What is astaxanthin anyway? It is a carotenoid and a powerful antioxidant. Have you ever wondered why flamingos are pink? They get their color from the astaxanthin in their diet. This is also one of the reasons why salmon has a pinkish color.
Astaxanthin originally comes from a microalgae called Haematococcus pluvialis. The reason you can find it in many animals, especially in marine animals is because they eat this plant and then digest it, thereby getting more astaxanthin in their bodies.
Best Food Sources
The best foods for this impressive carotenoid are marine plants, salmon, shrimp, trout and other seafoods. You do not need a lot to take advantage of the health benefits of astaxanthin, but most people are not getting enough, which is where the problem is.
The Benefits
As I mentioned earlier, astaxanthin is an antioxidant that protects your cells against oxidative damage, which means that it also helps reduce the aging of your skin and body.
Other benefits of astaxanthin that have been proven by scientific research are:
o Protects your brain, eyes and nervous system
o Improves athletic performance
o Improves vision
o Reduces wrinkles and fine lines from the inside out
o Increases strength
o Alleviates stress
o Prevents the formation of cancer cells
Side-Effects
No toxic side-effects from overdose or anything similar has been found by scientists. There are however precautions that you should take.
If you’re allergic or sensitive to carotenoids in particular, you should talk to your doctor before you do anything.
You should also avoid taking it if you’re pregnant, as it may have an effect on your hormones and internal systems.
It may also interact with some medications, so if you’re currently taking medication for asthma, birth control, cholesterol or menopause, you might should contact your physician.
Best Way to Take Astaxanthin
One of the best ways to take advantage of not only the benefits of astaxanthin, but also other nutrients that you may be deficient in is to find a high quality multivitamin supplement.
I personally use on that contains natural herbs, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants and specialty ingredients such as astaxanthin.
Researchers have discovered that when you blend certain ingredients in the proper quantities, there occurs a beneficial effect which enhances the benefits many times over, compared to regular supplements.
There have been a lot of advances made in nutritional science, so many good products are available today. I highly recommend you look into them, because they can really boost your health and wellbeing, just like they have for me.