Dietitians

The Diet Gap

Fruits and Vegetables provide 90% of the carotenoids in our diet, but astaxanthin is not one of them. Astaxanthin is not found in any edible terrestrial plants. To find astaxanthin in food, we turn to red-colored aquatic animals like wild salmon and crustaceans. 

The richest source of astaxanthin in the human diet is wild sockeye salmon, which provides 26 – 38 mg astaxanthin per kg of salmon. Coho salmon is the runner up, coming in at 10 – 21 mg astaxanthin per kg of salmon. That means that based on an FDA recommended serving size of 84 g for seafood, wild sockeye salmon provides 3 mg astaxanthin per serving, and coho salmon provides 1.8 mg astaxanthin per serving, while types of salmon provide even less astaxanthin. Crustaceans like lobster and crawfish offer only 0.25 mg astaxanthin per serving.

Source	Per Serving
Sockeye Salmon	3.80mg
Rainbow Trout	2.50mg
Coho Salmon	2.10mg
Shrimp (common freshwater, with shell)	1.80mg
Atlantic Salmon	1.00mg
King Salmon	0.54mg
Daily Recommendation	12mg

Studies

Since most studies show benefits from astaxanthin intake at 4 – 12 mg daily, this represents a significant diet gap and makes a strong case for astaxanthin supplementation. This is especially true for those with dietary restrictions excluding animal-derived foods, but also concerns most of us who don’t eat salmon every day. USDA found that the average American consumes just 2 lbs of salmon annually. If we conservatively (and unrealistically) assume the entire year’s salmon consumption is derived from wild sockeye salmon, that amounts to just 11 mg astaxanthin obtained from dietary salmon per year.

Registered Dietitian, DJ Blatner, puts the role of food and supplementation in perspective, saying, “My philosophy is Food FIRST, but not Food ONLY. It is difficult to get all the nutrients we need from food alone, so supplements can help bridge those diet gaps to more optimal health & wellness.”

AstaReal® Astaxanthin supplements are made from freshwater green microalgae, called Haematococcus pluvialis, making astaxanthin a vegan friendly source of astaxanthin. These are naturally occurring algae that have adapted to grow in sunny shallow pools where they naturally produce astaxanthin to help protect themselves from UV-induced free radicals. AstaReal was inspired by this natural phenomenon, leveraging this algae’s ability to make loads of astaxanthin, and created a protective indoor cultivation environment for these algae to grow. Indoor cultivation allows a clean and controlled way to nurture these algae and make the most and highest quality astaxanthin.

Filling in the Gap(s)

To address the diet gap with supplementation, keep your clients goals in mind. If sports performance, eye health, and skin health are the main goals, most studies show positive outcomes at 4 – 6 mg AstaReal® Astaxanthin per day. However, if cardiovascular health and cognitive health are a priority, then 12 mg/day AstaReal® Astaxanthin is more appropriate.

The reason we can discuss so many benefits from astaxanthin supplementation is because the antioxidant properties and anti-inflammatory properties of astaxanthin seen in numerous studies can apply to the whole body. Furthermore, astaxanthin supports health blood flow and mitochondrial health, which helps nourish the body on the cellular level. That makes astaxanthin a flexible ingredient that everyone can benefit from. As DJ Blatner puts it, “My favorite supplements are “multi-purpose”, meaning taking them will give you a variety of health benefits. For example, research suggests astaxanthin has a variety of benefits such as supporting skin, muscle, vision, immunity, and healthy aging.”

Making the Best Choice

Once you’re able to communicate the benefits of astaxanthin to your clients, it’s important to outline a set of criteria for identifying a quality astaxanthin supplement. Leaning on quality certifications, such as NSF and USP is one way. Another helpful tip is to look for branded ingredients, like AstaReal® Astaxanthin, on the product label. This transparency on product sourcing means you know where the ingredient is coming from, and allows you and your client to do your research on the ingredient brand, their science, their quality, and their priorities. For example, AstaReal was first to bring natural astaxanthin to the supplement market and is the leader in scientific safety and efficacy research. AstaReal uses a unique indoor cultivation method for consistency and quality and is made in the USA and Sweden. You can find ingredient brands listed either on the front of the label, or on the back in or near the supplement facts panel.