Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. A 90 day study shows astaxanthan significantly decreased C-reative protein by 54.8% and and increased IGA and immune system strength 27.6% in training athletes compared to placebo.
Astaxanthin is one of the most common antioxidants found in the red pigment of crustacean shells (crabs, shrimp), and salmon (1). It has been shown to have strong antioxidant properties, with 8 milligrams per day shown to increase immune system strength and maintain cellular health in women (2) and 20 milligrams per day to produce similar benefits in obese patients (3).
Now a new study (4) suggests astaxanthin can help offset the stress caused by intense physical exercise. The study involved 40 trained male soccer players between the ages of 17 and 19. They took 4 mg of astaxanthin (21 subjects) or placebo (19 subjects) for 90 days. Over the course of the 90-day study, the soccer players participated in 5 to 7 training sessions per week with an average weekly training of 10 to 15 hours. The training included strength, resistance, cardio, flexibility, and proprioceptive training.
The researchers measured several aspects or exercise-related stresses in the body. The first was a protein called IgA, which is an indicator of immune system strength (5) and decreases with both age (6) and stress (7). Another was the level of cell damage in the body (oxidative stress) which can have a long-term negative impact on immune function (8) and was expressed as “pro-antioxidant balance”, with a lower number indicating a higher rate of cell damage (9). Finally, they measured an inflammatory protein called high-sensitivity C-reactive protein.
After 90 days, they found the following:
| Astaxanthin | Placebo | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| IgA (milliliters/minute) | 21% increase (190 to 230) | 6.6% decrease (230 to 215) | 0.05 |
| Pro-Antioxidant Balance (HK U) | 40% decrease (479.1 to 291.5) | 23.7% decrease (338.9 to 258.9) | < 0.005 |
| high-sensitivity CRP (milligrams/Liter) | 11.9% decrease (1.35 to 1.19) | 42.9% increase (1.26 to 1.98) | 0.05 |
The significance of the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein is that the placebo group experienced levels associated with increased risk of coronary vascular disease (10), while levels in the astaxanthin group decreased by 11.9%. This led the researchers to state that “this supports the notion that astaxanthin, as dietary supplement, has the ability to suppress minor inflammatory events induced by training.”
Regarding the pro-antioxidant balance changes between the two groups, the researchers stated that astaxanthin “induced a better balance [compared to placebo, finishing with 12.5% higher levels after the study (291.5 versus 258.9)] favoring all cellular functions which depend on adequate amounts of cell damage, thereby supporting the immune system” and cited previous research to support their claim (11).
The researchers finally concluded that “This study indicates that astaxanthin supplementation improves sIgA response and attenuates muscle damage, thus preventing inflammation induced by rigorous physical training.”
Source: Baralic, Ivana, et al. “Effect of astaxanthin supplementation on salivary IgA, oxidative stress, and inflammation in young soccer players.” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2015 (2015).
© 2015 Ivana Baralic et al. Creative Commons Attribution License
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Posted September 3, 2015.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.
References:
- Miki, W, Yamaguchi, K, Konosu, S. (1982) Comparison of carotenoids in the ovaries of marine fish and shellfish Comp Biochem Physiol B 71,7-11.
- Park JS. Astaxanthin decreased oxidative stress and inflammation and enhanced immune response in humans. Nutrition & Metabolism 2010, 7:18
- Esterbauer, H, Jurgens, G, Quehenberger, O, Koller, E. (1987) Autoxidation of human low density lipoprotein: loss of polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E and generation of aldehydes J Lipid Res 28,495-509
- Baralic I. Effect of Astaxanthin Supplementation on Salivary IgA, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation in Young Soccer Players. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:783761. doi: 10.1155/2015/783761. Epub 2015 Jun 18
- A. J.Macpherson, M. B.Geuking, and K.D.McCoy, “Homeland Security: IgA immunity at the frontiers of the body,” Trends in Immunology, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 160–166, 2012.
- I. D. Miletic, S. S. Schiffman, V. D. Miletic, and E. A. Sattely- Miller, “Salivary IgA secretion rate in young and elderly persons,” Physiology & Behavior, vol. 60, no. 1, pp. 243–248, 1996
- N. Matos-Gomes, M. Katsurayama, F. H. Makimoto et al., “Psychological stress and its influence on salivary flow rate, total protein concentration and IgA, IgG and IgM titers,” NeuroImmunoModulation, vol. 17, no. 6, pp. 396–404, 2010
- D. C. Nieman and N. C. Bishop, “Nutritional strategies to counter stress to the immune system in athletes, with special reference to football,” Journal of Sports Sciences, vol. 24, no. 7, pp. 763–772, 2006
- D.H. Alamdari, K. Paletas, T. Pegiou,M. Sarigianni, C. Befani, and G. Koliakos, “A novel assay for the evaluation of the prooxidant-antioxidant balance, before and after antioxidant vitamin administration in type II diabetes patients,” Clinical Biochemistry, vol. 40, no. 3-4, pp. 248–254, 2007
- P. M. Ridker, “Role of inflammatory biomarkers in prediction of coronary heart disease,” The Lancet, vol. 358, no. 9286, pp. 946–948, 2001
- J. S. Park, J. H. Chyun, Y. K. Kim, L. L. Line, and B. P. Chew, “Astaxanthin decreased oxidative stress and inflammation and enhanced immune response in humans,” Nutrition & Metabolism, vol. 7, article 18, 2010.
