Synthetic v Natural Astaxanthin

[mistakes r crucial]

Hi,

Over the last few years there has been much debate over colour enhancers for fish, whether they should be used at all and if they are safe, ethical or otherwise. I think it is the general consensus today that they are OK providing they are hormone free but what I have noticed around a few forums is that some people believe that "Asta is Asta", no matter where it comes from. With all the research now available that belief couldn't be further from the truth. They are like chalk and cheese.

A great many commercial fish foods today contain Astaxanthin but there are only two that I am aware of that use Natural Astaxanthin. It's unfortunate but IMO many of the manufacturers are missing the point. A compound such as Astaxanthin is not just about colour, in fact, colour comes at the bottom of my list, it's more about increased breeding, fundicity, accelerated fry growth, improved immunity and general health and well being. It's also unfortunate that synthetic Astaxanthin does not offer anywhere near the health benefits of the natural source from Haematoccus Pluvialis, a natural micro algae.

Synthetic Astaxanthin is made from Petro chemicals, that's right, oil! The same stuff you put in your car. The synthetic Astaxanthin molecule is very different to natural forms as there are no fatty acids attached to the ends of them which makes a huge difference, in fact, it makes them two totally different products. Fatty acids make the Astaxanthin esterified as opposed to free which means the natural form is much better at getting to every part of the fish including its organs.

Until recently many Aquaculture companies used synthetic Astaxanthin because of cost constraints but they are now turning to the natural source in droves because of the excellent health benefits it offers in a sometimes not so healthy environment. The feed trials they have held have shown enormous health benefits in Japanese Sea Bream and quite a few other species including better overall skin coloration.

Natural Astaxanthin has been approved as a human supplement for the last 10 years and has been heralded the "best thing to hit the supplement market in 30 years". Synthetic Astaxanthin is not allowed to be sold for human consumption and is never likely to be.

Most of the health benefits of natural Astaxanthin come from the fact that it is the most powerful antioxidant on the planet and 20 times stronger than synthetic forms.

The great additional advantage that Natural Astaxanthin from microalgae has over Phaffia and synthetic is that it comes in a natural, synergistic complex. The complex includes three different types of Astaxanthin, 70% that is monoesterified (with a fatty acid molecule attached to one end), 10% that is diesterified (with fatty acid molecules attached to both ends), and 5% that is the free astaxanthin found predominantly in the Phaffia and synthetic varieties. The remaining 15% is a wonderful blend of supporting carotenoids that make this a truly natural, synergistic product: 6% beta carotene, 5% canthaxanthin and 4% lutein.

I hope you find this information useful.
Cheers
MAC

[Merrilyn]

I did indeed find that interesting MAC.

I've been doing some research of my own on natural astaxanthin, and I couldn't agree with you more.

[mistakes r crucial]

Hi Mel,

If you need any specifics as far as research goes please do give me a shout, I've got tonnes of the stuff.

With all the information and research now available it's about time it was approved for human consumption in Australia, even if it's to help just one thing, skin cancer. I've been taking it everyday for 2 years and it's near impossible to get sun burnt unless you're a complete idiot. It impresses me more than anything I've come across in many, many years.
Cheers
MAC

[fishgeek]

isnt it classified as a food and therefore allowed to be consumed by people mac?

i'm sure i ve seen it sold as a food supplement for people.. strong antioxidant so going to mop up free radical damage caused by uv irradiation, plus lots of other damaging things

if i use it will my hair get redder though

andrew

[Hollowman]

Yes, you can buy it an most health food shops

[mistakes r crucial]

You guys can in Europe and it's been approved by the FDA in the states for the last 10 years but it's not approved here in Australia for human consumption. The only way I can get it for my family is directly from the producers in Hawaii. Ho hum, it's about time we caught up with the rest of the world but there again it's not a drug so big Pharma couldn't give a rats, no money in it for them as healthy people don't buy prescription drugs.
Cheers
MAC

[Hollowman]

Is there astaxanthin in spirulina? I am sure that I read that somewhere. I seem to remember that they have similar properties. I use spirulina powder when I make my BH mix :?:

[mistakes r crucial]

No there isn't but Spirulina is still a wonderful substance to feed any living being. It might not have the best antioxidant on the planet within it but it has plenty of the second best, Beta Carotene, 3900% more than carrots to be exact lol!
Cheers
MAC

[TW]

Hey Mac, are you saying we should eat our breeders blend spirulina, or add the powder supplement to our favourite curries?

