Astaxanthin: How much is too much? A safety review

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Toxicology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Astaxanthin (AX) is a popular health supplement ingredient.
• Regulatory bodies have differing recommendations for safe daily intake levels.
• Discrepancies necessitate a review of existing safety data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the maximum safe daily intake of natural and synthetic astaxanthin.
• To review approved dose levels, clinical trials, and toxicological data.
• To address discrepancies in regulatory recommendations for astaxanthin.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a comprehensive literature review.
• Analyzed approved dose levels across different countries.
• Examined 87 human studies on natural AX and toxicological studies on both natural and synthetic AX.

Main Results:

• Recommended/approved doses for AX range from 2 to 24 mg daily.
• No safety concerns were identified in 87 human studies with natural AX.
• A proposed 2 mg ADI for natural AX was based on synthetic AX data, which is inappropriate.

Conclusions:

• The acceptable daily intake (ADI) for natural astaxanthin should be based solely on natural AX studies.
• Synthetic astaxanthin requires independent safety assessments and separate ADI establishment.
• Further human clinical trials are recommended for synthetic astaxanthin safety.