Protecting the cells in our bodies

Back to Functional Food index

One health supplement in Sweden shows a unique set of benefits – so much so that the national ski team has been using it for years.

The oral supplement, astaxanthin, has been shown to promote gastric health, increase muscle endurance, improve sperm quality and reduce facial wrinkles. As an antioxidant, astaxanthin is 40 times stronger than Betacaroten and 1000 times more effective than vitramin E.

The common cause for such varying effects is the unique capability of astaxanthin to protect the sensible membrane surrounding the cells in our body. Part of the explanation for the potent antioxidant activity of astaxanthin is its chemical structure and its orientation within membranes of the living cell. Figure 1 shows astaxanthin’s unique ability to span through the double layer cell membrane like rivets, giving the cell better overall protection. The astaxanthin molecule is exposed both inside and outside the cell. Betacarotene and vitamin C only reside inside and outside the bilipid membrane respectively.

Muscle strength

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study comprising 40 young men, supplementation with astaxanthin for six months significantly increased muscle strength endurance. This was the first clinical study in humans to demonstrate positive clinical effects of natural astaxanthin and was carried out in Sweden 1997. Many professional sportsmen have taken note of this and are already using astaxanthin as a daily ingredient in their diet. Amongst these we find The Swedish National Ski team who have been eating Astaxin as a supplement for many years to optimise their results.

Dyspepsia

Independent clinical trials with humans have shown that astaxanthin improves and mantains gastric health by strongly alleviating symptoms associated with dyspepsia, such as ’stomach pain’ and heartburn caused by the bacteria Helicobacter pylori. This is especially prevalent considering 50 per cent of the world population are Helicobacter pylori positive. The results from the human studies agree with earlier results obtained in mouse and cell models.

Dermatology

Oral supplementation of astaxanthin and Tocotrienol have been shown to increase moisture and sebum content in a placebo controlled study performed on 16 women in Japan. The supplementation thereby also reduced fine wrinkles and improved the elasticity of the skin. Those results are further supported by data from several model studies done with astaxanthin.

Company profile

AstaReal AB has been in operation since 1994 and has successfully demonstrated its technological skill and research powers for over ten years. AstaReal is the originator of a unique production system which allows cultivation of the green unicellular alga Haematoccoccus Pluvialis under closed and controlled conditions, resulting in consistent high quality production 365 days a year. The main difference between these indoor cultivations and the outdoor open pond systems used in other cultivation complexes, is the possibility to control bacteria infections and to prevent other types of micro organism entering the algae culture. AstaReal AB distributes bulk products to manufacturers in the sport supplement, food and cosmetic industry all over the world. High quality products such as spray-dried algal biomass containing 4 per cent pure astaxanthin and an oil extract with a concentration of 10 per cent pure astaxanthin.

AstaReal is today a part of the pharmaceutical Group Fuji Chemical Industry Company in Japan, which has more than 50 years of pharmaceutical research and manufacturing experience to draw from. The head office and manufacturing unit is located in Gustavsberg, Sweden and the research laboratory in Uppsala, Sweden.