[mistakes r crucial]

You can try but Rohan mentioned that on another thread somewhere and I said I've tried but it gets stuck in my teeth lol! On a serious note you could, the Spirulina you got from us is all but human grade. Just swap the corriander for Spirulina in the curry, let me know how you go.
Cheers
MAC

[Merrilyn]

Haven't tried it myself MAC but I've been feeding it to my four year old dog, almost blind with cataracts. It's only been a couple of weeks, but I'm hoping to see some improvement.

I'd like to avoid eye surgery if possible.

He's a small dog, so I'm giving him 1/8th teaspoon daily in his food.

What's the dose for humans?

[Hollowman]

I ripped this from a site selling powder:

How much spirulina should you take per day? Retail spirulina capsules and tablets are typically very expensive as compared to the pure bulk powder Spirulina. The commonly recommended dose for Spirulina Powder in capsules and tablets typically varies between 3 to 10 grams per day. However, the minimum amounts of Spirulina shown in numerous animal studies to provide beneficial health effects are much, much higher than typical retail dosing recommendations. Animal studies have consistently shown that the minimally effective dose (when adjusted for body mass) in humans for Spirulina would be between 25 and 100 grams per day for a 150 pound person. One slightly rounded tablespoon is about 10 grams and mixes well and doesn't taste bad with 8 to 12 ounces juice. For best results take three times per day.

ref: http://purebulk.com/spirulina-powder-1kg-p-252.html

There are lots of sites and shops that sell the stuff, I have a pot at home, might dose myself up an post the results :lol:

H

[ILLUSN]

my mum swares by spironlina, i think it tastes terrible. I havn't been game enough to tell her about astaxanthin yet, or she'll have me eating that too the next time i drop in for tea.

[mistakes r crucial]

I think you guys are talking about two different things. Mel, I think TW was referring to the Spirulina but to answer your question the human dose is between 4mg and 8mg per day but not the NatuRose. I take BioAstin which is human grade Astaxanthin from the same company that produced NatuRose and they have 4mg gel caps so either one or two of those per day.

What do you feed your dog Mel? We switched to a raw diet about 3 years ago and that coupled with the Astaxanthin has done wonders for our dogs. If you're not aware of it do a Google on the BARF diet (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food). Ours get about 80% raw food and they've never been healthier, no more stinky feces, bad breath or visits to the vet. LoL don't get me started on commercial dog foods or the companies that make 'em, we might be here for a while! Sorry to hear about your dog having cataracts and especially at 4 years old. You might want to double that dose for a while and really get it stuck in to him, you can't OD on Asta so he'll be fine. The dog on the front page of the AstaPet (http://www.astapet.com) website had cataracts and Arthritis real bad, after nearly 3 years on Astaxanthin she shows no signs of Arthritis at all, the cataracts are 70%-80% gone and she's 18 in 2 months time.

I don't blame your Mum for swearing by Spirulina Illusn, different health benefits in some ways but just as good as Astaxanthin in many others, it's wonderful stuff for fish, humans and anything else.
Cheers
MAC

[TW]

Mel, I think TW was referring to the Spirulina I actually meant to ask about both, but I can see Iwasn't very clear. So, I'm glad Merrilyn asked too. So, no good to use our fishy Astaxanthin in our curries, huh?

[mistakes r crucial]

I suppose you can TW but if you start feeling the urge to chew bones or swim I'd reduce the dose a bit :lol:
MAC

[Merrilyn]

I take BioAstin which is human grade Astaxanthin from the same company that produced NatuRose and they have 4mg gel caps so either one or two of those per day.

That sounds more palatable. How do I get hold of some capsules MAC. Do they sell direct?


What do you feed your dog Mel? We switched to a raw diet about 3 years ago and that coupled with the Astaxanthin has done wonders for our dogs


Agree with that one. Nothing more healthy and natural than a raw food diet. It was after reading about the elderly dog with cataracts that I started my own dog on the astaxanthin, so I'll increase the dose, and see what happens.

Thanks for the info.

:P

[mistakes r crucial]

Hi Mel,

PM sent re Astaxanthin for humans.

You're more than welcome to the information. The more research we do in to the pet food industry the more disgusted I get so I'm glad you're an advocate of raw dog food diets. Lady, the Foxy on the website should be an inspiration to us all, she's 18 later this year and still bouncing around non stop.
Cheers
MAC

[fishgeek]

mac arent you in the pet food industry?
i mean you produce fish feeds dont you?

there is good and bad in everything and often commercialism overpowers idealism in many fields

everything in moderation, and whole foods are my rules for diet

and when did the horribly named BARF diet get relabelled to the newer trendier sounding biologically appropriate ... maybe i misheard i always thought it was bones and ..

andrew
i hate vets selling food, i always think it is like doctors selling groceries
we should be/are trained as nutritional advisors not food retailers

[mistakes r crucial]

Yes we produce a fish food Andrew and it costs us a fair bit more to produce than most because we made sure there was no rubbish in it and use preservatives that are fit for human consumption. Quality is the reason we decided to get involved in the first place, we weren't satisfied with synthetic Astaxanthin and a few other ingredients in other foods.

