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Astaxanthin information
Astaxanthin for sale
Eyesight Rx with astaxanthin
-- formulated by Ray Sahelian, M.D. for vision enhancement
Astaxanthin is a carotenoid made by plants and algae, and found in marine
seafood such as salmon. Astaxanthin is also available as a food supplement
either by itself or combined with other carotenoids.
Buy Astaxanthin Antioxidant
Carotenoid, Source Naturals, 2 mg, 60 Softgels

Astaxanthin
is a naturally occurring carotenoid that is closely related to
beta-carotene and Lutein. Because of its unique structure, astaxanthin
provides a wide range of antioxidant benefits. Astaxanthin may play a key
role in the protection of cell membranes against free radical attack. Astaxanthin is a natural concentrate of marine algae
Haematococcus pulvialis, which is cultivated in the warm waters of Hawaii.
Recent studies
have indicated that astaxanthin is more powerful than its carotenoid
cousin, beta-carotene, at trapping singlet oxygen free radicals.
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newsletter. Twice a month you will receive a review of
several new studies on various supplements and natural medicine topics,
including astaxanthin supplement, and their
practical interpretation by Ray Sahelian, M.D.
Astaxanthin
Supplement Facts:
Haematococcus
pluvialis Algae Extract [ AstaREAL ] 20 mg
Yielding: Astaxanthin - 2 mg *
* Astaxanthin daily value not established.
Suggested Use: 1 astaxanthin softgel a few times a
week with meals.
Eyesight Rx with Astaxanthin for Better Vision
Supports Healthy Vision
Developed by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Unlike some vision products that provide nutrients and
herbs for long term healthy eyesight support, and prevention of visual
impairment, but don't seem to have much of an effect on visual
acuity, Eyesight Rx was formulated to provide a quick and noticeable
eyesight improvement within days.
Reports from Eyesight Rx users indicate enhanced clarity of vision, colors
being brighter, better focus, and overall improvement in close and
distance vision. We've had reports of some people noticing this effect
within the first day, while most people notice improved eyesight after
several days.
Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid)
Citrus bioflavonoids (eriocitrin, hesperidin,
flavonols, flavones, naringenin,
flavonoids, and
quercetin)
Mixed carotenoids (astaxanthin, carotene, cryptoxanthin,
Lutein,
Lycopene,
Zeaxanthin)
Bilberry
extract (Vaccinium myrtillus)
Eyebright
extract (Euphrasia officianales)
Jujube extract (Zizyphus jujube)
Ginkgo biloba
(Ginkgo biloba)
Suma (Pfaffia paniculata)
Mucuna pruriens
extract (Cowhage)
Cinammon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum)
Wolfberry extract (Lycium Barbarum)
Sarsaparilla (Sarsaparilla Smilax)
Alpha Lipoic Acid
antioxidant
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Astaxanthin benefits
Astaxanthin is likely to be beneficial in conditions where
antioxidants and other carotenoids are helpful. Astaxanthin may inhibit
5-alpha reductase and thus could be useful in prostate health.
Astaxanthin summary
There's little human research available regarding the
exact health benefits of astaxanthin supplements. The ideal dosage of
astaxanthin supplements is not known. However some of the astaxanthin
research listed below is promising.
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Astaxanthin Research Update
A preliminary investigation of the enzymatic inhibition of
5alpha-reduction and growth of prostatic carcinoma cell line LNCap-FGC by
natural astaxanthin and Saw Palmetto lipid extract in vitro.
J Herb Pharmacother. 2005;5(1):17-26. Anderson ML.
Research and Development, Triarco Industries, Wayne, NJ 07470
Inhibition of 5alpha-reductase has been reported to decrease the
symptoms of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and possibly inhibit or help
treat prostate cancer. Saw Palmetto berry lipid extract (SPLE) is reported
to inhibit 5alpha-reductase and decrease the clinical symptoms of BPH.
Epidemiologic studies report that carotenoids such as lycopene may inhibit
prostate cancer. In this investigation the effect of the carotenoid
astaxanthin, and SPLE were examined for their effect on 5alpha-reductase
inhibition as well as the growth of prostatic carcinoma cells in vitro.
