ASTAXANTINE, THE KING OF CAROTENOIDS

ASTAXANTINE IS A NATURAL PIGMENT OF PINK OR RED COLOR THAT BELONGS TO THE LARGE FAMILY OF CAROTENOIDS.

Carotenoids are nutrients known to be powerful antioxidants capable of protecting our cells against attacks by certain free radicals. Furthermore, Astaxanthin is a molecule made by unicellular algae or microalgae (Ranga, Sarada, Baskaran and Ravishankar, 2009; Amos, 2005).

Astaxanthin is presented as a novelty in the world of natural products, arousing great curiosity thanks to its properties and benefits, since it is a versatile antioxidant. Furthermore, it is even more effective in association with other carotenoids, such as vitamin E or beta-carotene. But what is it that makes Astaxanthin considered the best of carotenoids? Let’s see it below.

COMPARISON BETWEEN ASTAXANTINE AND OTHER POPULAR ANTIOXIDANTS

We have commented in a previous article that Astaxanthin far exceeds the rest of the existing carotenoids, and we have announced that we would explain why. The time has come to compare them. The different investigations, reported in the consulted scientific literature (Alam, Xu and Wang (Eds.), 2020; Martin, Jager, Ruck and Schimdt, 2009), regarding the antioxidant capacity, Astaxanthin is considered to have …

 65 times more antioxidant capacity than vitamin C.

 54 times more antioxidant capacity than beta-carotene.

And not only that. As we already explained in our blog why it is important to take ASTAXANTINE, there is a second essential divergence: unlike its carotenoid partners, Astaxanthin does not have negative effects when taken at high concentrations. Other carotenoids, under certain conditions, or at doses of high proportions, can turn against the body itself, acting as a pro-oxidant instead of an antioxidant, causing the damage that they are supposed to block. For this reason, Astaxanthin is considered “The King of Carotenoids”, and the most powerful antioxidant that exists (Alam, Xu and Wang (Eds.), 2020; Christiansen, Lie and Torrissen, 2005).

Consequently, it is stated that Astaxanthin is more effective in removing active oxygen, that is, oxygen in its harmful pro-oxidant form (Camacho, González and Klotz, 2013; Martin, Jager, Ruck and Schimdt, 2009):

• 800 times more effective than CoQ10
• 6000 times more effective than vitamin C.
• 550 times more effective than green tea catechins.
• 11 times more effective than beta carotene.

Clearly, Astaxanthin is victorious in all cases. But there are even more reasons why Astaxanthin is so effective (Alam, Xu, and Wang (Eds.), 2020; Capelli, Bagchi, and Cysewski, 2013):

1. Firstly, because it is able to cross the blood-brain barrier (beta-carotene and some other carotenoids do not provide this benefit).
2. And secondly, because it protects the brain and nervous system from oxidative damage.

Its properties and benefits are produced in many areas of the organism, its positive field of action is really impressive, but this will be the subject of subsequent articles, given its relevance (Ranga, Sarada, Baskaran and Ravishankar, 2009).

We do, however, end by advising the reader on what type of Astaxanthin to buy, and alerting them to the scams that are currently occurring in the market with this product. There are unscrupulous sellers who are giving cat for hare, both in its nature (selling artificial Astaxanthin while advertising that it is natural), and in its content (selling capsules with less proportion – in milligrams – of the product of the ad, for example they advertise 10 mg and the actual content is 4mg, at best), as in the quality of the product itself (they advertise pigment capsules that should be deep red in color, and the capsule contains a white or green powder, you go to know what it really is). Let’s see a series of recommendations below.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO BUY QUALITY ASTAXANTINE

1. Make sure the Astaxanthin formula comes from marine microalgae and not from some type of fungus or petrochemicals. This synthetic and artificial chemical option would be the worst option.
2. Since Astaxanthin is best absorbed with high-fat foods, a formula containing some type of oil or fatty acid is preferred to help maximize its absorption.
3. You should not settle for what the product label indicates. You have to check in the specific information of the product that it corresponds, really, with the photograph or with the information that the advertisement gives us (if they promise Astaxanthin 10 mg, check that the fine print does not indicate 4 mg., For example ).
4. Make sure that the manufacturer does not use chemicals in the manufacturing process.
5. Studies indicate that the intake of 1 capsule of Astaxanthin 12 mg daily provides a good dose to keep our body healthy, away from disease. Make sure that you are buying an amount that will bring benefits to your health, do not buy excessively low doses, which will not benefit you at all.
6. Although krill oil contains Astaxanthin, the amount it provides (micrograms) is not enough to take advantage of all its effects, so it is recommended that you choose a specific Astaxanthin supplement.

