Astaxanthin

[Alex K Chen]

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constant DNA damage is a fact, and at least knowledge is empowering; thus, we can start doing something about it. Anyway, in 2010, a study looked at healthy 21.5 year old women (on average) that took placebo, 2 mg or 8 mg/day of astaxanthin for 8 weeks. Remarkably, both doses of astaxanthin significantly lowered the rate of DNA breakdown.5 One of the interesting take home messages here is that even people in their twenties are experiencing measurable DNA damage. They are already aging, they just don’t know it.

Seeking more evidence of astaxanthin’s power to combat free radicals, eyeball tissues in diabetic rats were examined for evidence of hyperglycemic induced, oxidative stress damage and its reversibility. Not only do high glucose levels increase the production of free oxygen radicals, it causes the depletion of cellular antioxidant defense capacities. Not unexpectedly, significant damage to the retina and surrounding eye tissues was noted in the control group. By comparison, the addition of astaxanthin to their diet, at a variety of concentrations, was extremely beneficial.

 

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astaxanthin molecule reaches an individual cell, and we’ll get to transport later, it is able to incorporate into both the cell membrane and the mitochondrial membrane. The molecule inserts itself directly into the lipid bilayers, and spans the entire membrane.

Called a transmembrane orientation, this prime location allows the molecule to perform its magic in several subcellular components. As a direct result, astaxanthin is a far more potent free radical scavenger (ROS) than its molecular cousins. It is 200 times that of the other polyphenols, 150x anthocyanin, 75x alpha-lipoic acid, 550x greater than vitamin E, 54x greater than B-Carotene, 6000x greater than Vitamin C, and 800x that of Coenzyme Q.3

 

 

Edited August 10, 2023 by InquilineKea