When I think I've covered all there is to know, new information always emerges. Recently, Astaxanthin—a compound previously known mainly as a biological pigment—has been suggested as a potential aid for boosting testosterone levels.
Committed to scientific accuracy, I couldn't let such a claim go unexamined. The worlds of science and medicine are always advancing, so it's important to stay updatedt. With that in mind, I revisited the latest research to bring you an updated perspective. In this article, we'll explore what the most recent scientific evidence has to say about Astaxanthin and its purported effects on testosterone.
What You Need to Know
Astaxanthin in Nature
Astaxanthin is a flavonoid, in the Carotenoid family, the same plant compounds responsible for carrots being orange. The “xanthin” in Astaxanthin means “yellow,” and in animals it gives marine life their pink, orange, and yellow hues. The history of this compound goes back almost as far as the study of flavonoids themselves.
For centuries, medical lore was dominated by thinking along color lines, as with the “Four Humors of Health.” When scientists began to isolate the chemicals in nature responsible for certain colors, they turned their focus to whether those chemicals could help with health outcomes related to those colors.
Fast-forward to the modern day, and there has been some truth found to the old lore. In animals and humans Astaxanthin has powerful skin restorative properties and has proven to have enough antioxidant strength to be useful fighting inflammation, immune issues, and bacteria.
But What About Testosterone?
We can start out with some generally good news: antioxidants, across the board, increase serum testosterone. That’s a primary benefit of products like pomegranate in proven T-Boosters. But as we see with Pterostilbene (blueberries) versus Resveratrol (grapes and wine), not all antioxidants are created equal.
With Astaxanthin itself, we have a fairly definitive study in live subjects that showed it does improve all the markers of Testosterone–in roosters. There is also a less conclusive study that Astaxanthin plays some kind of role on Testosterone in humans as relates to Prostate health, suggesting it can prevent the conversion of Testosterone into Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which is what causes enlarged prostates. This could mean higher blood Testosterone, as less is being turned into DHT.
But that, unfortunately, is where the trail ends. The absolute latest in scientific research has not established a firm link between regular Astaxanthin supplementation and increased Testosterone. I should point out, however, that one paper we’ve cited here called Astaxanthin “the most powerful” among all antioxidants, for whatever that may be worth to you and your health.
Final Word
In the end, as any reader of ours knows, there are dozens upon dozens of proven, effective, and safe T-Boosting ingredients on the market. In fact, many supplement makers are able to develop formulas completely unlike their competitors but with equal efficacy.
In light of that, I can’t really recommend the use of Astaxanthin for Testosterone. Unless you’ve literally tried everything else out there, or you have room in your regimen for one more pill or capsule, I’d devote my energy (and money) elsewhere for T-Health.
Related Articles: