It may help you!

Vitality:

The Ageless Quality of Life and Astaxanthin

by Dr. Corricone

When considering the concept of antiaging, we usually think in
terms of longevity, which is something most of us would like to
improve. Regardless of the number of years we may live, we would
like those years to provide us with the highest quality of life
possible. This is something that astaxanthin can play a key role
in achieving.
Astaxanthin's significant anti-inflammatory power is vital to the
maintenance of youthful vitality. At the heart of what ails us as
we age is that insidious inflammatory process. Whether it affects
our cardio vascular system or our joints, inflammation can and
will rob us of the zest for life. The first benefit we will focus
on in this section is how astaxanthin can help us maintain
cardiovascular health.

Boosting Cardiovascular Health with Astaxanthin

The cardiovascular system is obviously critical to the health and
vitality of us all, especially as we age. Elevated blood pressure
is usually the first sign of developing trouble in our
cardiovascular system. If there was a way to help maintain cardio
health and normal blood pressure without extreme or artificial
intervention, how welcome it would be. Astaxanthin has shown an
indication that it can help do just that. In a recent study
performed on postmenopausal women, a significant reduction in
both systolic and diastolic blood pressure was shown after eight
weeks of AstaREAL astaxanthin supplementation. Supporting this
finding, four earlier laboratory studies, one performed in the
United States and three in Japan, showed a significant reduction
in blood pressure following supplementation with astaxanthin in
controlled animal subjects.

Another consideration as we age is blood flow, especially
peripheral capillary blood flow. As the circulation in our legs
begins to decrease, unwanted symptoms begin to occur. Two
separate studies validate astaxanthin's ability to improve blood
flow. First, in a human blood rheology study, astaxanthin
supplementation created significant improvement in capillary
blood flow. To further support this suggested benefit, a study
with astaxanthin supplementation was done that showed a
significant increase in ankle brachial pressure index (ABI),
suggesting reduced lower limb vascular resistance - in simpler
terms, better blood flow in our legs.

At the heart of astaxanthin's support to the cardiovascular
system is its ability to protect the body from lipid
peroxidation. This ability of astaxanthin helps prevent the
oxidation of LDL cholesterol, which is the key to maintaining a
healthier blood lipid environment, thereby reducing the tendency
for plaque buildup in the arteries. In another recent human
study, astaxanthin supplementation showed a significant decrease
in blood serum triglyceride and an increase in HDL cholesterol
levels. A number of recent studies have shown that when this
ratio is lowered, the risk of cardiovascular events is reduced.

Triathletes, Take Your Cue from Salmon!

Another outstanding benefit of astaxanthin relating to our
vitality is its ability to increase muscle endurance and
recovery. The amazing physical endurance salmon demonstrate on
their arduous journey up the rapids and rivers to their spawning
grounds led to the investigation of astaxanthin as related to
physical endurance in humans. A number of animal and human
studies have shown that astaxanthin can increase and improve
muscle endurance as well as reduce muscle damage.
All physical activity, whether at work, sport, or leisure,
generates reactive oxygen species (ROSS), and the more intense
the activity, the greater the number of free radicals produced.

For years I have been telling my patients that I do not recommend
vigorous activity for more than forty-five minutes, because the
free radicals generated overwhelm our endogenous antioxidant
protective mechanisms, with resulting negative effects on our
overall health and fitness. Once again, moderation is the key.

ROSs have been shown to have damaging effects on muscle
performance and recovery. The mitochondria are important to
physical activity and are often referred to as the powerhouse of
the cell, providing as much as 95 percent of our body's energy,
primarily by the burning of muscle glycogen and fatty acids. A
portion of this energy produces highly reactive and damaging
ROSs, which in turn cause damage to the cell membrane and DNA. In
addition, ROSs, activate the inflammatory response whereby
monocytes migrate into the muscle tissue, causing additional cell
damage. The resulting symptoms of muscle damage are tiredness and
soreness. These symptoms can be brought on by any physical
activity from a strenuous sport to daily household chores and at
any stage in our lives, but the effects are more pronounced as we
age. Astaxanthin has demonstrated three important physical
benefits in clinical trials and supporting studies:

Increased endurance
Reduced muscle damage
Improved lipid metabolism (fat burning)

One of several human clinical trials demonstrating astaxanthin's
ability to improve endurance was performed in 1998 by a Swedish
team of researchers. They conducted a randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled study in which healthy male students were
separated into an astaxanthin supplementation group and a placebo
group. Each group was measured for endurance by performing squats
with a 97-pound barbell at the start of the study and after three
and six months. After six months, the subjects taking astaxanthin
performed significantly more squats than the subjects taking the
placebo, an increase of 56 percent.

