Astaxanthin, Exercise Inflammation, Skin Health
Condition: Inflammatory Response; Metabolic Disturbance; Immune Suppression
MeSH terms: Inflammation
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Vigorous exercise can stress the body. Consuming special types of diet supplements may help
      the body recover better from exercise. This includes a bright red supplement called
      astaxanthin that is found in certain algae and causes the pink-red color in salmon.
      Astaxanthin is an antioxidant and may protect cells from damage and improve the way the
      immune system functions. The main purpose of this study is to determine if 4 weeks of
      consuming astaxanthin improves recovery from 2.25 hours of intensive running on a treadmill.
      This study will also measure whether or not astaxanthin supplementation improves skin health
    

Detailed description: 
      RESEARCH PROCEDURES The research procedures will be conducted at the Human Performance
      Laboratory (Room 1201, Plants for Human Health Institute Building, 600 Laureate Way),
      operated by Appalachian State University at the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) in
      Kannapolis, NC. Subjects will come to the Human Performance Lab (HPL) for
      orientation/baseline testing with pre-supplementation blood sample collections, two 2.25 h
      running sessions, and additional lab visits to provide 1-day 7:00 am recovery blood samples)
      (thus 6 total performance lab visits). Skin health measurements will occur the morning before
      and during Performance Lab Visits #1, 2, 4, 5 (thus 8 total visits, with four of them
      occurring with HPL visits and four of them occurring separately). The total amount of time
      subjects will be asked to volunteer for this study is about 16 hours at the North Carolina
      Research Campus (over a 10-week period).

      Orientation/Baseline Testing (Performance Lab Visit #1) Four weeks prior to the first 2.25 h
      running session, subjects will report to the Human Performance Laboratory at approximately
      7:00-8:30 am. Skin health measurements will be conducted the day before (following review of
      the consent form, with signing) and the day of baseline testing. Following the second skin
      health measurement, demographic and training histories will be acquired with questionnaires.
      A symptom inventory will be conducted using a 4-week retrospective questionnaire. Delayed
      onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) will be assessed with
      standardized questionnaires. A blood sample will be collected in an overnight fasted state to
      coincide with the same time of the day for the post-supplementation blood draw. Body
      composition will be measured with the seca BIA and Bod Pod body composition analyzer (Life
      Measurement, Concord, CA). Study participants will be tested for maximal aerobic capacity
      (VO2max) during a graded, treadmill test with the Cosmed CPET metabolic device (Cosmed, Rome,
      Italy). Supplements for the 4-week supplementation period will be supplied in food supplement
      trays to facilitate compliance to the supplementation protocol. 3-day food records and the
      food list will be supplied with thorough instructions (for the 3-day period prior to the 2.25
      hour treadmill running sessions).

      4-Week Supplementation Periods Study participants will be randomized to astaxanthin and
      placebo groups, with supplements ingested daily (with the first meal) for 4-weeks prior to
      participation in the first 2.25 h running session. To assess potential adverse effects, a
      symptom inventory will be conducted using a 4-week retrospective questionnaire before and
      after the 4-week supplementation period. After a 2-week washout period, participants will
      repeat all procedures using the counterbalanced supplement. The astaxanthin and placebo
      supplements will look identical and be supplied by the sponsor. The astaxanthin capsule will
      contain 8 mg of astaxanthin from freshwater algae in starch beadlets, and the placebo
      capsules will contain just the starch beadlets with natural red coloring from the pitaya
      fruit. Four ounces of sockeye salmon contains about 4.5 milligrams of astaxanthin, with much
      higher levels in arctic shrimp and krill. Natural astaxanthin is sold around the world as a
      natural antioxidant supplement with a recommended dosage of 4 mg to 12 mg a day. LycoRed
      sources astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis, a freshwater algae species of Chlorophyta
      from the family Haematococcaceae. This species is well known for its high content of the
      strong antioxidant astaxanthin, which is important in aquaculture, and cosmetics.

      2.25 h Running Session (Performance Lab Visit #2, Skin Health Tests #3, #4) During the 3-day
      period prior to the 2.25 h running session, subjects will taper exercise training and ingest
      a moderate-carbohydrate diet using a food list restricting high fat foods, visible fats, and
      polyphenols. Subjects will record all food and beverage intake during the 3-day period, with
      macro- and micro-nutrient intake assessed using the Food Processor dietary analysis software
      system (ESHA Research, Salem, OR).

      Skin health measurements will be conducted the day before and the day of the running session
      (#3, #4) (overnight fasted state). Study participants will report to the Human Performance
      Lab in an overnight fasted state, take the skin health tests, provide a blood sample, ingest
      astaxanthin or the placebo supplement with water, then run 2.25 h at high intensity (70%
      VO2max) while ingesting water alone (3 ml/kg every 15 minutes). Blood samples will be
      collected at 0 h, 1.5 h, 3 h, and 21 h post-exercise.

      2-WEEKS WASHOUT, CROSSOVER, REPEAT Subjects will engage in a 2-week washout period without
      supplements, crossover, and then repeat all procedures (Skin tests #4 through #8; Performance
      Lab visits #4,5,6). NOTE: Subjects randomized during the first trial to astaxanthin will have
      6 weeks of washout when counting the 4-week placebo period.
    

Intervention name(s): Astaxanthin; Placebo
Intervention type(s): Dietary Supplement; Dietary Supplement
Intervention description(s): 8 mg/day in one capsule for 4 weeks; 8 mg/day in one capsule for 4 weeks
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Crossover Assignment
Intervention model description: Randomized treatment, double blinded procedures, crossover
Masking: Double (Participant, Investigator)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: astaxanthin; exercise; immune function; proteomics; cytokines; muscle damage