August 07, 2019

GEM Glossary: Astaxanthin

Only the best 🥇!

GEM sources its astaxanthin from the Himalayas where the mild temperatures and an abundance of sunlight make it the perfect environment for growing microalgae a.k.a Haematococcus pluviali. This red algae is produced and cultivated with sustainability in mind, solely relying solar and water. 

 

Astaxanthin: The “JILL OF ALL TRADES” 💃

Pronounced “asta-ZAN-thin,” it is one of the most powerful antioxidants found on the planet. Nicknamed the “The King of Carotenoids” (we prefer “The Queen of Carotenoids”…are we right, ladies?! 👸🏼), it’s one of the key players in our GEM bites. Though you can get astaxanthin from food sources like wild pacific salmon, you would have to eat a ton of it to reap its complete benefits!

 

What is it👌🏻?

Have you ever seen the crisp, white flesh of an apple turn brown after biting into it? That process is called oxidation, and the same sort of thing can happen inside our bodies when we are stressed.

Antioxidants counter this process and can reduce oxidative stress (1). Antioxidants occur naturally in many plant-based foods, like fruits and vegetables. You’ve probably heard of some of key players, like flavanols that are found in chocolate, resveratrol from wine, and lycopene from tomatoes. Other popular antioxidants include vitamins A (beta-carotene), C, E, and catechins.

But here at GEM, astaxanthin is our antioxidant of choice, which comes from algae! One study looked at how the antioxidant can help prevent or stop cell damage caused by oxidation (2). Turns out, astaxanthin is more than 6,000X higher than vitamin C, 550X higher than vitamin E and 40X higher than beta-carotene in its antioxidant superpowers (3). For GEM, astaxanthin is our glow-getter ingredient for all things beauty nutrition!

 

Where's it from 🌊?

Sadly, humans are not able to produce astaxanthin 😢. But, we are able to get it from our diet!

It is produced by algae, fungi, and bacteria. The richest source is found in the green microalgae, Haematococcus pluvialis.

Fun Fact: Because of its red pigmentation, astaxanthin is what gives crabs, lobsters, salmon, shrimp and other sea creatures that beautiful coral color. 

 

Why for GEM women 🙋🏻?

This GEM ingredient can be thought of as a “Jill of All Trades” because the benefits are never-ending! Astaxanthin is a strong antioxidant and is recognized as something that could help several health conditions, aside from the other natural benefits it provides. Here are some highlights:

 

Eye Health 👀

We live in an age of hyper use of technology - computers, smartphones, gaming, the list goes on. This means that we are staring at screens all day, which puts a lot of stress on our eyes.

Because of all that stress, we look to astaxanthin to be our support system. It is one of the key ingredients in GEM because research has shown that it positively affects visual accommodation, retinal capillary blood flow, and inflammation within the eye (these are fancy terms for making our eyes stronger and improving your eyesight!). Research has also found that there is a 5% reduction in eye fatigue symptoms of individuals after using astaxanthin for four weeks. For those of you women who are always on your computers and smartphones, astaxanthin is our hero!

 

Skin Health 👍🏼

When talking about beauty, GEM wants to focus on beauty nutrition with an emphasis on beauty from the inside out. Astaxanthin has proven to be a helpful supplement for good skin, and as you can see that’s just one of its amazing benefits!

A 2017 study found that the use of astaxanthin prevented the development of photoaging features such as water loss in the skin and wrinkle formation in the mice who were exposed to the UV light (3). This translates into benefits for humans as well! Start saying goodbye to that expensive anti-aging wrinkle cream! 😉

 

Cardiovascular Health 💓

Research shows that astaxanthin can improve cardiovascular health by positively affecting one’s cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood circulation. Who wouldn’t love all of that?!

 

Physical Health & Muscle Function 💪🏼

Whether you are a bodybuilder, a weekend warrior, or someone who likes to just play with your kids, our bodies rely on our muscles to function. But sometimes, they need a little TLC too!

That’s where astaxanthin comes in 👋🏼! Studies have found astaxanthin to be effective in building more physical and muscular endurance and recovery. Research also found it can help protect the body from free radicals and improve our physical endurance.

 

GEM’s Astaxanthin 💚

We believe in using natural astaxanthin, not synthetic.

Synthetic astaxanthin is made from petrochemicals and doesn’t have the same properties as the natural form, so it wouldn’t provide the full benefits for our precious bodies.

Our source of this antioxidant is derived from Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae. It comes straight from algae, which means we get the most nutrients out of it!

We hope you’re just as obsessed with astaxanthin as we are after reading this! Let us know what you think about all the tremendous benefits!

 

Sources: 

1. https://medlineplus.gov/antioxidants.html

2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25514562/

3. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0171178

 

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This article is based on scientific research and/or other scientific articles and contains trusted sources.

Our goal at GEM is to give readers up-to-date and objective information on health-related topics. GEM content is written by experienced health and lifestyle contributors and articles undergo an extensive review process.

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