{"ok":true,"entry":{"slug":"astaxanthin","kind":"supplement","name":"astaxanthin","aliases":["natural astaxanthin","haematococcus pluvialis extract","astareal"],"brands_sg":["GreenLife","Kordel's"],"class":"carotenoid (xanthophyll)","tags":["skin-hair","fitness"],"use_for":"limited human evidence — exercise recovery, skin moisture","use_after":"after a meal · one small study: 2.4× the uptake vs before","use_duration":null,"take_with":"a meal with some fat · it is fat-soluble","pros":["efsa 2020: 8 mg/day from supplements safe for adults","24-rct review: lower creatine kinase after exercise","9-rct review: skin moisture and elasticity improved"],"cons":["no gain in vo2max, time trial or power output in trials","fertility use: no semen-parameter benefit in humans","fat-soluble — poorly absorbed on an empty stomach"],"dose_note":"trials use 4–28 mg a day for 4 days to 16 weeks; eu authorised supplement level is 8 mg/day; efsa adi 0.2 mg/kg bw/day","dosage":{"ul":null,"unit":"mg","fda_dv":null,"rda_ai":null,"ul_status":"none_established","population":"general adult","hsa_max_daily":null},"ul_status":"none_established","sg_class":null,"cautions":["under 14 — efsa: 8 mg/day plus diet exceeds the adi","teens 14–17 — efsa: 8 mg/day plus diet reaches the adi"],"clashes":[],"sources":[{"id":"efsa2020","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC7448075","label":"EFSA NDA Panel — Safety of astaxanthin for its use as a novel food in food supplements (EFSA Journal 2020;18(2):5993)","quote":"the FEEDAP Panel derived a new ADI of 0.2 mg astaxanthin/kg bw … The Panel concludes that an intake of 8 mg ATX per day from food supplements is safe for adults even in combination with the high exposure estimate to ATX from the background diet. Adolescents at 14 to < 18 years of age reach the ADI in a combined exposure scenario … the ADI is exceeded in children below 14 years of age (from 28% in children aged 10 to < 14 years and up to 524% in infants aged 4–6 months)","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"liu2026","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13210138","label":"Effects of astaxanthin on exercise recovery biomarkers and performance: systematic review and meta-analysis (Liu et al., Nutrients 2026)","quote":"Twenty-four RCTs were included. Astaxanthin significantly reduced creatine kinase levels (SMD = -0.45, 95% CI: -0.83 to -0.07) … No significant effects were observed for malondialdehyde or interleukin-6. Astaxanthin did not significantly improve VO2max, time-trial performance, or maximal workload/power output … Astaxanthin doses ranged from 4 to 28 mg/day and intervention durations from 4 days to 16 weeks … 12 studies contributed to the quantitative synthesis of physical performance outcomes and 13 studies contributed to the quantitative synthesis of recovery-related outcomes","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"you2026","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/41710469","label":"Effects of astaxanthin on exercise-induced oxidative stress: systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs (You et al., 3 Biotech 2026)","quote":"astaxanthin supplementation (4-28 mg·day-1 for 4 days to 12 weeks) … Seven RCTs involving 188 participants … Other oxidative or injury-related biomarkers (MDA/TBARS, SOD, SH, CK, IL-6) showed no significant changes … broader physiological or performance benefits remain unconfirmed","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"zhou2021","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC8472736","label":"Systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of astaxanthin on human skin ageing (Zhou et al., Nutrients 2021)","quote":"Nine randomised, controlled human studies assessed oral ASX effects … Oral ASX supplementation significantly restored moisture content (SMD = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.05, 1.01) and improved elasticity (SMD = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.19, 1.35) but did not significantly decrease wrinkle depth","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"dehpahni2026","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13018275","label":"Systematic review and meta-analysis of astaxanthin efficacy in male infertility (Dehpahni et al., Sci Rep 2026)","quote":"The human meta-analysis showed no statistically significant improvements in any semen parameters compared with placebo, indicating very limited and low-certainty clinical evidence","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"okada2009","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/19734684","label":"Bioavailability of astaxanthin in Haematococcus algal extract: effects of timing of diet and smoking (Okada et al., Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 2009)","quote":"The timing of administration greatly affected astaxanthin bioavailability including the area under the curve (AUC(0-168), 2,968 ± 959 microg h/l in the before-meal group vs. 7,219 ± 3,118 microg h/l in the after-meal group), indicating high availability in the after-meal group","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"odeberg2003","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/12885395","label":"Oral bioavailability of astaxanthin in humans is enhanced by lipid-based formulations (Mercke Odeberg et al., Eur J Pharm Sci 2003)","quote":"like other carotenoids, is a very lipophilic compound and has low oral bioavailability. However, bioavailability can be enhanced in the presence of fat","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"spiller2003","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/12804020","label":"Safety of an astaxanthin-rich Haematococcus pluvialis algal extract: a randomized clinical trial (Spiller & Dewell, J Med Food 2003)","quote":"Thirty-five healthy adults age 35-69 years … 8 weeks' duration … three gelcaps per day, one at each meal … 2 mg of astaxanthin each … No significant differences were detected between the treatment and the placebo groups","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"brendler2019","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/31788888","label":"Astaxanthin: how much is too much? A safety review (Brendler & Williamson, Phytother Res 2019)","quote":"Recommended or approved doses varied in different countries and ranged between 2 and 24 mg. We reviewed 87 human studies, none of which found safety concerns with natural AX supplementation, 35 with doses ≥12 mg/day","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"hsa_prohibited_2025","url":"https://file.go.gov.sg/hsa-chp-prohibited-restricted-ing-guidelines.pdf","label":"HSA — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in Health Supplements and Traditional Medicines, GL-CHPB-1-012 Rev 001 (Oct 2025)","quote":"The objective of this guideline is to highlight the substances of concern when used in HS and TM and is not meant to be an exhaustive list [astaxanthin / Haematococcus pluvialis not listed in Annex A or B]","accessed":"2026-08-27"}],"brand_certs":null,"updated_at":"2026-08-29T16:16:10.48466+08:00"},"disclaimer":"kozen-x is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. it lists what published sources have written down. absence of a record is not the same as safe."}