The results show astaxanthin demonstrated 98% inhibition of
5alpha-reductase at 300 microg/mL in vitro. Alphastat, the combination of
astaxanthin and SPLE, showed a 20% greater inhibition of 5alpha-reductase
than SPLE alone n vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Low levels of carotenoid astaxanthin
inhibit 5alpha-reductase and decrease the growth of human prostatic cancer
cells in vitro. Astaxanthin added to SPLE shows greater inhibition of
5alpha-reductase than SPLE alone in vitro.
Prevention of diabetic nephropathy by treatment with astaxanthin in
diabetic db/db mice.
Biofactors. 2004;20(1):49-59.
Oxidative stress is implicated as an important mechanism by which
diabetes causes nephropathy. Astaxanthin, which is found as a common
pigment in algae, fish, and birds, is a carotenoid with significant
potential for antioxidative activity. In this study, we examined whether
chronic administration of astaxanthin could prevent the progression of
diabetic nephropathy induced by oxidative stress in mice. The mice were divided into three groups as follows:
non-diabetic, diabetic, and diabetic treated with astaxanthin. After 12 weeks of
treatment, the astaxanthin -treated group showed a lower level of blood
glucose compared with the non-treated db/db group. The results suggested that the antioxidative activity of astaxanthin reduced the oxidative stress on the
kidneys and prevented renal cell damage. In conclusion, administration of
astaxanthin might be a novel approach for the prevention of diabetes
nephropathy.
Antihypertensive and neuroprotective effects of
astaxanthin in experimental animals.
Biol Pharm Bull. 2005 Jan;28(1):47-52.
Astaxanthin is a natural antioxidant carotenoid that occurs in a wide
variety of living organisms. We investigated, for the first time,
antihypertensive effects of astaxanthin in spontaneously hypertensive rats
(SHR). Oral administration of astaxanthin for 14 d induced a significant
reduction in the arterial blood pressure (BP) in SHR but not in
normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) strain. The long-term administration of
astaxanthin (50 mg/kg) for 5 weeks in stroke prone SHR (SHR-SP) induced a
significant reduction in the BP. It also delayed the incidence of stroke
in the SHR-SP. To investigate the action mechanism of astaxanthin, the
effects on PGF(2alpha)-induced contractions of rat aorta treated with
NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) were studied in vitro.
Astaxanthin induced vasorelaxation mediated by nitric oxide (NO). The
results suggest that the antihypertensive effect of astaxanthin may be due
to a NO-related mechanism. astaxanthin also showed significant
neuroprotective effects in ischemic mice, presumably due to its
antioxidant potential. Pretreatment of the mice with astaxanthin
significantly shortened the latency of escaping onto the platform in the
Morris water maze learning performance test. In conclusion, these results
indicate that astaxanthin can exert beneficial effects in protection
against hypertension and stroke and in improving memory in vascular
dementia.
Alpha-tocopherol and astaxanthin decrease
macrophage infiltration, apoptosis and vulnerability in atheroma of
hyperlipidaemic rabbits.
J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2004 Nov;37(5):969-78.
The composition of atherosclerotic plaques, not just macroscopical
lesion size, has been implicated in their susceptibility to rupture and
the risk of thrombus formation. By focusing on the quality of lipids,
macrophages, apoptosis, collagen, metalloproteinase expression and plaque
integrity, we evaluated the possible anti-atherosclerotic effect of the
antioxidants alpha-tocopherol and astaxanthin in Watanabe heritable
hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbits. Thirty-one WHHL rabbits were divided into
three groups and were fed a standard diet, as controls (N =10), or a
standard diet with the addition of 500 mg alpha-tocopherol per kg feed (N
=11) or 100 mg astaxanthin per kg feed (N =10) for 24 weeks. We found that
both antioxidants, particularly astaxanthin, significantly decreased
macrophage infiltration in the plaques although they did not affect lipid
accumulation. All lesions in the astaxanthin-treated rabbits were
classified as early plaques according to the distribution of collagen and
smooth muscle cells. Both antioxidants also improved plaque stability and
significantly diminished apoptosis, which mainly occurred in macrophages,
matrix metalloproteinase three expressions and plaque ruptures. Although
neither antioxidant altered the positive correlations between the lesion
size and lipid accumulation, the lesion size and apoptosis were only
positively correlated in the control group. Astaxanthin and alpha-tocopherol
may improve plaque stability by decreasing macrophage infiltration and
apoptosis in this atherosclerotic setting. Apoptosis reduction by alpha-tocopherol
and astaxanthin may be a new anti-atherogenic property of these
antioxidants.
