Has anyone tried the supplement Astaxanthin for Parkinsons?

[Kat00]

I have been reading lots of research that claims Astaxanthin is 800x more powerful an antioxidant than CoQ10, and that it has great potential benefits for PWPS. The studies indicate that it supports brain function, eye sight and is being studied to treat Alzheimer's as well. This is the stuff that is responsible for the pink coloring found in salmon and krill..and is what flamingos eat that makes them pink. As a side benefit, is is also an internal protection against the effects of sun exposure to skin. I have just begun to try it myself...so far...my skin has not turned pink!

[hilarypeta]

Thanks. Will look it up! Let us know how you progress.

[finlander]

I am once again surprised; all the reading I do and here is yet another product I have never heard of. Where do you purchase this supplement?

[ivyanne]

What dosage are you taking of the Astaxanthin?

[JohnPepper]

Hi Kat00

In what way do the mnufacturers claim that this product can help Parkinson's? Our brain cells have already been damaged by oxidation, so how will an antioxident help those damaged brain cells? W\e need something that will get rid of the monoaminoxidase, which oxidises the damaged cells. Do they claim that this will or can happen. We are bombarded with talk of antioxidants and are so desperate we will try them all, but to what affect?

John

[Kat00 in reply to JohnPepper]

There are some good articles if you Google Astaxanthin for Parkinsons Disease. One in particular is a brain study out of Japan. Without being too technical, Astaxanthin protects nerve cells from damage from reactive cellular toxicity in the Dopaminergic cells, It does this by a cell protective mechanism in the cell Mitochondria. This is much the same way that CoQ 10 works only to a much greater degree.

Yes the damage is already done to some cells in the brain and nervous system, but if we can protect the new cells the body forms from damage, we can improve the way the brain and body functions. There does not seem to be any recoreded side effects or toxic level of Astaxanthin, but the latest recommended dosage for Parkinsons is 1 pill of 12mgs per day

[ronn]

When CoQ10 was first being tried for PD, the general consensus seemed to be that, although there were positive results, those results were achieved with very high doses, (up to 1200 mg). If Astaxanthin can out-perform CoQ10 using 12 mg. a day, it may well be worth a try. Do you know of any possible side effects or reaction to other meds?.

[Kat00 in reply to ronn]

I have done a lot of research on this and as far as I can tell the studies indicate that there are no side effects and no drug interaction.( the only listed side effect I can find is the possibility of a slight orange tinge to urine or stool when exceeding recommended dosages in high amounts) In addition there are many claims that researchers have not found any toxic levels from consuming high doses of Astaxanthin, however, this antioxidant has been on the market only a couple of years, so it may be too early to tell. If you stay within the recommended 12 mgs daily and do not take mega doses, you should be safe. The research I have done comes from doctors and scientists who are NOT backed by a supplement company ( I am always suspicious of those findings!)

[kennym]

Interesting. I've been taking astaxanthin for a couple years now, actually dating back before my diagnosis, mainly for the skin benefits/protection while in the sun. 12 mg daily. No side effects other than slightly dis-colored stool. Tried 16 mg daily for several months but no additional benefit noted, so I'm staying at 12 mg.

As to helping PD symptoms it's hard to say, but I have always been ahead of the curve in handling my symptoms. "Maybe" it is in part due to the astaxanthin, and all this time I never even realized it? Never connected it with PD before reading this board. Interesting.......