Astaxanthin is a red-orange carotenoid pigment made by microalgae (Haematococcus pluvialis) that gives salmon, shrimp and krill their color. As a supplement it is marketed as an antioxidant for skin, eyes and exercise recovery, and trials have measured its effect on oxidative stress markers.
Also known as: Haematococcus pluvialis extract.
Astaxanthin has no intake value or upper limit in the US, and there is no NIH fact sheet for it. A 2019 safety review (Brendler) found that approved or recommended amounts ranged from 2 to 24 mg a day in different countries, and noted that the European Food Safety Authority had proposed an acceptable daily intake of 2 mg. These are study protocols, not a recommendation.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling. There is no FDA-approved astaxanthin drug.
A 2022 meta-analysis (Ma) of 12 randomized trials with 380 people found astaxanthin lowered blood malondialdehyde, a marker of oxidative damage, and lowered interleukin-6 in people with type 2 diabetes; it did not significantly change C-reactive protein or TNF-alpha. The authors called the effects mild. Lab markers like these do not show whether it prevents disease.
The 2019 safety review (Brendler) looked at 87 human studies of natural astaxanthin, 35 of them at 12 mg a day or more, and none found safety concerns. It noted that synthetic astaxanthin is chemically different from natural astaxanthin and has had few safety studies.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for astaxanthin that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one.
How Dose Track handles peptides · Reconstitution calculator · Half-life calculator