In vitro effects of astaxanthin combined with
ginkgolide B on T lymphocyte activation in peripheral blood mononuclear
cells from asthmatic subjects.
J Pharmacol Sci. 2004 Feb;94(2):129-36.
This study was undertaken to identify novel approaches to
pharmacological treatment of asthma. Here we hypothesize that the
platelet-activating factor receptor antagonist ginkgolide B (GB) in
combination with the antioxidant carotenoid astaxanthin suppresses T
cell activation comparably to two commonly-used antihistamines: cetirizine
dihydrochloride (CTZ) and azelastine (AZE). These results suggest that astaxanthin and GB
may have application as novel antiasthmatic formulations.
Astaxanthin limits exercise-induced skeletal and
cardiac muscle damage in mice.
Antioxid Redox Signal. 2003 Feb;5(1):139-44.
Dietary antioxidants may attenuate oxidative damage from strenuous
exercise in various tissues. Beneficial effects of the antioxidant
astaxanthin have been demonstrated in vitro, but not yet in vivo. We
investigated the effect of dietary supplementation with astaxanthin on
oxidative damage induced by strenuous exercise in mouse gastrocnemius and
heart. C57BL/6 mice (7 weeks old) were divided into groups: rested
control, intense exercise, and exercise with astaxanthin supplementation.
After 3 weeks of exercise acclimation, both exercise groups ran on a
treadmill at 28 m/min until exhaustion. Exercise-increased
4-hydroxy-2-nonenal-modified protein and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine in
gastrocnemius and heart were blunted in the astaxanthin group. Increases
in plasma creatine kinase activity, and in myeloperoxidase activity in
gastrocnemius and heart, also were lessened by astaxanthin. Astaxanthin
showed accumulation in gastrocnemius and heart from the 3 week
supplementation. Astaxanthin can attenuate exercise-induced damage in
mouse skeletal muscle and heart, including an associated neutrophil
infiltration that induces further damage.
Oral bioavailability of the antioxidant
astaxanthin in humans is enhanced by incorporation of lipid based
formulations.
Eur J Pharm Sci. 2003 Jul;19(4):299-304.
Astaxanthin is a carotenoid with antioxidant properties, synthesised by
plants and algae, and distributed in marine seafood. Astaxanthin is also
available as a food supplement, but, like other carotenoids, is a very
lipophilic compound and has low oral bioavailability. However, astaxanthin
bioavailability can be enhanced in the presence of fat.
Safety of an astaxanthin-rich Haematococcus
pluvialis algal extract: a randomized clinical trial.
J Med Food. 2003 Spring;6(1):51-6.
A growing body of scientific literature indicates that astaxanthin is a
more powerful antioxidant than other carotenoids and vitamin E and may
confer numerous health benefits. The purpose of this investigation was to
conduct a human safety study with a Haematococcus pluvialis algal extract
with high levels of astaxanthin. Thirty-five healthy adults age 35-69
years were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled
trial of 8 weeks' duration. All participants took three gelcaps per day,
one at each meal. Nineteen participants received gelcaps with an algal
extract in safflower oil, containing 2 mg of astaxanthin each (treatment);
16 participants received gelcaps containing safflower oil only (placebo).