Bones and raw food it is, it was renamed by an Australian vet called Billinghurst some years ago who has his own ideas. I don't know about trendy, it's a mouthful if you ask me.

Commercialism is one thing, rendering plants, road kill, phenobarbital from euthanized animals, styrofoam and plastic wrappings from supermarket meats are another. I've yet to see any of the above on the ingredients list on a can of xyz dog food in the local supermarket!

I'm sure there are good dog foods around but I suspect they are the localized boutique suppliers which are not found in supermarkets. There is far too much evidence out there as to what is going on and the news is not good, IMO the whole industry needs to be far more regulated.
MAC

[fishgeek]

regulation or lack of it is the whole problem with food
and alternative medicines, health supplements etc all come under the category food....
i get annoyed with them when they make claims of benefits without the need for good quality evidence nor any disclosure of potential side effects

then again weren't you complaining that the regulations were too stringent in aus :wink:

it's ok for people like me who are cynical by nature

andrew

any idea how an antioxidant stops cataracts? lens is supposed to have lost water and be beyond repair...can undertand them stopping further degeneration... any links on canine health benefits mac

do you make a dog food? supplement?

[mistakes r crucial]

Nope, we don't make either. We picked up on Astaxanthin because of the research by Lignell and a few others and then we started supplementing our own dog's food with it and have had excellent results. I'll dig up the research on cataracts but from memory I think it's because Astaxanthin is capable of crossing the blood brain barrier.
MAC

[mistakes r crucial]

Andrew,

A few links for you.

Mark Tso Astaxanthin Eye Health
Mark Tso (http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?IA=US1995014502&wo=1996013255&DISPLAY=DOCS)

Baskin et al Sled Dogs (only the abstract)
Sled Dogs (http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/ajvr.2000.61.886)

Chew et al Immune Response
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/134/1/257S

Cotman et al Reduces cognitive dysfunction in canines
cognitive Dysfunction (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T09-470G77B-8&_user=10&_coverDate=10%2F31%2F2002&_rdoc=24&_fmt=summary&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%234857%232002%23999769994%23348722%2 3FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=4857&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_ct=39&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=2761b19567426a7c97476f5ebf4e12ff)

To be quite frank Andrew there is still a load of research that needs to be done, the anecdotal evidence, which I doubt you professionals take much notice of, is absolutely huge as far as Astaxanthin is concerned and especially in humans.

You spoke about Cataracts, now I am no vet but what I do see every single day is a very old dog who 3 years ago had that very grey cloudy look in her eye from all angles and bumped in to everything around the house. She still has that look but nowhere near as bad as it was and we've been asked several times by people that come here regularly what we've had done to her eyes. There are only two things we can put it down to, we changed her diet when she got here to a predominantly raw diet and home cooked food and Astaxanthin. I don't know, maybe God had something to do with it but I think I'll stick to the Astaxanthin.

Australian regulations, yes I whinged about them when importing but when you sit down and think about it they're a good thing although they do make life a little difficult at times.
Cheers
MAC

[fishgeek]

you got a pm mac?

[mistakes r crucial]

No PM yet Andrew, did you send it?
MAC

[mistakes r crucial]

Hi guys,

I couldn't help but post this, slap my wrist if you have to but the bottom line is Gentlemen, if there is something wrong with your tap, take Astaxanthin!! :lol: :lol:

"Lastly, studies show successful conception due to Natural Astaxanthin. In Sweden during the 1990s, a number of studies demonstrated that farm animals fed Natural Astaxanthin had higher conception rates and healthier birth statistics than animals that were not supplemented. The next logical step was to test the supplement in human couples.

The Swedish company supplied Natural Astaxanthin (as AstaCaroxÒ) to ten couples who could not conceive (poor sperm quality). After three months of 16 mg of Natural Astaxanthin per day, five of the ten couples had succeeded in conceiving. (Comhaire, et al. 2003; Similarly by Garem, et al. in 2002.)

Taking Natural Astaxanthin is certainly the first technique to try for couples having the same difficulty. Imagine the stress and expense that could be saved by simply trying this easy solution first."

You gotta love research :D
cheers
MAC