How The Astaxanthin Antioxidant Can Serve As A Valuable Health Booster

Astaxanthin Benefits

Over the last few decades increasing attention has focused on the part antioxidants play in protecting bodily tissue. A substantial body of research points to antioxidants having a highly important role in reducing the risks of a range of life-threatening illness, assisting in the repair of damaged tissues diseases, as well as performing vital healing functions for damaged tissues.

There is also evidence that they can assist in slowing down the appearance of early signs of aging. Thus antioxidants can be viewed like chemical soldiers guarding their position against the attacks of damaging free radical compounds which can cause serious harm to body tissue.

Astaxanthin is rated as one of the strongest of all the antioxidants because it appears to increase the number of antibody-generating cells and in so doing it improves immunization against degenerative illnesses, including Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer's.

It also provides enhanced protection to skin and eyes against the harmful effects of over-exposure to the sun and related ailments.

There has also been some discussion of how astaxanthin might also be useful in fighting arthritis, chronic back pain and even heart disease.

At least one natural health Internet news site claims that it is five hundred times more powerful than vitamin E – a much more widely known antioxidant. It also has the advantage that it does not convert into vitamin A within the body since an excess amount of vitamin A is considered potentially poisonous.

A key source of astaxanthin is the algae eaten by fish and crustaceans; it contributes to the reddish color of these creatures. Because of these properties it is recognized by governments in the United States and Europe as a safe food coloring additive, and it is widely used in this form.

The discovery of its positive role in eye care and in the treatment of low chronic inflammation have increased demand from the natural health market for astaxanthin supplements and there is every sign that this demand is continuing to grow as additional evidence emerges of its usefulness to our bodies.

Salmon is probably the best known source of astaxanthin, but it is also found in good quantities in krill oil, and it can be purchased in supplement form from leading health food stores and over the Internet. Astaxanthin can be produced from synthetic as well as animal sources and therefore even people who abstain from using animal products and derivates can find a way of incorporating it into their diet.