Most people are familiar with beta carotene, a carotenoid, however, most people are surprised to learn that there are more than 600 carotenoids. Carotenoids are natural pigments that are high in plants like squash, carrots, pumpkins as well as algae and microorganisms.
Astaxatnhin is naturally produced by algae, bacteria and fungi and is often associated with a pink or red color. For example, salmon, crab, lobster, shrimp owe their distinct color to astaxanthin. Even pink flamingos have their unique color from astaxanthin as they eat astaxanthin producing organisms.
Astaxanthin has been acknowledged to have potent antioxidant properties as it can scavenge for free radicals without evidence that it is a pro-oxidant.
A study recently published in Nutrition Research tested astaxanthin for defending against age related changes in the skin.
Here are more studies on carotenoids and their health benefits.
Here are the study details
– Study design: Open label design with 31 subjects enrolled in the study
– Subjects: Clinically healthy adult white men and women older than 40 years were considered for recruitment;
– Dose: 4-mg daily doses of astaxanthin taken with the main evening meal for 4 weeks (from day 1 to day 28 of the study). This dose corresponds to the highest daily amount of astaxanthin approved by the European Food Safety Authority.
– Outcomes: MDA (malondialdehyde) a marker of systemic oxidative stress, skin shedding, and microbial presence on the skin.
Here are the main results
– MDA concentrations decreased from Day 0 (100%) by Day 29 (78.3%). This represents a 21.7% drop in blood levels of MDA suggesting a decrease in oxidative stress.
– Corneocyte desquamation (skin shedding) were found to decrease over 29 days and was statistically significant (P =0.0075). *
– Decrease in microbial presence was observed over 29 days and was statistically significant (P = 0.0214). *
*All described changes correspond to a shift toward characteristics of skin associated with a younger age.
Here are comments by the authors
It can be concluded that by demonstrating that continuous consumption of astaxanthin for only 4 weeks resulted in RSSC changes consistent with the reversal of aging process, we have successfully confirmed our hypothesis, which can thus be accepted.
and
We must admit that this study had limitations. There was no separate control (placebo) group, but by using the longitudinal (“before-after”) design, we assured that the initial (presupplementation) point of the study served as an internal control for post intervention measurements done in each study participant.
And
Although we strongly believe that these findings are very useful for developing new approaches to skin aging prevention, larger studies are needed for further characterizing the described phenomena.
Take away message
The results of this study suggest that 4 mg of daily astaxanthin over 4 weeks can decrease blood levels of MDA, a marker of oxidative stress, by 21%. Additional changes associated with younger skin were also observed including skin shedding and microbial levels of the skin. Future studies will be helpful for deteriming the potential of astaxanthin for improving skin health.
Reference
Chalyk et al. Continuous astaxanthin intake reduces oxidative stress and reverses age-related morphological changes of residual skin surface components in middle-aged volunteers. Nutrition Research Volume 48, December 2017, Pages 40-48.
His research on plant medicine has led to more than 45 publications and abstracts.This research has been presented at international meetings in the USA, France, Turkey, Peru, Israel, Austria, and Italy.
Categories: Antioxidant, Clinical Trials, Skin
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