One study demonstrating the protective effect of astaxanthin
against muscle damage was performed in Japan in an animal model.
Analysis of the muscles was performed in both the astaxanthin and
the placebo groups following intense physical activity. The
astaxanthin group showed significantly lower peroxidation damage.
Other biochemical markers for oxidative damage and inflammation,
such as DNA, creatine kinase (also known as creatine
phosphokinase), and myeloperoxidase activity, were also
significantly reduced in the astaxanthin-treated exercise group.

These effects indicate that astaxanthin has a role in helping to
protect muscle cell components and downregulating the
inflammatory process.

Finally, a study was recently performed demonstrating that the
astaxanthin-supplemented group had increased lipid metabolism
rather than carbohydrate metabolism as the main source of energy
during strenuous activity. This is a dream come true - burning
fat instead of carbs! These methods of action are similar to the
omega-3s aiding in the burning of fats and the partitioning of
energy away from fat storage as described on page 79. I recommend
that you take omega-3s along with your astaxanthin supplements
for this synergistic action. In addition, analysis of the
mitochondrial lipid transport enzyme known as carnitine
palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1) revealed increased fat transferred
into the mitochondria to be utilized more efficiently for energy
and reduced oxidative damage in the presence of astaxanthin. This
process not only has the effect of sustaining the energy output
of muscle cells but also has a potential for the improvement of
body composition and fat placement.

You do not need to be a world-class athlete to benefit from the
effect of astaxanthin on muscle endurance. We can all use a bit
more stamina, regardless of age or vocation. Remember: as we age,
we gradually lose muscle mass, which weakens our bodies and makes
us more prone to falls and injuries as well as age-related
illnesses exacerbated by inactivity. Keeping your muscles strong
and healthy will sustain the quality of your life.

Summary: Astaxanthin

Astaxanthin is a natural antioxidant with exceptional capacity
that far exceeds that of most other antioxidant compounds. It has
been shown to have nutritional and antiaging benefits that best
fit the needs of the active and vital lifestyle of both the young
and the aging.
When considering supplementation with astaxanthin, it is
important to put your trust in a material that is not only
supported by research but also produced in state-of-the-art
facilities with the highest standards of product purity. This is
why I recommend and support the one source of astaxanthin that
fits both of these criteria: the AstaREAL brand astaxanthin
produced by Fuji Chemical Industry Company in fully enclosed
systems in Hawaii and Sweden. Fuji has also sponsored more than
forty clinical studies to establish the health benefits of
astaxanthin as well as more than thirty safety studies to provide
its reliability. AstaREAL is also the brand of astaxanthin that
attained GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status in January
2010 following an FDA review of Fuji's GRAS application. GRAS
status also allows AstaREAL astaxanthin to be used as an
ingredient in food and beverages.
..........

For healthy bones we need to make sure we get enough calcium each
and every day in many forms - whole milk, suppliments and etc.
People tend to forget that our bones are always growing or re-
making themselves, hence the intake of calcium is vital for
strong healthy bones. I cannot give enough emphasis to making
sure you take in a good amount of calcium each day. Magnesium is
important for calcium benefits. Now you can obtain
Calcium/Magnesium plus D3 in suppliment form. The ratio of
Calcium to Magnesium is important - so the suppliments I've
mentioned have it correct, and now some have the added important
D3.

For muscles.....exercise - walking, swimming, bike riding (keep
the gears so your legs have to work hard). Park your car at the
far end of the parking lot when shopping in Malls, hence you must
walk. At times when walking spring up on your toes and flex the
muscles in your legs. Stretching exercises, you know like the
cats do, as old "health and strength" guy Charles Atlas used to
say, is important also. Atlas used "dynamic tention" - pushing
one muscle against another or pulling muscles i.e. lock hands in
front of your chest and try pulling each arm against the other;
lock hands in the small of your back and trying pulling apart
each arms. You'll get the idea. All kinds you can make up -
dynamic tention were the words Charles Atlas called it - no
weights need.

I'm 70 come September 11 - 2012 and ride my horse like I'm 40. I
amaze people when at the swimming pool, for I swim fast like I'm
40, so also with my bike riding. Eating healthy and taking
suppliments and exercise is what I've done all my life, and I'm a
living witness it is the key to growing younger as you grow
older. So it has been with my Dad also.....he's 92 in August
2012, though a minor stroke last December has slowed him down
some, he's still pretty darn good for coming 92.

Keith Hunt