The Powerful Health Benefits of Astaxanthin

Quite a few people are already familiar with carotenoids like beta-carotene, lutein and lycopene, but astaxanthin remains quite a mystery to many. It could be because it’s difficult to pronounce, but whatever the reason the numerous powerful health benefits of astaxanthin should not be ignored.

More and more people are starting to take a deeper look into what it means to have good nutrition and are going beyond simply looking at their calorie and macro intake. They are starting to look at the finer details of human nutrition including vitamins, minerals, and most especially antioxidants.

As such, it pays to sit up and take note of substances such as astaxanthin. Let’s look at what you need to know about this.

What Is Astaxanthin?

Astaxanthin, an antioxidant in the carotenoid family, is naturally occurring and found in foods such as shrimp, lobster, crab, and salmon. It’s actually what gives them their pinkish colour. So if you eat these foods, you’re already consuming this nutrient in some doses.

Astaxanthin is often referred to as the ‘King of the Carotenoids’ and has long been acknowledged as nature’s most powerful antioxidant. In fact, when it comes to antioxidant activity and eliminating free radicals, astaxanthin stacks up way ahead of the pack:

• 550 times stronger than vitamin E
• 750 times stronger than CoQ10
• 6000 times stronger than vitamin C
• 500 times stronger than catechins (found in green tea)

The Benefits of Astaxanthin

The carotenoid astaxanthin offers a wide array of amazing health benefits. This is why it’s beneficial for everyone to be consuming it. Young, old, fit, unfit, male, or female, the are many advantages to include it in on your menu.

Reduces Signs of Aging

First and foremost, astaxanthin is a potent antioxidant and helps to eliminate free radicals and protect your cells from oxidation, keeping them young and free from damage. So amongst other benefits, taking astaxanthin helps slow down and reduce the visible signs of aging, including wrinkles and age spots, while also improving skin texture and elasticity. In fact, there is quite a bit of evidence that strongly suggests that astaxanthin is nature’s most powerful ant-aging antioxidant!

Powerful Anti-inflammatory

Astaxanthin helps to reduce the levels of inflammation in the body. Inflammation is currently at the heart of so many different diseases in our society including diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis. Doing all you can to avoid it is a must, and astaxanthin can help you do just that! Astaxanthin is actually as beneficial, if not more so than some of the medications used to treat chronic diseases, the only difference is that astaxanthin is 100% natural so comes with no risk of unwanted side effects.

Together with its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, astaxanthin also supports joint health and can help prevent degenerative brain conditions.

Many people also find that astaxanthin also works as a great pain reliever as well. It helps to block the chemicals in the body that are then relayed to the brain and convert into the sensation of pain, so by blocking these, you reduce your level of pain – and that’s always a good thing.

Increase Energy & Endurance

Astaxanthin can help boost your endurance levels as well. Just as it helped those ocean creatures to swim upstream, it with help you run that extra mile on the track or get in that extra rep on your bench press set.

As is well known, exercise produces free radicals and oxidative stress. So the better your body’s ability to eliminate free radicals, the faster you can recover from your workout sessions. Taken in pure form, Astaxanthin can help to improve recovery, boost endurance, and improve strength and energy levels.

Other Benefits

It’s important to never take your eyesight for granted. Along with not reading in the dark and going for regular check-ups, astaxanthin can also help keep those peepers in their best condition. Astaxanthin may help to reduce macular degeneration, eye strain, as well as eye fatigue when used on a daily basis.

In addition, many women find astaxanthin especially beneficial for reducing the discomfort of monthly PMS symptoms. So if you are a woman who is suffering from this a few days a month, it’s most definitely something you should consider.

There are so many benefits to be had from including astaxanthin in your diet plan. While you can attempt to get it from food sources naturally, you may find it hard to get in enough of what you need, so you’ll find it far easier if you simply use supplements instead. Supplementation offers astaxanthin in its most pure and natural form, so you’ll get a concentrated dose quickly and easily.

So as you can see, astaxanthin is definitely a supplement that shouldn't be overlooked!

...and remember, qualified nutritionists at Healthy Being are available to offer further general advice to help guide you in selecting the right products. So please, feel free to contact us at any time!

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Dr Peter Succar heads up the Product Research Team at Healthy Being and is an enthusiastic Health & Fitness Lifestyle Coach. He's passionate about helping others obtain optimum health, advocating realistic and achievable changes in diets and lifestyles that promote the body’s natural immunity, its ability to self-heal and achieve overall mental and physical well-being.