% increase in ROS in human fibroblasts (Austin et al, 2018).
We can conclude that blue light leads to ROS, which in turn causes of many eye health related problems.
Several clinical trials have been conducted with Screen Workers (SW) who did 6+ hours of screen work per day. In one study researchers addressed accommodation amplitude (AA), the power of an eye to create sharp images which naturally declines during age. The subjects (38-50yrs) took 5mg of Astaxanthin per day with very significant improvement in accommodation amplitude after just 4 weeks.
Download the HQ PDF with graphs here
Natural Astaxanthin as produced by our partner Atacama Bio in Chile comes from Haematococcus Pluvialis and is Naxa Verified. At their Atacama facilities they produce algal biomass in a highly sustainable and cost effective way.
The NatAxtin® family of products contains
PureMassTM powder | Oleoresin 5 & 10% | Microencapsulated PureMass & Oleoresin | CWD Oleoresin | Vegan Soft gels | Vegan Hard Caps
By José Luis Arenas & René van Hoorn
Most of us don’t think about the state of our immune systems, until the temperature drops significantly at the start of the fall/winter season. Fighting of the yearly flu by eating healthy, by getting enough vitamins and working out as the main strategies to have a healthy immune system. How different is this now. In midst of the biggest pandemic since 1918, the immune system is top of mind. And it should be.
The immune system
Our pathogen defence exists of two different subsystems, one being the Innate immune system and the other being the adaptive immune system. Our innate immune system functions like a first and general defence against a wide range of pathogens. If this system functions optimal, chances are you won’t even get or feel sick. Our adaptive immune system is our second defence and specific against certain pathogens. It takes a while for the body to build the antibodies, but once these are formed, the body will usually overcome most of our flu like diseases once infected.
It is good to note that, although both systems work very differently, the body will destroy pathogens using free radicals in either system.
The role of Astaxanthin
Those that follow publications on antioxidants the last decades, may have read on Astaxanthin being one of the world’s strongest antioxidants. You may know that Astaxanthin will fight off free radicals, but how it may support your immune system is lesser known.
1. Builds more white blood cells
White blood cells are part of our first defence. As soon as pathogens are detected, our bone marrow is stimulated to create a high output of these white blood cells but this comes with a challenge!
The production naturally needs substantial energy which is made by local mitochondria. During energy production mitochondria “leak” Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and without proper protection these will cause membrane damage, tissue destruction and low energy production. This will in turn hamper the production of white blood cells.
Astaxanthin has the capacity to span full membrane bilayers and protect against ROS, setting the conditions for optimal white blood Cell Production
2. Increases immune cells: B-cells & T-Cells
In the adaptive immune system B & T cell play a vital role in our bodies defence. A clinical trial done with young female students showed that 2 or 8mg Astaxanthin significantly increased T and C cells after just 4 weeks of supplementation.
3. Reduces inflammation during critical viral infections
During later stages of highly pathogenic viral infections the body can overreact its immune response which can lead to systemic inflammation response syndrome (SIRS). SIRS is a critical situation in the disease state and which can lead to organ failure, usually at the site of infection. Natural astaxanthin exerts powerful antioxidant action that can help combat local inflammation and the development of SIRS, as witnessed by the reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNF-a and IL-6.
Although the research on Astaxanthin’s role on immune system is just developing, we believe the science shows a plausible rationale that can help protect and overcome viral infections. Curious to learn more about Nataxtin® natural Astaxanthin?
Please visit www.nataxtin.cl or www.lusingredients.com in Europe.
You wanted to put Astaxanthin soft gels on the market, but high MOQ's and high investment cost held you back?
Lus Health Ingredients launches Nataxtin® soft gels with an MOQ of only 30,000 soft gels
And as always... these are vegan with an effective 4mg dose of Astaxanthin
SKIN | IMMUNITY | BRAIN | ENERGY | EYE | INFLAMMATION | HEART | SENIORS
Find more info HERE or reach out to (L)US for studies & advice
A recent study of Sophia Z. Liu, et al 2018, with Astaxanthin an elderly showed surprising results on muscle growth. in a randomized clinical trial seniors 65-82 yrs old followed a three month exercise program (incline treadmill walks) with either placebo or astaxanthin supplementation. After the study researchers discovered that only the Astaxanthin group showed a significant muscle strength increase!
