If you're like most Americans, you spend a significant amount of time at the beach or pool during the summer months. But spending more time in the sun doesn't necessarily mean that you'll get a better tan. In fact, it can be quite the opposite.
Here's why: ultraviolet light from the sun causes damage to your skin cells that results in redness and fragility, plus an increased risk of skin cancer. As if that wasn't enough, too much time outside also leads to aging and wrinkles due to overexposure to harsh UV radiation over time.
You may think it's too late to reduce the damage, but there are some methods you can try to reverse damage and help prevent further discoloration or skin damage. Astaxanthin is one of those methods.
What Is Astaxanthin?
Astaxanthin is a carotenoid, similar to beta carotene and lycopene, which are well-known for their antioxidant benefits. It is found primarily in the diet, with seafood such as algae, salmon, crabs, shrimp, chicken eggs and egg yolks being the foods highest in this ingredient. In fact, you might find astaxanthin on the list of ingredients for those foods as a coloring agent.
What are the major applications in the market?
Astaxanthin is produced by Haematococcuspluvialis, a microalgae found in abundance in the sea. Astaxanthin is extracted and converted into astaxanthin esters or free astaxanthin. Use of free astaxanthin helps to reduce toxicity as compared to use of esters. The market for astaxanthin consists of various application-specific categories, such as food, beverages, animal feed, and cosmetics and medical products. Food-based applications are expected to have strong growth potential over the forecast period owing to increasing demand for quality food items with nutrition-based benefits. One of the popular uses of astaxanthin in the food industry is as a coloring agent. Another application is in animal feed, where it helps to improve growth rates and enhances body weight. It also helps to promote healthy skin, fur, and egg yolks in poultry and other farmed animals.
Astaxanthin is a potent antioxidant, capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier and protecting cells from oxidative stress. It is also able to cross the placental barrier and has been linked with promoting fetal brain development through its antioxidant effect.
It's also important that astaxanthin is nontoxic even at extremely high doses because it does not bind to DNA in human cells. In fact, astaxanthin is known for its ability to detoxify foreign compounds such as heavy metals by binding these toxins in their inactive state so they can be excreted from the body without causing any harm. This makes it a valuable supplement for athletes who are exposed to high levels of heavy metals during training or competition.
Astaxanthin has also been shown to help protect your skin, bones and eyes. It is a very good antioxidant for the skin and is a common ingredient in many skin products because it helps to repair damaged cells, enhances skin elasticity and renews the look of mature skins. Researchers have found that astaxanthin is also beneficial to bone health because it helps build bone tissue and prevent existing osteoporosis. In addition, astaxanthin is an effective eye care protection against age-related vision loss by improving eye circulation, increasing eyeball thickness (atrophy) and preventing damage from free-radicals generated within the cornea (the outer layer of the eye).
