Anyone tried Astaxanthin large doses daily? Activates GSTA4 which is the same enzyme downstream from OSK partial reprogramming

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#1

Anyone tried Astaxanthin large doses daily at 15-100mg daily? Most people take 6-12mg daily. Asta is one of the few compounds shown in the ITP to extend median mouse lifespan by 12%.

It is postulated to work via the NRF2 pathway which upregulates GSTA4 enzyme.

Interestingly, if you follow David Sinclair’s OSK research, Ryan Lu recently published a paper showing that OSK mainly works because it upregulates GSTA4 enzyme.

I cannot include links it seems but if you go to biorxiv or Google and search for ’ Reprogramming Factors Activate a Non-Canonical Oxidative Resilience Pathway That Can Rejuvenate RPEs and Restore Vision’ you can see the paper.

In other words, it seems like OSK partial reprogramming and Astaxanthin and probably other medicines work mainly because they activate GSTA4.

The research on Astaxanthin is very interesting and there is a lot of concensus it seems to improve cognition, prevent wrinkles, bla bla, all the anti aging effects in mouse and increasingly in humans without and toxic side effects.

I have been taking 12-16mg daily for months, so far so good.

But to activate GSTA4 enough to achieve an anti aging effect, I think from what I read, a dosage of probably around 100mg/day is required. And I am not crazy enough to try that dose.

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#2

I’ve been taking natural astaxanthin for about a year and a half. I’m currently at 24 mg/day, though I tried 48 mg/day for a while. I think it may be helping lower my CRP a bit and possibly improving UV protection, but it’s difficult to be sure. I haven’t noticed any side effects.

I dialed back to 24 mg/day because I was concerned the higher dose might be lowering my DHT more than I intended. I may try a higher dose again at some point and retest.

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#3

Exactly what I did. Started at 48mg, found out about 5ARi activity and lowered to 24mg.

I think it’s good but I don’t feel like I’ve had OSK partial reprogramming lol.

#4

When i tried to go above 18mg per day, i get these like…headache feeling…i dunno how to describe it

So i kept under 12mg mostly

Do u get those?

What are the effects like so far?

For me, i def feel the cognitive effects (clearer thinking, memory, energy)

#5

The DHT inhibition effect is only significant in-vitro. In vivo even a combination of high dose astaxanthin and saw palmetto only had a relatively modest effect on serum DHT levels.

An open label, dose response study to determine the effect of a dietary supplement on dihydrotestosterone, testosterone and estradiol levels in healthy males - PubMed

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#6

No I’ve never had that experience.

I might have turned a little bit red but that could also have been the tadalafil.

#7

I’ve tried around 300mg per day, with no discernible issues, for about a week.

I have a powder stash I purchased and have in the freezer, but I need to figure out an easy way to consume it without staining my teeth red. If you add it to food (e.g. smoothie, bowl of yogurt, etc,) it turns a dark red and will stain anything it touches. Its not an easy product to consume in larger quantities.

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#8

Try this:

I’ve got one and it is quite effective. I find it time consuming but for certain supplements it is worth it monetarily to purchase powder to capsule.

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#9

I count astaxanthin as one of my “essential” supplements.

I take:

  • 4 × 12 mg astaxanthin from BulkSupplements
  • 2 × 12 mg from the ZanthoSyn brand

For anything I consider essential, I deliberately use two different suppliers as a hedge against sourcing or formulation issues.

I did some due diligence on the ZanthoSyn product. It’s produced in Hawaii using a natural Haematococcus pluvialis–based process, similar to what’s been used in academic and ITP-style mouse work. They use a nano-dispersion formulation that claims higher bioavailability (often cited as ~3× vs standard oil suspensions). I can’t independently prove the exact multiplier, but the formulation itself looks legitimate.

The capsules contain titanium dioxide, which I find unnecessary and mildly annoying. That said, when dispersed in water, the contents dissolve over a few minutes and you can visibly see fine red particles, consistent with a nano-dispersed carotenoid rather than simple dye or oil.

If you assume higher bioavailability for the nano formulation, my effective daily exposure is roughly on the order of ~100 mg. I’ve been doing this for over a year with no obvious adverse effects. Subjectively, when I first started, I noticed an improvement in hip and joint comfort, though that’s obviously anecdotal.

I always take astaxanthin with a fatty meal to aid absorption.

Given the cost, lack of noticeable side effects, and the strength of the animal data (especially in mice), it’s something I’m comfortable staying on long term.

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#10

Something I and some other people have noticed over time is that my skin is very tanned, likely due to astaxanthin as I otherwise either avoid the sun or wear UV50 sunscreen. My daily dose is currently 12mg and I’m wondering whether taking 8-12mg continuously over many years achieves the same concentration of astaxanthin as high doses like 24-36mg. I’m pretty sure my skin is saturated with astaxanthin.

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#11

Whenever I increase dosage people always comment that my skin looks red. For the time being I’m going to tolerate it and see what kind of benefits I can get from increasing dosage. Currently at 36mg a day, thinking of increasing again to 48mg.

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