KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii—Cyanotech completed a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-science on natural astaxanthin, coupled with an in-depth survey of users of BioAstin® Natural Astaxanthin to determine its efficacy. Bob Capelli, vice president of sales and marketing, and Gerald R. Cysewski, Ph.D., founder, focused the research review primarily on studies concerning astaxanthin’s antioxidant effects, anti-inflammatory applications, immune system enhancement, and protection from ultraviolet (UV) radiation. For the survey portion, Cyanotech used an independent survey implementation and analysis Web site to send e-mail requests to more than 1,500 consumers who had purchased BioAstin product at least once during the past seven years. A total of 26.7 percent of consumers responded, with a total of 302 respondents fully qualified for tallying results.

A total of 85 percent of respondents said they had found some benefit from natural astaxanthin supplementation. The major area of use was relief of joint, tendon or muscle pain (84 percent), with 75 percent of consumers reporting astaxanthin worked the same as or better than OTC pain medications for the condition; 64 percent said the carotenoid was as effective as or better than prescription anti-inflammatories. Additional results included: 68 percent experienced reduced UV damage from sun exposure; 65 percent had improvements in skin condition; 80 percent had improved immune response; and 74 percent realized quicker or more complete recovery from exercise.