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Gluten-free
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Product of USA
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90 fish-gelatin softgel capsules
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4mg astaxanthin per 350mg softgel
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Encapsulated in MSC-certified Alaskan sockeye oil
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CO2-extracted from Hawaii-grown algae, without solvents
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Contains no artificial preservatives, color, dairy, starch, wheat, yeast, sugar, or soy protein
Vital Red™ Astaxanthin is the world’s first supplement to deliver this healthful marine-source nutrient in a base of wild, certified-sustainable salmon oil.
Astaxanthin (as-tuh-zan-thin) is the red-orange pigment that gives wild salmon its vivid hues.
Growing clinical evidence suggests that this carotenoid-class nutrient offers substantial and unique health-promoting potential, related to effects on the eyes and the immune system.
It belongs to family of carotenoid comopunds known as xanthophylls, which includes lutein and zeaxanthin.
Astaxanthin travels up the ocean food chain. It is synthesized by algae, which is consumed by crustaceans such as krill, which in turn are eaten by wild salmon.
Wild salmon varies in astaxanthin content: Per 6 oz serving, sockeye has 6.78mg, silver has 2.37mg, and king has 1.49mg.
Vital Red™ Astaxanthin is extracted from Hawaii-grown Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae using carbon dioxide ... a solvent-free process that's better for people and the environment.
Should I take astaxanthin if also take salmon or krill oil?
Yes, it makes good sense to add Vital Red™ Astaxanthin to your daily salmon or krill oil routine.
Salmon and krill oils naturally contain a few micrograms (mcg) of astaxanthin ... 36mcg and 100mcg per gram, respectively.
These microgram levels, while high enough to protect the oils' omega-3s and other fatty acids from oxidation, are 1,000 times lower than the milligram (mg) doses used in lab and human studies.
Instead, each of our 350mg Vital Red™ Astaxanthin softgels provides a very substantial 4 milligrams of pure or “free” astaxanthin, known scientifically as astaxanthin diol.
Truth in labeling: astaxanthin buyer beware
Although few disclose the fact, many astaxanthin brands claim doses per serving that are based on either (or both) of two misleading measures called “esterified astaxanthin” and “astaxanthin complex”.
“Esterified astaxanthin” implies double the actual dose
This dose measure is very misleading, because the weight of esterified astaxanthin includes the weight of all the fatty acids to which astaxanthin is naturally bound.
In fact, the weight of esterified astaxanthin is typically double the weight of the pure astaxanthin in a supplement.
“Astaxanthin complex” overstates the dose by about 18%
Instead of (or in addition to) the misleading practice of reporting a dose-per-serving based on esterified astaxanthin, some brands present an astaxanthin dose per serving that's based on “astaxanthin complex”.
This is misleading because, in addition to pure astaxanthin (astaxanthin diol), the term “astaxanthin complex” encompasses other carotenoids such as beta carotene, canthaxanthin, and lutein, which are naturally present in the Haematococcus algae from which virtually all astaxanthin is extracted.
These other carotenoids can represent as much as 15% of the total carotenoids in these brands' supplements ... which means that reporting the weight of a supplement's “astaxanthin complex” overstates the amount of pure astaxanthin (astaxanthin diol) present by about 18%. |
