Did You Know…a superpowered carotenoid can help control chronic inflammation and reduce your risk for associated diseases?
Chronic inflammation afflicts more than 75% of Americans, and when left unchecked can lead to serious diseases, including…
Heart disease
Colon cancer
Irritable bowel syndrome
Ulcers
Diabetes
Alzheimer’s disease
Parkinson’s disease
Multiple sclerosis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Allergies
Taming the fires of inflammation with non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, or NSAIDS, is not the answer. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, NSAIDS have claimed as many lives as AIDS since 1999. Vioxx, a now-discontinued prescription NSAID, killed 60,000 people!
Fortunately, there’s a far safer and completely natural way to control chronic inflammation.
The Powerful Pink Carotenoid
The vibrant red of a tomato, the bright green of a pepper, and the red-violet of a beet all owe their hues to carotenoids, compounds that stain your foods with color. More than 700 carotenoids have been identified, and most of us have about 10 carotenoids traveling through our bloodstream right now. These carotenoids do far more than dye our foods, however.
Cartenoids possess remarkable antioxidant potency, and one carotenoid in particular has been making headlines as a free radical scavenging superpower.
Astaxanthin is a carotenoid found in a specific type of microalgae: Haematococcus pluvialis. It helps protect the algae from UV radiation when water and nutrients are scarce. You can either get astaxanthin directly from the microalgae, or from eating salmon, krill, and shellfish that dine on astaxanthin regularly. In fact, salmon are colored pink due to all the astaxanthin they eat.
“A” Is for “Antioxidant”
Before we delve into the anti-inflammatory powers of astaxanthin, let’s take a look at its antioxidant capacities. When it comes to wiping out free radicals before they can damage your tissues, organs, cells, and DNA, astaxanthin is…
65 times more powerful than vitamin C
54 times more powerful than beta-carotene
14 times more powerful than vitamin E
In terms of protecting against one of the most dangerous free radicals of all—singlet oxygen—astaxanthin is…
550 times more capable than vitamin E
11 times more effective than beta-carotene
Astaxanthin can also go where other carotenoids cannot—across the blood-brain barrier and blood-retinal barrier, where it protects your brain, eyes, and central nervous system from cataracts, macular degeneration, blindness, dementia, and other degenerative illnesses.
Quell Inflammation Starting Now
Astaxanthin calms chronic inflammation by inhibiting pro-inflammatory agents such as tumor necrosis factor alpha and Cox-1 and Cox-2 enzymes. It doesn’t act as quickly as NSAIDS, but it does work effectively and with no adverse side effects. One study showed that astaxanthin supplementation eased inflammation in 80% of arthritis sufferers. That’s 4 out of 5 people!
If you’re interested in boosting astaxanthin levels in the body, steer clear of synthetic (laboratory-made) versions. Health experts recommend that you look for the words “natural astaxanthin” on the label, and make sure that it is derived from the marine algae species H. Pluvialis.
