Astaxanthin

What Is Astaxanthin?

The red pigment behind salmon flesh, shrimp shells and flamingo feathers. It comes here from Haematococcus pluvialis, a green freshwater alga that turns deep red and packs the pigment away when its pond dries out. There is 6 mg of AstaREAL astaxanthin per serving.

How It Works in the Body

Astaxanthin is a carotenoid, built on a long chain of alternating double bonds with a ring at each end. That chain absorbs light, and it has spare electrons to hand to reactive molecules.

The unusual part is the ends. Each ring carries a hydroxyl and a keto group, both polar. A carotenoid with polar ends can lie across a membrane rather than float in its oily middle, anchored on both faces at once.

What It Supports

• Antioxidant defenses: The conjugated chain takes on reactive oxygen species, and astaxanthin supports the body's antioxidant defenses.
• Cell membranes: Its two polar ends let it span the lipid bilayer instead of sitting inside it.
• Algal origin: Haematococcus pluvialis is where farmed astaxanthin comes from, and where wild salmon get theirs by eating it.

Who It May Suit

People who rarely eat salmon, trout, shrimp or krill, which is where astaxanthin turns up in food. Anyone who wants a carotenoid other than the beta-carotene and lutein already in most multivitamins. The softgel shell is bovine gelatin, so it does not suit vegetarian or vegan eating.

Good To Know

Astaxanthin is fat-soluble and is carried here in olive oil, which is what a pigment like this needs in order to be absorbed. Carotenoids are pigments, so large intakes of any of them can tint skin. Talk with your healthcare provider before use if you are pregnant or nursing, or if you take a blood thinner or blood pressure medication.