As the coronavirus spreads, questions arise on how to reduce your risks of exposure and how to prepare yourself. Effectively fighting off viruses can only be done when your immune system is strong. So especially during this time of viral crisis, it is more important than ever to make the right choices. Strangely enough people seem to be hoarding non-essential food products like crisps, canned goods and bread these days. This, although we all know that eating a healthy diverse diet rich in wholesome foods like fruits & vegetables, supports our body. Some specific nutrients play a vital role in boosting your immune system and in this article, we would like to offer you two ideas as food for thought.
Vitamin D3
Deficiency of vitamin D is actually common in the western world. According to researchers as much as 40% of the population is deficient (<50 nmol/l) with specific groups like elderly in care homes reaching as high as 90%1. Deficiency is associated with increased susceptibility to infections and impacts immune response. In 2008, Japanese researchers conducted a double-blind placebo-controlled trial to investigate the effect of vitamin D3 supplementation on the development of seasonal influenza A in school children2. These children (aged 8-12) where split into two group with one group getting a placebo and the other 1200 IU Vitamin D3. Over the course of the trial period (Dec 1st – March 31st) 49 children got influenza. Only 18 were in the Vitamin D3 supplementation group whereas a staggering 31 in the non-supplemented group, a highly significant difference of 42%.
Astaxanthin
Astaxanthin, a potent antioxidant, plays a major role in balancing the body’s immune response and inducing oxidative stress. Dietary astaxanthin is reported to stimulate immune cells and increases the number of total T and B cells in the blood. A 2010 randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study in Korea assessed the impact of astaxanthin on the immune response3. Young female college students (20.2 – 22.8 years old) all were given one soft gel capsule every morning containing either 0, 2 or 8mg Astaxanthin. After 4 weeks of supplementation, plasma astaxanthin increased to maximal concentrations in a dose-dependent manner as anticipated. The groups taking astaxanthin showed a significant increase in immune cell response as measured by the amount of T and C cells upon stimulation with a mitogen. Additionally, the astaxanthin groups also decreased a DNA damage biomarker and inflammation.
Other important steps to strengthen your immune system
Besides eating healthy and paying attention to specific nutrients like vitamin D3 and astaxanthin, there are more things you can do to strengthen your immune system. Reducing stress, sleeping enough, exercising regularly, and staying away from toxins, all play a role. By taking these steps, we can support our immune system and stimulate our friends and family to do the same! At Lus Health Ingredients we believe that taking care of your body with healthy plant-based ingredients can help build a strong immune system. We offer soft gels with Vegan D3, Astaxanthin and Algal Omega 3 to keep supporting your body.
A good year for Astaxanthin science!
In 2019, a substantial amount of new papers came out, we counted over 50 with a relatively new research area getting lots of attention!
Brain was the main research area of 2019
When we say brain we mean three different areas: cognition, depression and stroke (or neuroprotection). Researchers showed that mood could improve within 8 weeks, that memory may improve and fully reviewed the current science on neuroprotection.
A short overview:
Roughly 20 scientific papers are available free in PDF format, which you can find below
We are proud to announce that Lus Health Ingredients is partnering with one of the key producers in the world of Natural Astaxanthin: Atacama Bio.
Lus Health Ingredients now exclusively represents Atacama Bio Natural in Europe, with the brand NatAxtin™. The privileged location of the company in the Atacama Desert enables a low cost, sustainable, environmentally friendly, and most-close-to-natural technology to produce Astaxanthin as nature intended.
Needles to say, we share the values of Atacama Bio and that is one of the reasons why we think this partnership wille be a great succes. When you share values and beliefs with your partners good things will happen!
José Luis Arenas, CEO of Atacama Bio:
"We have received an enormous energy boost thanks to this partnership. Teaming up with a company that shares our core values with such enthusiasm reaffirms our commitment to people's health and sustainability."
This deal brings together Atacama Bio's strength in producing high-quality natural astaxanthin and our market and product development skills.
Would you like to know more about NatAxtin Astaxanthin? Check our product page, or have a look at the series of articles we wrote on Astaxanthin.
