Canthaxanthin

Animal and lab studies only

• Concern

  Eye health³

  Canthaxanthin can build up as crystals in the eye, and lab studies suggest it may affect blood vessels there.

• Open question

  Liver enzyme effects⁴

  In lab studies, canthaxanthin weakly slowed two liver enzymes, but this is unlikely to affect how the body handles medicines.

• Concern

  How the body handles medicines⁵

  In lab studies, canthaxanthin weakly slowed two liver enzymes that break down some medicines.

How it’s made and used

• Food colouring intake¹

  Canthaxanthin is a food colouring, and scientists checked how much people get from eggs; levels found were within the accepted daily limit.

• Fish colour and human intake²

  Canthaxanthin fed to trout stays in the fillet, but the amounts people eat are too small to have described benefits.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least two findings in people. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.