Astaxanthin with vitamin E from Algamania meets all the above requirements, since it is ORGANIC, NATURAL, ECOLOGICAL, from the cultivation of Haematococcus Pluvialis. In addition to this determining factor, we must highlight that:

• The pearls that make up our product are liposomal, which provides optimal pigment absorption.
• In addition to this, the manufacturing process guarantees a high-quality product with long-term stability and efficacy (36 months).
• Our Astaxanthin pearls are presented in the form of “beadlets” instead of powder capsules, in order to improve the stability of Astaxanthin, making it easy to ingest and facilitating a healthy digestive system.
• We must also point out that our Astaxanthin is free of chemicals, impurities and residues, since its cultivation has been carried out in bioreactors, it is not open pools.
• Regarding the encapsulation, the utmost care has also been taken to ensure that oxygen does not enter the interior of the capsules. To do this, they are closed with an ultrasonic seal, unlike most capsules that contain plasticizers that promote the entry of oxygen and moisture.

Finally, we must highlight its composition. Algamania is the only Spanish company that has managed to market a 12 mg Astaxanthin. Something that is very interesting if you take into account that, with one capsule a day, you get all the benefits in a single intake (having 60 capsules, lasts 2 months).

This presents a competitive advantage over the competition, that to obtain the 12 mg daily, several capsules must be taken daily, so that the bottle lasts only a few days, depending on its composition (20 days if the capsules are 4mg, 30 days if they are 6 mg.), which means a greater financial outlay.

And always remembering that popular saying full of wisdom: “cheap is expensive.” Astaxanthin is a very expensive pigment to obtain, in dedication and in economic terms.

If you are offered a bottle advertising many capsules, with many milligrams of Astaxanthin per capsule, at a cheap price, you may begin to suspect.

Either the product they offer you is synthetic Astaxanthin, or it does not reach the advertised grams, or it is not Astaxanthin, but a simple powder that you do not know what it is (and that it can even be harmful to your health) . Consequently, it is not trivial to pay attention to the product to be purchased.

The choice is in your hands !!!!

Referencias

Alam, Md.A., Xu, J.L. y Wang, Z. (Eds.) (2020). Microalgae Biotechnology for Food, Health and High Value Productos. New York, NY: Springer Editions.

Amos, R. (2005). Handboook of Microalga. Culture Biotechnology and applied Phycology. India: Blackwell publishing.

Camacho, K.J., González, G. y Klotz, R. (2013). Producción de Astaxantina en Haematococcus pluvialis bajo diferentes condiciones de estrés. Nova, 11(19), 94-104.

Capelli, B., Bagchi, D. y Cysewski, G.R. (2013). Synthetic Astaxanthin is significantly inferior to algal-based Astaxanthin as an antioxidant and may not be suitable as a human nutraceutical supplement. Nutrafoods, 12(4), 145-152.

Christiansen, R., Lie, O. y Torrissen, O. (2005). Growth and survival of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., fed different dietary levels of astaxanthin.  First-feeding fry. Aquaculture Nutrition, 1(1), 189-198.

Martin, H., Jager, C., Ruck, C. y Schimdt, M.  (2009). Anti- and Prooxidant Properties of Carotenoids.J. Prakt. Chem., 341(3), 302-308.

Ranga, R., Sarada, A., Baskaran, V. y Ravishankar, G. (2009). Identification of Carotenoids from Green Alga Haematococcus Pluvialis by HPLC and LC – MS (APCI) and Their Antioxidant Properties. Journal Microbiol. Biotechnol., 19(1), 1333-1341.