PR newswire & Yahoo Finance
Nutraingredients
Astaxanthin firm joins forces with Dutch ingredients expert to boost sales in Europe
Those who follow Lus Health Ingredients, online or offline, know we are big advocates of natural astaxanthin made from Haematococcus Pluvialis. Recently, we have posted a series on astaxanthin & sport nutrition, found here. Today, however, we would like to turn our attention to the astaxanthin market and what consumers enjoy about the product.
A health ingredient should have a solid foundation in science, but market dynamics and human emotion will be essential for a product to become successful.
We did not invent astaxanthin. Far from it. In fact, it has been in nature for millions of years. The (natural) ingredient itself was first developed for use in salmon feeds, before the launch of the cheaper, and from a health perspective ineffective, synthetic version. Luckily natural algae based Astaxanthin is used in human nutrition. Some great scientific minds in biology developed growing systems to effectively harvest the algae-based products. Now growing is one thing, selling is something else!
And then it happened…. in January of 2011 Dr Mercola appeared on the popular show Dr. Oz recommending Astaxanthin in the segment of the show called “The No.1 supplement you’ve never heard of and that you should be taking”.
What happened was an explosion of attention, also witnessed by a google trend score of 14 to maximum 100 instantly. The impact of the Dr Oz episode was a huge boost for the ingredient and for the sales of major brands.The initial jump in trend score wore off, but always stayed more popular than before 2011. If we compare these data across European countries (with the word Astaxanthin in the local language), it became evident that no country, besides the UK, showed a “Dr Oz – effect”.
For those who are new to google trends, the scale is based upon searches on a term (in this case Astaxanthin) and is a relative scale. Meaning the maximum searches in one specific month (from 2004 onward) = 100%. If we look at the graph above, it seems that the popularity growth in the UK and Germany for astaxanthin is slow but steady and increasing over the last years. Whether the increase in search term popularity is also linked to an increase in sales, like seen in 2011 in the USA, is a likely impact.
There are many brands that sell astaxanthin, pure in a soft gel, or in a formulation. Next to this we see many channels, both on & offline. For the specific market analysis below, we have used US based Amazon data and only for supplements that position astaxanthin as a single ingredient in soft gels. We have collected the inputs through JungleScout, and these are based upon the full month of May 2019
In May 2019 the top 50 brands totaled around 800k USD of sales. The top 2 by itself, Nutrex & Sports Research do together nearly 50% of this turnover, talk about the power of branding!
If we further analyze the collected data we can also get a feel for the differences of the brands & products. The average amount in a soft gel is roughly 8mg, though there is a spread between 4-12mg seen. Eight milligram is actually the maximum allowed daily dosage in Europe though safety studies do not indicate harm above that. The current upper limit in the USA is 12 mg / day.
The amount of soft gels per packaging is highly variable from 30 to 180, though most brands have a 60 or 90 soft gels with an average of 86. This gives, apart from brand value, an enormous variety (of prices) to consumers, something we like to call price confusion. Price confusion allows multiple price positionings even within one brand. Now let’s do some math here, if we take the average amount in a soft gel, multiply that by the number of soft gels per packed unit and the sales in the month of May, we get to 20kg of pure Astaxanthin in one month of sales on Amazon alone. Big question of course, what are the sales in other channels? If you read this and would like to share your thoughts please do!
Is price important for Astaxanthin you wonder? At first glance we would say YES, we all like a good deal, don’t we?
But what makes a good deal for your health and how do brands play a role in that? We believe that a good brand represents values & beliefs that resonate with the customer far beyond the product. Buying is emotion and feelings of trust are critical to make any (first) sale. So, let’s take a look at pricing brackets, as shown in the figure below. The data we collected we expressed as the price per kg of pure astaxanthin. This has some flaws to it as smaller packages are usually more expensive (vs the content you get). Packaging does costs money. We felt, however, this would be a good way to compare all products 1 on 1.
As is demonstrated from the figure below the highest number of products positioned into the market are those at the lowest value, nearly 40% fall into that first bracket, followed by 27% in the second bracket which positions the retail value of pure Astaxanthin around 41.000-71.000 USD per kg. Other price positioning are much less popular, but are going as high as 180,000 USD/kg.
So now that we know about the price positionings on the market, which one is most successful? Meaning creates most turnover? To find the answer, we did two separate analyses. First, we looked at the brackets as above and scored the total value they presented, as can be shown below. It gives a solid picture 80% of all turnover made is in the cheapest category. That’s it. Make it cheap and it sells. However….
