Lee Swanson Research Update

Astaxanthin Shows Benefits for Health of Obese People

May 2011

A recent study performed in South Korea shows that daily supplements containing astaxanthin may boost the body’s antioxidant defenses in obese people.

Researchers from Seoul National University report that daily doses of 5 or 20 mg of astaxanthin for three weeks were associated with increases in levels of the body’s own antioxidant defenses, as well as decreases in levels of oxidative species.

Astaxanthin’s main health benefits are eye and skin health although it has also been linked to joint health and central nervous system health and is said to have an antioxidant payload 500 times that of vitamin E.

The researchers recruited 23 overweight 20-somethings to participate in their prospective, randomized, double-blind study. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either 5 or 20 mg per day of astaxanthin for three weeks. The study did not include a placebo group.

At the end of the study, results showed a decrease in levels of malondialdehyde (MDA—a reactive carbonyl compound and a well-established marker of oxidative stress) of about 35% in both dosage groups, compared to levels at the start of the study. In addition, isoprostane levels (another oxidative stress marker) were reduced after supplementation, by about 65% in both groups.

The researchers also observed an increase in levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), an antioxidant enzyme, of 193%, as well as an increase of about 123% in the total antioxidant capacity of the blood.

"The plasma concentration of astaxanthin in the 20 mg group was significantly higher than that in the 5 mg group over three weeks," said the researchers. "However, none of the biomarkers were significantly different between the two groups during the three-week intervention. This indicates that the plasma concentration and the clinical effect of astaxanthin are not proportional. Therefore, the recommended daily dose of astaxanthin is 5 mg, to reduce the elevated oxidative stress in overweight and obese individuals."

"Although these data show that astaxanthin is protective against obesity-induced oxidative stress, a longer term study with a larger sample size should be conducted to establish whether astaxanthin supplementation can consistently and permanently reduce oxidative stress levels," wrote the researchers in Phytotherapy Research.

"Also, this intervention should be performed to provide additional data with regard to the effect of astaxanthin in an additional group of subjects with oxidative-stress-related disease, such as metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and diabetes."

Phytotherapy Research; Published online ahead of print.

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