Blood pressure and blood chemistry tests, including a comprehensive
metabolic panel and cell blood count, were conducted at the beginning of
the trial and after 4 and 8 weeks of supplementation. No significant
differences were detected between the treatment and the placebo groups
after 8 weeks of supplementation with astaxanthin in the parameters
analyzed, except for serum calcium, total protein, and eosinophils. Although the differences in these three parameters were
statistically significant, they were very small and are of no clinical
importance. These results reveal that 6 mg of astaxanthin per day from a
H. pluvialis algal extract can be safely consumed by healthy adults.
Haematococcus astaxanthin: applications for human
health and nutrition.
Trends Biotechnol. 2003 May;21(5):210-6.
The carotenoid pigment astaxanthin has important applications in the
nutraceutical, cosmetics, food and feed industries. Haematococcus
pluvialis is the richest source of natural astaxanthin and is now
cultivated at industrial scale. Astaxanthin is a strong coloring agent and
a potent antioxidant - its strong antioxidant activity points to its
potential to target several health conditions. This article covers the
antioxidant, UV-light protection, anti-inflammatory and other properties
of astaxanthin and its possible role in many human health problems. The
research reviewed supports the assumption that protecting body tissues
from oxidative damage with daily ingestion of natural astaxanthin might be
a practical and beneficial strategy in health management.
Commercial potential for Haematococcus microalgae
as a natural source of astaxanthin.
Trends Biotechnol. 2000 Apr;18(4):160-7.
As a result of high production costs, commercial products from
microalgae must command high prices. Astaxanthin produced by Haematococcus
is a product that has become a commercial reality through novel and
advanced technology. Cultivation methods have been developed to produce
Haematococcus containing 1.5-3.0% astaxanthin by dry weight, with
potential applications as a pigment source in aquaculture, poultry feeds
and in the worldwide nutraceutical market.
Astaxanthin Supplier
Algatechnologies has AstaPure line of astaxanthin. The company's
newest product is a form of vegetarian AstaPure beadlets. This
gelatin-free astaxanthin solution, which eliminates any concern regarding
the use of beef derivatives, can be used in tablets or hard shell
capsules. Algatechnologies' AstaPure line also includes 10% astaxanthin
oleoresin extracted by supercritical CO2 extraction, gelatin and cold
water dispersible beadlets, which can be used in dietary supplements, in
functional foods and in cosmetics. Astaxanthin, a natural red pigment and
a powerful antioxidant, supports eye health, skincare health, CNS
disorders, etc. The largest producer of natural astaxanthin for human
consumption, Algatechnologies is located in Israel's Arava desert, an
optimal location for algae cultivation due to the high light intensity in
the area all year round.
Astaxanthin emails
Q. I bought an astaxanthin product a few weeks ago. I notice there
is a warning that astaxanthin is not intended for long term use. What is
the time period I can safely use astaxanthin?
A. Each person is different in their need for
astaxanthin, so it is impossible to say how long to take it, but a good
option if your doctor approves is to take astaxanthin every other day and
take one week off per month. This is a very general guideline.
Q. Regarding the warning on "long term use"- what
danger is there in taking astaxanthin in such a way? What constitutes
"long term use"? I'm really excited about astaxanthin supplement but I
don't want to overdose or hurt myself with it.
A. Since there have not been long term studies with astaxanthin
supplement use in humans, we don't know if there are risks to its use. We
are very cautious and conservative in our approach, and we prefer to err
on the side of safety and prevention. It is a good idea to take occasional
breaks from use, For instance, if a person take a week off each month then
that might be a good idea.
Q. I am doing a little personal research on
antioxidants. I came across information on astaxanthin, which seems very
impressive. But as yet I have not been able to ascertain what it's ORAC
(Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) score is.
A. We did a Medline search for the term " astaxanthin ORAC value "
in August 2007 and did not find an answer.
Q. I saw this supplement "Astaxanthin, 2 mg 60
softgels" . I just wanted to know before buying it , if these soft gels
are made from " pork gelatin " If yes , unfortunately i might not be able
to take it , In that case can you please recommend me any other supplement
with high dose of astaxanthin but at the same time " animal especially
pork gelatin-FREE."
A. We are not familiar with an astaxanthin supplement without
gelatin, but there may be some if you do a google search.