If you do a like for like analysis, basically revealing what is actually IN the first bracket, this relationship is totally lost and for good reason. Actually, two good reasons, they are called Sports Research & Nutrex Hawaii, both trusted brands, which we will analyse later on in this report. These two brands are both positioned around 40,000 USD/kg pure astaxanthin retail price – just in the first bracket – and outweigh all others.
For those of you wondering what will happen if you remove these two brands “as outliers”, the answer is: nothing, i.e. it does not improve the relationship between turnover & price. In other words, if you currently have an astaxanthin brand, or are thinking about launching one, be around that 40,000 USD/kg pure - mark and focus on branding.
Those of you know Lus Health Ingredients, know that we love astaxanthin. Not because it is red, grown sustainability but mostly because of the impact on our health. We believe there is substantial amount of science showing health benefits, however, this is not enough to currently substantiate official health claims in Europe.
So can we then talk about what self-reported benefits consumers experience? I think so!
We have taken our two top brands, as mentioned above, and have looked at reviews. Not all, as these products are highly reviewed, with high scores (4,7 average, two brands totaling over 3300 reviews). We have taken a sample of one hundred 5-star ratings that self-acclaim a health effect and found some interesting facts.
If we take the data for the Nutrex Hawaii brand, as shown below, over 34% of consumers report an improvement of joint problems, followed by improvements in vision / eye health (20%) and a decrease in sunburn (19%). These coincide with study results over the years, which might for most consumers the REASON why they started buying it in the first place.
From the Sport Research review data we see the same top 3 appear, though with slightly different numbers. Skin comes out as a 4thcategory (15%). When doing this analysis we believed that the audience for both brands (Nutrex more positioned with regular supplement takers and Sport Nutriton more on athletes) would impact the findings much more dramatic as we have seen here. E.g. the total self-reports of improvements on Stamina, Energy recovery after sports are nearly similar (12 vs 14%).
While you were reading this some points might have already become clear. You want to position you (new) astaxanthin product on the market? Then consider the following from this report:
1. Effective communication of science is important, like seen by the Dr. Oz case
2. Astaxanthin search trend in Germany & UK are increasing, this might be the right time to launch in Europe!
3. Branding is more important than pricing
4. Be around a retail price of 40,000 USD/kg pure Astaxanthin, but too much not higher
5. Consumers report benefits on eye, skin (burn), joints and others. Consider what are your current customers looking for, why they buy from you and what the demographics are?
Get in touch with us to find out more, we offer help in your product design from scientific, market and consumer data perspective to give you the best possible chance of success, the rest is up to you.
We are a young and dynamic B2B company from The Netherlands that believes in the power of natural & plant-based products. Our mission is to inspire those around us to make healthier & more sustainable choices, so we may all benefit. Follow us on Linkedin, visit our website or get in touch directly info@lusingredients.com.
Lus Health Ingredients represent Atacama Bio Natural in Europe, one of the key producers in the world of Natural Astaxanthin with their brand NatAxtin™. Their privileged location in the Atacama Desert enables a low cost, sustainable, environmentally friendly, and most-close-to-natural technology to produce Astaxanthin as nature intended.
The data used to construct our report is based upon our Amazon.com analysis for the USA and Amazon in Europe by interpretation of Germany, France, UK, , Spain, Italy and is a snapshot from the last 30 days. This is done using the JungleScout extension. Google trend was used for global & local trends, whereas consumer review data was analyzed “by hand” through real reviews on Amazon.com.
Today the third and last part of my series on Astaxanthin & Sports. In the last 2 parts I discussed the basics of both
& of exercise as well as some recent studies on sports nutrition and mitochondrial function.
In this part I will try and put the learnings from all studies in chapter 2 (and more) together the look at potential underlying mechanism. After all, it is the question that drives us… what is the matrix? why would an antioxidant, like Astaxanthin, improve power, speed and endurance levels?
Let’s get started!
