Effects of Astaxanthin Supplementation on Skin Health: A Systematic Review of Clinical Studies

Abstract

Astaxanthin (AST), a naturally-occurring keto-carotenoid found in sev eral species of bacteria and microalgae, has demonstrated diverse biological activities in vitro and in vivo. There is growing commercial interest in the application of astaxanthin in nutraceuticals and cos meceuticals, due to its purported photoprotective, DNA repair, anti oxidant, and anti-inflammatory benefits. This systematic review therefore aimed to summarize current clinical evidence on the effects of astaxanthin supplementation on skin health. Using the fol lowing combinations of broad Major Exploded Subject Headings (MesH) terms or text words [astaxanthin OR AST OR ASX OR caroten oid OR xanthophyll] AND [skin OR derm ], a comprehensive search of PubMed, EMBASE, Medline, Clinicaltrials.gov, and Google Scholar databases found a total of eleven clinical studies. There were six randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials, while the rest were prospective, open-label studies. In many of the randomized, controlled trials reviewed, AST supplementation improved skin tex ture, appearance (wrinkles), and moisture content at the end of the study period. AST also appeared to protect against UV-induced skin damage. No serious adverse events were reported in any of the studies. However, most available studies had a relatively small sam ple size and were conducted on healthy Japanese females. Many of the studies were also funded by commercial entities, with potential conflicts of interests. This was difficult to account for in our analyses. Overall, there is some clinical data to support the benefits of astax anthin supplementation (in the range of 3 to 6 mg/d) on skin health, especially for photoaged skin.