Safe Natural Anti-inflammatory
Inflammation is part of our body’s healthy immune response to foreign antigens. However, it may be harmful if there is prolonged inflammation. Astaxanthin’s ability to travel throughout the body allows it to target a number of high stress inflammatory areas by reducing oxidative stress.
Astaxanthin works to support a balanced inflammatory response by suppressing different inflammatory mediators. These compounds are what potentiate inflammation, which include compounds like necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), prostaglandin E-2 (PGE-2), interleukin 1B (IL01b), inducible nitric oxide (iNO) and nuclear factor kappa-B.
Astaxanthin has been shown to inhibit formation or action of all of these inflammatory compounds as well as exert additional anti-inflammatory effects14-16.
There are many practical applications of this anti-inflammatory effect. For example, during rigorous exercise, there is often a suppression of the immune response along with inflammation. Astaxanthin has been shown to prevent both17. This effect is useful for people who regularly engage in heavy endurance training, intense activities like weight lifting or cross fit, long-duration of exercise training.
Astaxanthin is also useful in supporting individuals experiencing chronic inflammation. “In double-blind, randomized controlled trials, astaxanthin lowered oxidative stress in overweight and obese subjects as well as in smokers’”, one researcher concluded. “It blocked oxidative DNA damage, lowered C-reactive protein (CRP, inflammation indicator) and other inflammation biomarkers, and boosted immunity” 18.