As was mentioned in the beginning of this blog exercise creates reactive oxygen species (ROS). And, as could be expected from a strong antioxidant like astaxanthin, it decreases oxidation parameters, as can be shown in the figure below. Young dogs were repeatably trained over the course of 8 and supplemented with Astaxanthin. The protein oxidation level after the first training was set as 100%. Now, as can be expected from a well built up training the body starts to cope better with ROS and after 8 weeks protein oxidation is at 87% of the first training, but insignificant. Astaxanthin, however, did significantly reduce protein oxidation which might be a hint upon faster ROS recovery after training.
This is important for athletes: Faster recovery helps increase training frequency and this will lead to a more effective increase in fitness & muscle building. More interesting than the antioxidant effect is something that blew my mind…….
In the same study with the dogs the Astaxanthin group was shown to have a significant increase of nearly 10% ATP. Yes ATP! Energy!! This is critically important and confirmed also by other studies in rats and humans. NOW the impact shown in the randomized clinical trials with humans make more sense. With 10% more energy AND more training capacity (quicker recovery) astaxanthin gives a basis for a real UPGRADE in the metabolic process that is the foundation of our energy management. That should be interesting to all of us and of particulars interest in sports.
So what could be the mechanism behind the ATP increase?
Due to the molecular nature of astaxanthin, it can easily integrate into cellular membranes, also that of mitochondria. Studies have shown that inn mitochondria, astaxanthin has been shown to positively influence the electron transport chain, responsible for the ATP production specifically, complex III. It seems to function as an accelerator, a catalyst almost of the electron transport chain.
Next to this, the presence of the antioxidant directly at the site of free radical / electron production gives immediate protection. This thinking is summarized in the figure below.
Exercise creates the need for more energy output, driving mitochondrial ATP production. With Astaxanthin uploaded in the mitochondrial membrane (takes 4-6 weeks of supplementation with 4-8mg), the electron transport chain produces 10% more energy - in all 3700 mitochondria - in every muscle cell. With the increased energy output, mitochondria will normally also have a higher ROS production leading to more stress to the body and longer recovery periods. With Astaxanthin at the site of ROS production it will work in coherency with the bodies own free radical defense mechanism and recover quicker.
From a biological perspective this absolutely makes sense, at least to me. It mimics perfectly how leaves produce their energy and how they protect their chlorophyll. In leaves chlorophyll is accompanied with (keto) carotenoids as violaxanthin to optimize photosynthesis. Could it just be that Astaxanthin & Mitochondria are the mammal equivalent to the system as seen in leaves? I believe so and it will not be a surprise to most readers that I personally and many around me take astaxanthin on a daily basis.
This ingredient has also been shown to enhance eye health, decrease (joint) inflammation and to be beneficial to the skin. I personally hope you enjoyed reading this report, know that any feedback is welcome!
Want to download the full report as a PDF? click here
Last week I discussed some of the basics of both astaxanthin as well as of exercise and the role mitochondria. As promised, this week we will focus on some recent studies that have come out on sports nutrition and, of course, mitochondrial function. I purposefully did not include any references to the studies. If you are interested in receiving the original studies that have been the input for this blog, just let me know. And yes, also when you are a “competitor” or see yourself that way.
As it turns out, the amount of astaxanthin found in muscle tissue shows a remarkable connection with the ability to perform. In animal studies in which mice were trained to run on a treadmill, the group fed natural esterified astaxanthin was able to run 80 minutes until exhaustion, double that of control or free forms of Astaxanthin.
Although animal studies are helpful I believe that studies with humans are the only way to go. Runners, taking 12mg of astaxanthin per day for 8 weeks during their training, showed findings in line with those in the Mice. After 8 weeks, the control group running on aerobic threshold (AeT) had a heart rate of 153, similar to at the start. The group taking Astaxanthin, however, significantly lowered their heart rate (-15 hearts beats). Similar improved were shown on anaerobic threshold (AT). Every marathon runner would love that I suppose!
The runners from the above study were amateurs, so how will high-level athletes, already on top of their game respond to these interventions?
In a 2015 study, semi-professional cyclists were asked to perform a 20km time trial in the morning without any breakfast, or doping 🙂 Times were recorded and then they were divided into a placebo group and 4mg / day Astaxanthin group. Just four weeks after the first time trial they went on to perform the second with the same starting conditions. Average time for the control group improved with 19s and the power with 1,6W, both insignificant. The astaxanthin group, however, improved a staggering 121 seconds and 20W in power, highly significant changes. Highly recommended for my favorite cyclist Tom Dumoulin this summer!
These remarkable effects are also seen in different age groups. Elderly (65+) are in danger of losing muscle mass, also known as sarcopenia. A lifestyle with exercise & protein rich meals have shown to prevent muscle mass loss and even be able to rebuild. When a group of 65-82 performed weight training during four months Astaxanthin was shown to increase power & muscle mass 7x more than controls as shown in the figure below. Can all grandpa’s please go to the gym as of today?
It wasn’t so long ago that I hadn’t heard of the astaxanthin. I, like so many, responded with Asta-what? Hardly being able to pronounce the entire word, let alone remember it. A huge challenge to popularize any ingredient, I’d say. This was until I starting reading all the science available on it. Well, nearly all, I probably missed a few. I don’t mean the “science” proclaiming it is 300x stronger antioxidant than vitamin C in some model system or chemical assay. That has no value. Real effects, in real people, that is what we are looking for, isn’t it?
In this series of three post I’d like to address impact of Astaxanthin on performance in sports.
To understand the impact of astaxanthin on improved sports performance we first need to understand how exercise impacts us. There are plenty of good reviews on this topic but let’s stick with the most relevant area for astaxanthin: the role of mitochondria. Mitochondria are vital intracellular structures present in each of our cells and are our engines, i.e. they create ATP, also known as energy. They do so by a complex biochemical process that involves beta oxidation of fatty acid through the electron transport chain (ETC) and consequent TCA cycle. During this process mitochondria tend to “leak” a small percentage of electrons from the ETC, but who about cares electrons, right?
Well, these electrons actually create local free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The healthy body is fully capable to deal with these free radicals and employs a variety of strategies to neutralize them including glutathione, superoxide dismutase and catalase. That is the simplified human biochemistry going on in each of our cells just reading this paper.
Let’s now imagine your Sunday morning run, your Tuesday evening gym visit or the sunny bike ride you just took. Your muscles require to perform and so the energy need is highly increased. This also means the mitochondria are working “overtime” creating lots more free radicals than while in rest. What is lot’s more you wonder?
Think about what I said before, every cell has mitochondria. I just did not tell you yet how many. In human skin there are roughly 300-500 mitochondria per cell. In muscle cells 3500. That is right 3500! Imagine the amount of muscle cells we have and now they are all working full speed, creating free radicals 10 or 100-fold to whilst in rest. The body need will try and cope with these but often does not manage. The consequence of the excess ROS can be measured in our blood in the form of protein & lipid oxidation.
Regular, and well built-up, training actually trains our complete metabolic systems and leading to:
- Elevated steady state levels of glutathione, superoxide dismutase and catalase
- Increased responsiveness to free radical formation during (intense) exercise
Most of you that have ever heard of the antioxidant capacity of astaxanthin have by this time a good feeling that I will mention that it will reduce free radicals. But is does so much more as it turns out.
It is helpful to understand some of the basics of the molecular structure and the role of astaxanthin has had in biology & evolution even. Astaxanthin, part of the carotenoid family is a keto-carotenoid. This means it has two more hydrophilic group on each side with a highly saturated and lipophilic carbon chain in the middle (see figure 1). This structure, other than most carotenoids, allows for quick incorporation into membranes, which we will see is quite important.
This keto carotenoid has been present in nature for millions of years, produced by bacteria, fungi and plants (like algae) to protect these organisms against ROS. During the evolutionary period in which fish and mammals came into the world many of the microorganisms were became of their food chain, think of krill, shrimp, salmons and flamingos. Humans, currently, on top of the food chain have always had settlement near the sea and been exposed to Astaxanthin in their diets. Just like omega 3 fatty acids by the way. When you think of Astaxanthin in biology and evolution, an important role in the human body only makes sense. And of course, we are talking about NATURAL astaxanthin, and not the synthetic stuff thrown in the diets of farmed salmon these days as that does not get into the muscles (30x less than natural) and is nearly functionless. If you’d like to learn more about the bioavailability of astaxanthin get in touch with us info@lusingredients.com.
Get the latest insights & best offers by subscribing to our newsletter.
© 2024 | LUS Health
Design RDM Design | Realisatie: DIGIWEDO
