Valensa Introduces New 'Body Ready' Astaxanthin Formulation for Optimal Absorption

ANAHEIM, Calif., March 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Valensa International (Eustis, FL USA) announced today that it has launched a new Astaxanthin formulation that is designed to provide optimal absorption in support of human health at lower levels of ingestion. Called Zanthin® XP-3 Astaxanthin, the new product combines Valensa's Zanthin® Natural Astaxanthin with a supercritical extract Perilla seed oil, O2B™ Peroxidation Blocker stabilization system and sunflower-based phospholipids in a synergistic formulation that enhances the human body's absorption of the Astaxanthin. Published research has shown that absorption of Astaxanthin in the human body ranges from 25% to 90% in different individuals, and this can be greatly enhanced using natural plant-based oils and natural surfactant extracts. The published research also shows that large doses of Astaxanthin are disproportionally less absorbed compared to doses of 2 to 4 mg/day. Rather than adopt a strategy of large Astaxanthin doses to ensure the optimal 2 mg to 4 mg intake levels research has shown the body can utilize, Zanthin XP-3 typically makes the Astaxanthin 90% available across the board. As one of the fastest-growing nutritional supplements in the world today, studies have shown that Astaxanthin offers anti-aging support for the skin, for the brain and for eyes and joints. It has also been shown to support improved stamina, endurance and recovery from physical activity.

According to Dr. Rudi E. Moerck, President and CEO of Valensa, the critical factor for determining levels of Astaxanthin to use is that it is a fat-soluble substance. "With water-soluble substances such as Vitamin C, we need to take these every day in relatively high doses, because our body eliminates them rapidly. Fat-soluble substances, on the other hand, can linger in our bodies for up to 100 days. In the case of Astaxanthin, one dose has been shown to be detectable in serum for up to 72 hours and the known elimination half-life (T 1/2) - which is the time it takes for a substance to lose half of its original dose - is 16 hours. That means after a 24-hour period most people will still have slightly less than half of a previous dose still present as Astaxanthin in their blood serum and at the end of 24 hours, the next dosing cycle begins. The next dosing cycle results in even higher levels of serum Astaxanthin until a concentration called maximum serum concentration (CMax) is reached. Therefore, high daily doses of Astaxanthin are not needed because eventually even a tiny dose will reach CMax, where the concentration does not increase no matter what the dose. Zanthin XP-3 provides proper absorption, so that a 2 mg supplementation for general purposes or 4 mg Zanthin XP-3 for physical activity/endurance purposes is fully sufficient," he said.

"While there are clinical trials that show physiological benefits from 12 mg doses, the pharmacokinetics of astaxanthin indicate that these trials would have shown similar results at a 4 mg dose level. Scientists often use higher levels of a substance in studies to make sure that they can detect a measurable level in serum. In the case of Astaxanthin, depletion from serum is a competitive process with some getting used as fuel and the rest being deposited in membranes of your body, where it is primarily needed for its antioxidant function. What is not done so often is determining the lower levels that accomplish everything needed for efficacy. There are quite a number of trials at 2 mg and 4 mg levels that show positive health effects of Astaxanthin supplementation. I would fully expect that trials at 12 mg levels would give identical results as the 4 mg trials on our new super-absorbing Zanthin XP-3," he added.

He went on to point out that the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) for Beta-carotene - a researched similar substance - is 1.8 mg. While not a perfect surrogate, since it does not have the same polarity or absorption, it is less active in vitro than astaxanthin.

The most "body ready" Astaxanthin available today

Astaxanthin, like other carotenoids, is a very fat-soluble compound with moderate to good oral bioavailability. It is best consumed with fatty foods including eggs, whole milk or alpha linolenic acid (ALA)-containing nuts, such as walnuts. Studies have shown that absorption of Astaxanthin is enhanced in the presence of fats, surfactants or phospholipids (Odeberg, MJ, A. Lignell, A. Pettersson and P. Hoglund, 2003). The delivery package for Astaxanthin used in Zanthin XP-3 combines phospholipids from sunflowers and lipophilic Perilla oil. The Perilla seed extract in Zanthin XP-3 is made from select seeds of the Perilla frutescens plant and extracted using Valensa's proprietary Deep Extract(R) extraction process. This Perilla seed extract oil has the highest ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids of any known seed oil, an astonishing 6:1. ALA Omega-3 fatty acids are known to aid in the absorption of Astaxanthin and as such, greatly improve its bioavailability. Zanthin XP-3 is available in bulk, softgels and in two-piece, vegetarian liquid capsules.

According to Dr. Moerck, while Astaxanthin is widely regarded as a safe ingredient, retailers and suppliers should focus on developing products that meet people's needs in the most efficient manner. "As a supplier of Astaxanthin, you might ask why Valensa is recommending lower dosage levels. The answer is pretty straightforward - because for Astaxanthin, more isn't better and we want to develop and recommend the best, most cost-effective products to our customers," he said. "To consumers I'd say: Try the lower levels of supplementation first, and see how you feel. Trust your body," he added.

For further information, contact:

Dr. Rudi Moerck, President & CEO
Voice: 210-632-0695
Fax: 352-483-2095
http://www.valensa.com

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SOURCE Valensa International