Boost Your Immune System With Astaxanthin
While keeping your immune system optimally functioning should always be a top priority, during these unprecedented times boosting your immune system is now more critical than ever. Your immune system is made up of a network of cells, tissues, and organs that help protect you from infiltrating pathogens and fight off those that manage to enter. Like anything, it functions at its best when you intake vital essential nutrients that help support, balance, and strengthen it. A nutrient that can help you to achieve all of those is the super antioxidant, astaxanthin. In fact, 28 pre-clinical and five human clinical trials support that natural astaxanthin can modulate immune system functioning.
What is Astaxanthin?
Astaxanthin is a naturally occurring plant-based antioxidant compound abundant in certain species of microalgae. It has a deep reddish color and is responsible for giving flamingos, salmon and other sea creatures, their brilliant pink hues. It is part of the carotenoid family of antioxidant nutrients and is the more stable and powerful cousin of beta carotene (the carotenoid found in carrots and sweet potatoes).
Astaxanthin is an essential nutrient, so just like omega-3’s and many other nutrients that are key to your health, your body cannot produce it. Thus, astaxanthin needs to come from either dietary sources (e.g., salmon) or through supplementation. Since consuming fish like salmon every day is not ideal for many reasons, algae-derived supplements containing natural astaxanthin, are a perfect way to give your immune system the boost it may need.
How Astaxanthin Impacts Your Immune System
The job of an antioxidant nutrient like astaxanthin is to inhibit oxidation. Oxidative damage is initiated by molecules known as free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Unfortunately, while free radicals are damaging, they are an inescapable part of life. They are both produced in response to environmental triggers and are also a natural byproduct of normal cellular processes, including when your immune cells fight off intruders.
Under optimal circumstances, free radicals and ROS are kept in check by your body’s endogenous antioxidant defenses. However, both aging and exposure to environmental pollutants can overwhelm your defenses. The minute this happens, your cells are in a state of oxidative stress. In this stressed state, free radicals and ROS can damage the proteins, lipids, and DNA of your cells. A continued state of oxidative stress also contributes to chronic inflammation, which mediates many chronic diseases.
The immune-modulating ability of astaxanthin stems from its potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Astaxanthin works by both balancing and strengthening your immune system's response to invaders and also helps to suppress the inflammation that occurs when your immune system may overreact. Astaxanthin is so powerful that a daily dosage of only 2mg is an effective way to protect your cells from oxidative damage, decrease inflammation (e.g., reduced c-reactive protein), and enhance immune cell response. Other studies in animal models show that astaxanthin supplementation can increase the production of antibodies that are key in fighting off pathogens.
Astaxanthin and Coronavirus
Viruses infect your body by entering healthy cells and creating copies of themselves, which allows them to multiply. Specifically, novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), latches its proteins to receptors on healthy cells, namely those in your lungs. It has been concluded that astaxanthin's anti-inflammatory properties have the potential to help you maintain healthy lung function and decrease the pulmonary pathophysiology caused by certain illnesses, including SARS-CoV-2. It does this, in part, by decreasing inflammatory cytokine production and attenuating immune cell infiltration. Astaxanthin can also impact some of the pre-existing conditions that may put you at a higher risk for severe complications if you did fall ill with the virus, including heart disease, lung disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Boost Your Immunity with AstaMatrix®
To keep your immune system functioning at its best, eat a balanced diet, exercise, get adequate sleep, and support your immune system's cells with the essential nutrients found in AstaMatrix®. AstaMatrix® is a vegan, omega-3 super antioxidant formula that contains a synergistic blend of omega-3 EPA & DHA, phospholipids, astaxanthin, and delta-tocotrienol.
AstaMatrix® contains 4mg of immune-modulating natural astaxanthin per serving, as well as a host of complimentary nutrients that work with astaxanthin and one another to influence your immune response positively. They do this by helping your cells fight off oxidative damage and suppressing the overactive immune responses that increase inflammation. As a bonus, the formula's nutrients also support your joint, cardiovascular, brain, and skin health.
If you are looking to boost your immune health, you should try AstaMatrix® today. Visit our website to learn more about the health benefits of AstaMatrix®, read reviews from satisfied customers, or to place your order!