Astaxanthin touted as new health supplement with many benefits

Below is a Q&A from the syndicated column 'Suzy Says' addressing healthy, natural additives in farmed salmon.

Question: I just heard about a natural supplement called astaxanthin and how it could help with heart disease. I'm anxious to try this. But in this house, my wife says we don't take anything until 'Suzy says so.' -- D.L., Nashville, Tenn.

Answer: I say so! In fact, I bet every one of you has eaten astaxanthin already, pronounced 'astuh-zanthin.' It's a natural dye created by marine algae. Ocean critters such as lobster, shrimp and crabs munch on the algae, and they turn red. When we eat shellfish or salmon, we consume it too. Astaxanthin puts the pink in flamingos.

The nerd in me looked up the chemical structure and, lo and behold, it looks just like beta carotene and lutein. You know those two powerful antioxidants that are found in plants improve vision in humans. I'm certain that astaxanthin can improve cataracts and age- related macular degeneration because it's a carotenoid, too. It's fascinating that the nutrient slips through the doorway of all your cells, even your brain cells. It gets in there by sliding past your 'blood-brain barrier,' the delicate layer of cells that wrap around your brain. Once inside, it sweeps away debris and harmful toxins that contribute to Lou Gehrig's (ALS), Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, multiple sclerosis, lupus and dementia. Astaxanthin is incredibly slick and neutralizes dangerous free radicals in other tough-to-penetrate organs like your kidneys, liver and lungs.

It doesn't stop there, look what else: It could repair beta cells in the pancreas, great if you have pancreatitis, or diabetes. It appears to remove crud from your arteries, thus reducing the risk of atherosclerosis, heart disease, blood clots and stroke. It lowers LDL cholesterol, too. If you've had radiation, it could offset the damage done by that procedure.