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Study suggests astaxanthin may blunt inflammation among firefighters
A study found astaxanthin may help blunt some markers of inflammation among firefighters. But the results were not statistically significant.
3 Min Read
At a Glance
- Astaxanthin has been shown to quell oxidative stress.
- Study tested whether it could help firefighters, who have high stress jobs.
- Results were equivocal, pointing to a persistent problem in sports nutrition research.
A study looking the negative long-term effects of being a firefighter suggests some benefits associated with astaxanthin supplementation. But the study also pointed to some of the difficulties of translating benchtop measurements into real world results.
The new study was published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. It was the work of a team of researchers from Texas A&M University. The team was led by noted sports nutrition researcher Richard Kreider, Ph.D.
Two of the researchers, Kreider and Drew Gonzalez, are unpaid members of the AstaReal Sports Nutrition Network, which is a group of scientists who share information on research into the carotenoid. The company, which produces astaxanthin from algae at a plant based in Washington state, did not provide funding for the research.
Health implications of being a firefighter
The authors noted that being a firefighter brings with it some negative health consequences. Firefighters have high stress jobs, both mentally and physically. They can suffer from being exposed to the products of incomplete combustion as well as suffering direct smoke inhalation. In addition, their disrupted sleep cycles also take a toll.
The net result is that firefighters generally have high levels of inflammation and are at higher risk for cardiometabolic disorders.
The researchers noted that past studies into astaxanthin have shown significant antioxidant activity as well as the potential for improving cardiometabolic health measurements.
Study finds equivocal results
To test whether astaxanthin could improve the health profiles of firefighters, the authors recruited 20 full-time, professional firefighters, 15 of whom completed the double-blinded, crossover study. The subjects ingested 12 mg of astaxanthin or a placebo daily for 12 weeks.
Blood was drawn to test for measures of inflammation, and the subjects’ performance on a multistep standard firefighting training exercise was recorded. They also completed a treadmill test.
The authors concluded that the astaxanthin intervention “appeared to blunt the clinically significant increase in some markers of inflammatory and oxidative stress during training.”
However, they went on to state that “astaxanthin supplementation had no statistically or clinically significant effects on cardiometabolic health markers and performance measures.”
Active nutrition webinar
The equivocal result found in this latest astaxanthin trial points to one of the difficulties that plague sports and active nutrition research in general, that being how to translate potentially promising findings from tests run on cycling ergometers and treadmills or done with weightlifting regimens in labs into measurable performance differences in real world settings.
One of the studies cited by the authors to support astaxanthin’s sports nutrition benefits found about a 1.2% improvement in a 40 km cycling time trial performance among recreationally trained athletes. While that might not sound like much, that would mean more than 30 seconds shaved off the time needed to ride 40 kilometers at the speeds elite cyclists can maintain. That would be a clear winning edge in major cycling competitions.
The issue in sports nutrition research over the years has been that the differences between groups seen in untrained or recreationally trained subjects tend to be greatly reduced when all the subjects are elite-class athletes. That’s why institutions like the University of California Davis can still make statements like, “There’s no scientific evidence to support products that claim they'll increase muscle size, strength, energy or athletic performance.”
The issues surrounding sports nutrition research were covered in depth in a recent SupplySide Education Series webinar featuring an expert panel of three researchers and an influential contract manufacturer. To watch this webinar on demand, click here.
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