Should we take algae supplements for astaxanthin?

Is any research available on astaxanthin which seems to be touted as a wonderful antioxidant?

MarkB / Originally posted below Dragon’s blood

Answer:

Astaxanthin is the reason flamingos are pink (or at least flamingos in the wild). Astaxanthin is also the reason some crustacean shells turn red when boiled. One need not eat flamingo feathers or lobster exoskeletons, though. You can go right to the source and get it from green algae such as chlorella (I recommend against blue-green algae and spirulina–see for example my videos Is blue-green algae good for you? and Another Update on Spirulina).

A review last month suggests a wide range of beneficial effects, though one should note the author is listed as a dietary supplement industry consultant. With a few exceptions, I recommend against taking supplements as they have been found in some cases to be less effective (see, for example, my Produce Not Pills) or even deleterious (see Is vitamin D the new vitamin E? and my other 60 videos on supplements).  One should take advice from health food store employees with a grain of Himalayan pink salt:

• Bad Advice From Health Food Store Employees
• Dangerous Advice From Health Food Store Employees
• Pharmacists Versus Health Food Store Employees: Who Gives Better Advice?

Summarized in my blog Health Food Store Advice: Often Worthless or Worst.