Astaxanthin, inflammation and performance in firefighters
What it found
In 15 male firefighters, taking 12 mg of astaxanthin daily for four weeks appeared to blunt some markers of inflammation and oxidative stress after intense exercise, but did not change blood lipids or firefighting task performance.
Most of these changes were seen within each person over time rather than between the astaxanthin and placebo groups.
What they found
Studies in people
Inflammation after exercise
After the maximal exercise test, levels of several inflammatory cytokines rose above baseline with the placebo but not with astaxanthin. The authors say this suggests astaxanthin lessened the inflammatory response to intense exercise.
Saliva markers after fire tasks
Salivary IL-1beta, cortisol and uric acid rose above baseline after the fire ground test with placebo but not with astaxanthin at the 5-minute post-test point. However, only one data point tended to differ between the two groups.
Fasting oxidative stress
Four weeks of astaxanthin did not significantly change fasting markers of oxidative stress (AOPP, AGEs, adiponectin) compared with placebo. AGEs tended to be higher after astaxanthin, but this was not statistically significant.
Blood lipids
Astaxanthin did not significantly affect blood lipids compared with placebo. Fasting total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, non-HDL cholesterol and VLDL were lower with astaxanthin but the differences were not statistically significant.
Exercise capacity
Astaxanthin increased the ventilatory anaerobic threshold, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of peak oxygen uptake, compared with placebo. There were no differences between treatments in carbohydrate or fat oxidation rates.
Firefighting performance
Astaxanthin did not improve fire ground test completion time, heart rate during the test, air tank use or work efficiency. Participants took fewer hits on the Keiser Sled door breach task with astaxanthin, but this was not statistically significant.
Safety markers
There were no significant differences between astaxanthin and placebo in whole blood cell counts, liver function, kidney function or self-reported side effects like dizziness, headaches or heart palpitations.
What the authors conclude
“These findings provide some evidence that astaxanthin supplementation may help mediate occupation-related inflammation and oxidative stress response to high-intensity, short-duration exercise in firefighters.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that four weeks of astaxanthin supplementation (12 mg/d) attenuated VANT and appeared to blunt the clinically significant increase in some markers of inflammatory and oxidative stress during training, in response to an incremental maximal exercise test, and during the fire ground test.
- They note that most changes observed were from assessing the clinical significance of changes from baseline within groups rather than between groups.
- They state that "more research is needed to determine if long-term supplementation may have a greater impact in this population".
How it was done
Firefighters face a higher risk of cardiovascular disease from job-related inflammation, oxidative stress and lifestyle factors. The authors wanted to see whether astaxanthin, which has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, could help manage these risks and improve exercise capacity and job performance.
Fifteen healthy male career firefighters took 12 mg of astaxanthin or a placebo every day for four weeks each, in a randomised, double-blinded, crossover design, while following a standardised resistance training programme. After each four-week period they did lab tests and a fire ground test of nine firefighting tasks, with a two-week washout between treatments.
What it can’t tell you
- The study lasted only four weeks, so it cannot show what longer-term supplementation might do.
- The firefighters were healthy and had normal blood lipid and oxidative stress markers at the start, so the results may not apply to people with elevated markers.
- The authors note that most changes were seen within groups over time rather than between the astaxanthin and placebo groups, so the differences between treatments are not firmly established.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
- Authors work at
- Texas A&M University, USA
The paper
- Title
- Impact of astaxanthin supplementation on markers of cardiometabolic health and tactical performance among firefighters
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Gonzalez DE, Dickerson BL, Johnson SE, et al (2024). Impact of astaxanthin supplementation on markers of cardiometabolic health and tactical performance among firefighters. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. doi:10.1080/15502783.2024.2427751Free full textPubMed 39568140DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error