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What does astaxanthin do for the body?

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luna xuu
What does astaxanthin do for the body?

Astaxanthin is the fourth-generation antioxidant. It is precise because of the super antioxidant activity that it occupies a special position in carotenoids. It is the most well-known natural substance against oxidative stress and can effectively eliminate free radicals.

Four generations of antioxidant family

The first generation: Vitamin A, C, E-Three Musketeers of Antioxidant

The second generation: β-carotene, coenzyme Q10, SOD

The third generation: anthocyanin (OPC), grape seed, blueberry extract, green tea (tea extract), lipoic acid, lycopene, etc.

Fourth generation: Astaxanthin

astaxanthin extract

The human body needs to have enough antioxidants to keep free radicals under strict control so that they will not have too many destructive effects. However, as we age, the body's ability to produce antioxidants gradually decreases and the external antioxidants available also decrease, which weakens the body's ability to fight free radicals. If the body's antioxidants are insufficient, too many free radicals will make the cells in an imbalanced state, which becomes the basis for accumulated damage, which will cause cell damage and induce diseases. A large number of studies have proved that natural astaxanthin has potential physiological regulation effects in the human body, which makes it have a good application prospect in nutrition and medicine, especially in the production of functional health care drugs. Based on the strong antioxidant properties of astaxanthin and its potential role in the human body, it can be inferred that supplementing astaxanthin is expected to be an effective way to regulate body functions and maintain human health.

The role and principle of Astaxanthin antioxidant

  1. The damage of antioxidants to free radicals. Although free radicals are widespread in the body, fortunately, the body has many barriers to cover, and it is not easy for free radicals to attack the body. Because enzymes and other antioxidants can fight free radical damage. But if there are too many free radicals, these organisms will not be able to resist it. In this way, external forces must be used to resist and eliminate free radicals. Astaxanthin is an antioxidant substance that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier to kill free radicals in the body, allowing our body to continue to rejuvenate and function.
  2. Antioxidant repairs damage. Antioxidants can not only inhibit the free radicals generated when inhaling pollutants, but also repair the damage caused by free radicals. About billions of oxygen molecules pass through each cell every day, damaging about 100,000 DNA genetic material.

The main effects of Astaxanthin

  1. Immunity enhancement. Jyonouchi et al. (1994) used blood samples from adult volunteers and term newborn infants (umbilical cord blood) to study the effect of astaxanthin on the in vitro production of immunoglobulin by peripheral blood monocytes. The results of this study show that Astaxanthin can increase the production of human immunoglobulins.
  2. Light protection. Compared with β-carotene and lutein, Astaxanthin extract can more effectively prevent the ultraviolet light oxidation of lipids. Therefore, the ultraviolet protection properties of astaxanthin play an important role in maintaining the health of eyes and skin. The skin burns, oxidizes, becomes irritated, immunosuppressive and even cell cancerous when exposed to strong light. Preclinical studies have shown that adequate intake of antioxidants such as β-carotene and α-tocopherol and ascorbic acid from food can reduce these damages. In vitro experiments also proved that astaxanthin's anti-photooxidation ability is stronger than β-carotene and lutein. These research results show that astaxanthin has great potential as an edible photoprotective agent.
  3. Prevention of cardiovascular diseases. In human blood, astaxanthin is carried by very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), LDL, and HDL-cholesterol. In vitro and clinical trials have shown that 3.6 mg of astaxanthin is taken orally per person per day for 2 consecutive times. Animal studies have shown that astaxanthin has the effect of significantly increasing HDL and lowering LDL, thereby preventing some cardiovascular diseases.
  4. Maintain the health of the central nervous system. Experiments on feeding mice with natural astaxanthin show that it can pass through the animal's blood-brain barrier and produce antioxidant activity outside the barrier. Therefore, oral astaxanthin is a good way to prevent neurological diseases such as Parkinson's syndrome.
  5. Anti-inflammatory effect. Bennedsen et al.'s research shows that feeding mice with astaxanthin-rich Haematococcus pluvialis powder can significantly reduce the attachment and infection of Helicobacter pylori to the stomach. For this reason, it has been developed abroad Oral astaxanthin was used as an anti-gastric infection preparation.
  6. Delay aging and protect cells. Astaxanthin can prevent the in vitro peroxidation of rat liver mitochondria, and its efficiency is more than 100 times that of VE, which shows the properties of astaxanthin in protecting mitochondria and anti-aging. Kistler's research in 2002 showed that astaxanthin has the effect of regulating the CYP gene of mouse liver cells, but so far there is no evidence that it has such a regulatory effect on human genes.
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