Why you need this Amazing Antioxidant in your Life!

You probably have heard of antioxidants and their many benefits to the body. Even with all the buzz around antioxidants, you may not have heard of Astaxanthin. What is Astaxanthin? (pronounced asta-zan-thin) Should you consider adding it to your daily skin and health routine? Learn more about Astaxanthin and why it is an antioxidant superhero.

Astaxanthin is one of Nature’s Most Powerful Antioxidants

Astaxanthin is 550 times more potent than Vitamin E and 6,000 times more potent than Vitamin C. Astaxanthin is a naturally occurring component of sea plants (microalgae). It is the reason salmon has a lovely red-pink hue. Flamingos are pink because they eat foods containing Astaxanthin, such as algae and krill. 

For humans, taking astaxanthin daily has many health benefits. It supports skin, heart, vision, and brain health. Astaxanthin also helps protect the immune system, aids in joint and muscle recovery, and even helps your body protect itself from the sun. Taken in supplement form your body can benefit from Astaxanthin’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as it supports whole-body wellness and promotes vibrant healthy skin.

How Antioxidants like Astaxanthin Work with Free Radicals

Free radicals are a sort of cell debris or pollution. As molecules with unpaired electrons, they rob other cells of their healthy electrons, causing damage and contributing to many diseases. The human body is constantly barraged by environmental triggers that can promote free radical damage. It can also happen naturally such as when the immune system fights foreign intruders. 

The goal is to have enough antioxidant defenses so that your body can inhibit most free radical damage and allow healthy cells to flourish. If the body cannot successfully fight free radicals, oxidative stress takes over leading to increased inflammation. 

 One type of free radical that causes inflammation in the body is called reactive oxygen species (ROS). They can damage DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), RNA (ribonucleic acid), and proteins leading to cell death. ROS causes oxidative stress in the body, creating a cycle of inflammation and imbalance that can lead to chronic disease. ROS also significantly impacts skin health creating damage that leads to premature aging.

Astaxanthin Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Astaxanthin's anti-inflammatory properties are extremely beneficial for overall health and longevity. The human body is very susceptible to inflammation caused by various factors, including diet, injuries, stress, bacteria, environmental contaminants, and disease. High inflammation can trigger disease and worsen chronic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, heart disease, and gastrointestinal disorders. It's hard to avoid inflammatory triggers, but you can support your body by improving its ability to fight inflammation through daily supplementation of Astaxanthin. 

1. Astaxanthin for Healthy Skin Care

Skin is the largest organ in the human body, and caring for and nourishing it at every opportunity is essential. The skin plays a vital role in protecting your body, including being a barrier against infection, environmental pollutants, and bacteria. Astaxanthin helps the skin do its job and can be a critical component of a daily skincare routine.

Astaxanthin can help ensure that you have optimal collagen levels in your body. Collagen is a protein that supports and strengthens your skin, muscles, bones, and connective tissues. It's essential to recognize the three key components that keep skin looking youthful to understand how Astaxanthin supports skin health. These three components are collagen, elastin, and glycosaminoglycans. The latter, glycosaminoglycans, are what keep and maintain elastin and collagen. 

 The natural aging process and prolonged sun exposure impact the production of elastin, collagen, and glycosaminoglycans. These negatively affect the skin, leading to early aging and poor skin health. When elastin and collagen break down in the body, the skin cannot stretch and regain its shape as it should. 

Astaxanthin benefits skin health by restoring collagen levels, and its anti-inflammatory properties protect against the further breakdown of collagen fibers. Optimal levels of collagen, elastin, and glycosaminoglycans reduce wrinkles, dryness, and age spots and allow the skin to have a youthful, glowing appearance.

2. Astaxanthin Heart and Cardiovascular Benefits

Heart health is vital for both men and women. Oxidative stress and inflammation are both very damaging to the heart. A daily dose of Astaxanthin can reduce cardiovascular risk factors and help prevent cardiovascular disease. Studies have found that astaxanthin promotes healthy HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol while lowering the oxidation of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol. Oxidized LDL is detrimental to the body because it can cause build-up on the artery walls and cause inflammation in the arteries.

Astaxanthin is also shown to promote healthy glucose metabolism and reduce blood pressure in those with type 2 diabetes. T daily Astaxanthin supports heart health in those with diabetes and can reduce further complications. To protect your heart from inflammation and oxidative stress, consider supplementing with Astaxanthin to boost your overall health and well-being.

3. Astaxanthin Promotes Healthy Eye Function

Like the heart and skin, your eyes are susceptible to oxidative stress from free radical damage. UV (ultraviolet) light from the sun and blue light from electronic screens are harmful and can damage your eyes. Blue light can also cause inflammation that strains the eyes. Your eyes are bombarded daily by light pollution and poor air quality. All these factors can harm vision health, especially in the long term.

Astaxanthin offers unique protection for the eye as one of the more efficient antioxidant compounds. It has been shown to help trigger natural defense proteins thus acting as an anti-inflammatory agent. Astaxanthin helps increase ocular blood flow velocity, allowing the blood to reoxygenate the tissues of the retina and eyeball clearing out toxins and waste more efficiently.

