Astaxanthin.
I had to pause the video because I didn't quite catch that word. I can honestly say, I have never ever heard this word before. You know what happens when I don't know a word?
Apparently this Astaxanthin is a new thing when it comes to supplementation in companion animals. I've seen a lot of mention about how it benefits humans, however whether astaxanthin supplementation can benefit dogs and cats (let alone ferrets) remains to be unclear. There does seem to be lack of studies and one article which actually does have some interesting information, also says "Domestic dogs and cats fed astaxanthin generally showed different biokinetic profiles when compared to humans and other species. Whether astaxanthin supplementation can modulate immune and anti-inflammatory/antioxidative function remains to be elucidated."
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2898833/
I guess they would make use of this Astaxanthin to some degree, if you feed fish, or give your ferret fish based oils like krill oil or salmon oil.
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Astaxanthin is a deep red, fat-soluble pigment that is found widely throughout nature. It is originally sourced from Microalgae, so in order for animals to make use of it, herbivores eat the algae, omnivore and carnivores eat the herbivores and so on. As astaxanthin makes its way up the food chain, the color becomes still more concentrated, creating the beautiful reds and pinks we see in fish such as salmon and in marine birds like flamingos.
Proteins that are high in astaxanthin include sockeye salmon, red trout, red seabream, lobster, shrimp, crawfish, crabs, and salmon roe.
In the animal kingdom, Astaxanthin is found in its highest concentration in Wild Pacific sockeye salmon.
Astaxanthin is also found in trout, krill, shrimp, crayfish, crustaceans, and the feathers of some birds (Flamingo~~~). It is responsible for the bright red colour of krill oil, cooked shellfish and the deep dark pink flesh of wild caught salmon.
Wild-caught Pacific sockeye salmon, for example, has apparently 400% higher levels of astaxanthin than their farm-raised counterparts. The reason for this is that marine life in the wild ingests the truest form of the pigment, microalgae, whereas farm-raised fish get their astaxanthin resources through commercially made food additives containing synthetic astaxanthin which is made from petrochemicals. Synthetic astaxanthin is completely different chemically than natural astaxanthin, and has been shown to be 20X - 50X weaker in antioxidant strength in humans.
From what I've read, Astaxanthin fights oxidative stress and free radial damage. It can cross the blood-brain barrier and the blood-retina barrier. This means it can help reduce the potential for diseases of the central nervous system, the spinal cord, and the eye. Carotenoids have powerful antioxidant properties, and research apparently indicates they are also anti-cancer, anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory agents. Interesting stuff, but remember what I mention at the start of this post, studies are lacking, especially for dogs, cats & ferrets.
Interesting Find! While fish oil has become famous for its omega-3 fatty acid content, fish don't actually produce omega-3s, instead accumulating their omega-3 reserves by consuming microalgae- or consuming other fish who consume the algae etc.
I thought this was interesting since I've never known that before. I guess I probably wouldn't have found this out if I didn't become randomly interested in astaxanthin rofl!! What a name... astaxanthin...
Another Interesting Find! You can tell whether a Salmon is wild or farm raised by its flesh! The flesh of wild salmon is bright red/dark pink, courtesy of its natural astaxanthin content.
Astaxanthin (Synthetic) is used as a feed supplement for farmed salmon, crabs, shrimp, chickens and egg production. The primary use of synthetic astaxanthin today is as an animal feed additive to impart coloration, including farm-raised salmon and egg yolks. Synthetic carotenoid pigments colored yellow, red or orange represent about 15–25% of the cost of production of commercial salmon feed.
Lobsters, shrimp, and some crabs turn red when cooked because the astaxanthin, which was bound to the protein in the shell, becomes free as the protein denatures and unwinds. The freed pigment is thus available to absorb light and produce the red color
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved astaxanthin as a food coloring (or color additive) for specific uses in animal and fish foods. The European Commission considers it food dye and it is given the E number E161j. Natural astaxanthin is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA,but as a food coloring in the United States it is restricted to use in animal food.
Okay... So, I felt I kind of understood what Astaxanthin was/is, But I was still yet to fully understand how the body uses it. Then I found an interesting article, which states: "Carotenoids are absorbed in the intestinal mucosa and then transported in the blood in association with plasma lipoproteins. Carotenoids associated with chylomicra are transported via the lymph and blood to the liver where they are partly re-secreted with lipoproteins."
I don't know what happened next, but I googled something and found yet another article. "Effect of Carotenoid Supplement on Production Performance in Mink (Neovison vison)" Okay, So it's about mink and even worse,
Quoting from the article: "Mammals cannot form their own carotenoids and are dependent on the carotenoids received from food. Mammals typically have a good ability to metabolize ingested carotenoids, and even reform species-specific carotenoids. Carotenoids are known to have both antioxidative and immunological effects. Hence, they are expected to have positive influence on health and wellbeing in general. Carotenoids have been found to have an effect on fertility of animals in several species. This is due to the fact that all animals deposit carotenoids in their egg cells. Carotenoid supplement seems to increase the frequency of successful insemination. It often also leads to larger offspring. A trend has been found that pigs with carotenoid supplement in feed have more piglets born alive. In addition, mortality per litter among the piglets has been documented to be lower. In mink, the number of corpora lutea, implantation sites and fetuses tended to be slightly higher in animals given carotenoid antioxidant and astaxanthin during breeding season."
Last random notes,
This is what I do in the early friday mornings... basically research these random things. I don't even know why sometimes lol!
It's way better to buy wild caught salmon so you can avoid the nasties that come with farmed fish!
That's basically all. I thought it was an interesting subject so I'm going to share it with everyone anyway. ;u;
Further reading and reference:
www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/is-something-fishy-going-on/
link.springer.com/article/10.1186%2F1743-7075-7-52
www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=55079
www.jbc.org/content/281/28/19327.long
oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/edu/learning/player/lesson12/l12la2.html
healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/02/06/astaxanthin-improves-mitochondrial-function.aspx
healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/03/08/advantages-of-giving-spirulina-and-astaxanthin-to-pets.aspx
nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-7075-7-52
www.nutrex-hawaii.com/natural-sources-of-astaxanthin
www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2013/4/Astaxanthin-Provides-Broad-Spectrum-Protection/Page-01
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2898833/
www.littlebigcat.com/nutrition/antioxidants/
Read more: http://holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/20344/astaxanthin-salmon-info#ixzz427LH2X2J
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