Astaxanthin and heart disease risk in lab and human studies
What it found
Astaxanthin may help protect against atherosclerosis by improving oxidation, inflammation, lipid and glucose metabolism, but the authors say more human evidence is needed.
Studies included people, animals and cells.
What they found
Studies in people
Antioxidant effects
In human studies, astaxanthin consumption prolonged the lag time before LDL oxidation at doses of 3.6 mg per day and higher. It also reduced markers of oxidative stress in healthy people and in obese adults.
Inflammation and immune response
In a clinical study of healthy adult females, astaxanthin supplementation (2 and 8 mg per day) for eight weeks decreased a DNA oxidative damage biomarker and inflammation, and enhanced the immune response.
Lipid metabolism
In a placebo-controlled study of 61 non-obese subjects with mild hypertriglycemia, 12 and 18 mg per day of astaxanthin significantly reduced triglyceride levels, and 6 and 12 mg doses significantly increased HDL-cholesterol. A meta-analysis of seven randomized controlled trials did not find a significant effect on plasma lipid profile.
Animal and lab studies
Blood pressure and stroke
In rats, astaxanthin lowered blood pressure and delayed the incidence of stroke. The authors say this effect is not well-defined and needs further study.
Studies in people and animals
Glucose metabolism
A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found a slight glucose-lowering effect of astaxanthin. In animal models, astaxanthin improved glucose metabolism and reduced oxidative stress in pancreatic cells.
Cognitive function
In a study of healthy aged humans, astaxanthin-rich extract (6 mg or 12 mg per day for 12 weeks) improved cognitive function. In diabetic rats, astaxanthin improved performance in maze tests.
What the authors conclude
“The current data may be promising in clinical conditions, but the therapeutic potential of this natural compound in humans remains to be established.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that astaxanthin can exert preventive actions against atherosclerosis via its potential to improve inflammation, lipid metabolism, and glucose metabolism.
- They state that the therapeutic potential of this natural compound in humans remains to be established.
- They advise that much more epidemiological and clinical evidence is needed.
How it was done
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, and oxidative stress and inflammation are involved in the development of atherosclerotic diseases. The authors wanted to summarise the evidence on astaxanthin's potential role in preventing atherosclerosis.
The authors reviewed basic and clinical research on astaxanthin, including human trials with doses from 4 mg to 100 mg per day, animal studies, and cell experiments.
What it can’t tell you
- Many of the findings come from animal and cell studies, which cannot show what happens in people.
- The human studies are mostly small and short-term, so they cannot show whether astaxanthin prevents heart disease over time.
- The review cannot prove cause and effect because it summarises different types of studies.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Ochanomizu University, Japan; Jikei University Kashiwa Hospital, Japan; Toyo University, Japan
The paper
- Title
- Potential Anti-Atherosclerotic Properties of Astaxanthin
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Kishimoto Y, Yoshida H, Kondo K (2016). Potential Anti-Atherosclerotic Properties of Astaxanthin. Marine drugs. doi:10.3390/md14020035Free full textPubMed 26861359DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error