4. Astaxanthin Supports Brain Health

 What makes astaxanthin unique is its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and help protect against neurodegeneration. Continued exploration into the biological properties of this carotenoid has resulted in the discovery of a multitude of unexpected brain benefits, including protecting neuronal memory centers against glucose damage. What separates Astaxanthin from most other oxidant scavengers is that by easily crossing the blood-brain barrier it gains access to parts of the brain difficult to reach.

In a 2017 review published in the journal GeroScience: “Evidence suggests that Astaxanthin may be a useful compound in delaying or ameliorating cognitive impairment associated with normal aging or alleviating the pathophysiology of various neurodegenerative diseases.” 

The powerful antioxidant properties of Astaxanthin h protect brain function by addressing the impact of oxidative stress while improving learning capabilities and decreasing memory impairment and neuronal damage. 

5. Immune System Support

Astaxanthin can support your immune system, helping to activate white blood cells (T-cells) and natural killer (NK) cells. Along with boosting your immune system, Astaxanthin also helps to reduce inflammation. In particular, it reduces proteins that can cause inflammatory diseases like celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes. Chronic inflammation severely impacts the immune system and reduces its ability to fight off foreign invaders such as germs, bacteria, fungi, and toxins. Adding Astaxanthin to your daily routine will help your body operate optimally and stay healthy.

6. Astaxanthin for Muscle & Joint Performance

Research on Astaxanthin shows impressive results for muscle health and endurance, owing to its ability to protect cells and membranes from oxidative damage. It also lowers lactic acid by improving fat utilization, mitochondrial function and by reducing the oxidation of red blood cells.

Maintaining an active healthy lifestyle is critical for longevity. Strong muscles and healthy joints are vital to achieving this. Both can be supported and improved through regular use of Astaxanthin. Astaxanthin has also been shown to provide positive impacts on endurance and muscle damage recovery after strenuous physical activity. While rest is important to reducing inflammation and risk of injury after exercise, natural Astaxanthin can minimize muscle soreness and speed recovery time.

7. Astaxanthin for Sun and Environmental Protection 

Getting a daily dose of the sun has many advantages that can improve your health and well-being. One main benefit of exposure to sunlight is that it enables your body to make vitamin D from the cholesterol in your skin cells and helps your body absorb calcium, which is essential for bone health. Sunshine time also kills certain bacteria, helps reduce high blood pressure, improves sleep quality, and has been shown to elevate and boost your mood.

It is essential to protect your skin from damaging UV rays from the sun and other environmental toxins. Long-term exposure to the sun can lead to skin pigment changes, sun spots, wrinkles, and premature aging. Being in the sunshine for long durations triggers a natural chemical process that makes the body release inflammatory chemicals. When these inflammatory chemicals are released in significant quantities, they can damage the skin by breaking down collagen and elastin fibers. 

Astaxanthin is believed to protect the skin from UV damage by acting as an antioxidant that can reach the epidermis. Thanks to the benefits of Astaxanthin, you can enjoy being outside in the sunshine while reducing the risk of premature skin aging and sunburn. Taking a daily dose of Astaxanthin is good for your skin’s health and should be considered a part of an overall sun protection plan that includes protective clothing, shade management, and sunscreen/lip balms.

Astaxanthin - Final Thoughts

While enjoying the outdoors has many health benefits, it is essential to protect yourself from the sun’s damaging UV rays that create free radicals. As the body’s largest organ, keeping your skin healthy is extremely important to overall health and longevity. A daily skin routine that incorporates both internal and external support is vital. Supplements like Astaxanthin that strengthen your skin’s defenses from within are becoming increasingly crucial in sun protection plans that should also include sunscreens, protective clothing, and proper shade management.

As one of nature’s strongest antioxidants, Astaxanthin is key in helping minimize free radical damage throughout the body. Astaxanthin has been shown to aid in protecting and nurturing your skin while minimizing fine lines, wrinkles, and sun spots leading to a younger, more vibrant appearance. Additional research indicates that Astaxanthin helps support eye, brain, and heart health. It also helps boost the immune system and aids with muscle and joint performance.

In summary, Astaxanthin provides valuable skin and overall health benefits to keep you feeling and looking your best. If you decide to add it to your routine look for a high-quality supplement formulation like,  SunTru ULTRA-3 which contains 10-12 mg of Astaxanthin daily which provides optimal results. So get out in nature, embrace the sun, and enjoy your favorite activities.

Citations

Astaxanthin promotes heart health
https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2021/2/Astaxanthin-heart-health

Astaxanthin: The key to a new you
https://www.clinicaleducation.org/resources/reviews/Astaxanthin-the-key-to-a-new-you/

Astaxanthin: A review of its chemistry and applications
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16431409/

Astaxanthin in cardiovascular health and disease
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22349894/

Astaxanthin slows skin deterioration
https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2018/5/Astaxanthin-slows-skin-aging

Astaxanthin improves glucose metabolism and reduces blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29384321/

Astaxanthin in skin health, repair, and disease: a comprehensive review
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5946307/