Herbal Nutritious Store For Good Health

What is Astaxanthin?

Astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant, belongs to a group of pigments called carotenoids. Carotenoids, such as the better known beta carotene, give some foods such as carrots and bell peppers their vibrant color. Astaxanthin is used in the feed of farm-raised salmon to give their flesh the same pink color of wild salmon, and in poultry feed to augment the yellow color of egg yolks.
I’m working on an entire report on astaxanthin where I’ll go into detail about this miraculous substances. But the short version is as follows:

• Virtually eliminates arthritis pain for many people
• Eases or eliminates chronic back pain
• Accelerates muscle healing for strength trainers, weekend warriors, and people who get sore easily (I use it following my strenuous gymnastics workouts, and my soreness recovery time has been cut in half)
• Functions as an internal sunscreen to enhance your tolerance of sun exposure
• Offers powerful protection for the eyes and prevents macular degeneration
• Prevents heart disease due to oxidative damage
• Boosts immune system function
• Reduces pain from carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive motion injuries
• Protects the nervous system from degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s Disease
• Multiplies the effects of vitamin E and vitamin C in your body
• Enhances athletic performance: both strength and endurance
• Lowers LDL cholesterol

Astaxanthin in Seafood:

Astaxanthin in Seafood:Astaxanthin is a carotenoids pigment found in a number of aquatic animals.
Many types of fish and crustaceans, including trout, salmon, red sea bream, shrimp, and lobster, accumulate astaxanthin in their tissues and skin.
Astaxanthin plays many important biological functions in these species, including:

• Improved protection against oxidation and photo-oxidation,
• Reproduction and development,
• Immune response,
• Resistance to disease,
• Reproductive behavior, and
• Communication.

In nature, the type of tissues astaxanthin is associated with affects the color of astaxanthin.
In most cases, astaxanthin has a bright red-orange to pinkish tinge, but in some live crustaceans, the astaxanthin molecule is bound to a protein. This bond affects the color and explains the dark blue-green we admire in live Maine lobster.
However, during the cooking process, the bond between the protein and astaxanthin is disrupted allowing us to see the red-orange color of astaxanthin.
Because astaxanthin is commonly found in some of our favorite and most healthy foods, such as salmon or other types of seafood, it naturally occurs in small amounts in the human diet.

Interestingly, salmon is the main source of protein among native Alaskans and has been associated with their low rate of ischaemic heart disease mortality.

Benefits:

Astaxanthin has been shown to help prevent cancer, help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, and help protect the retina from age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Astaxanthin may also help in the prevention and/or treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and spinal cord injuries. While many animal studies have shown to be very promising, more research must be done to determine if humans may reap the same benefits.

In one human study, astaxanthin was shown to help improve exercise performance. More research is necessary.