Optimal Health Across Different Life Stages with Natural Astaxanthin
03 Oct 2019 | AstaReal
The healthy aging market is booming and shows no sign of slowing down and it isn't just older consumers who are driving demand within this space. Increasing awareness regarding the importance of aging well and taking a preventative approach early on presents a huge opportunity for science backed ingredients across a range of demographics.
In this webinar AstaReal discusses the trends driving the healthy aging market forward, where key opportunities lie and consumer needs that can be met with natural astaxanthin. Watch this webinar to discover how natural astaxanthin has the ability to target the root cause of aging through its ability to promote mitochondrial health and how this can be used to address the health concerns of consumers across all life stages.
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Good afternoon.
I'd like to warmly welcome all of our global listeners to today's webinar.
My name is Lakshmi Haig.
I'm the deputy editor of CNS Media, the publisher of The World of Food Ingredients, Food Ingredients First, and Nutrition Insights.com.
Today's nutrition insight hosted webinar is entitled Optimal Health Across Different Life Stages with Natural Asansin, and it is presented by Astere.
Today we will be discussing the trends driving the healthy aging market forward, where the key opportunities lie, and where consumer needs can be met with natural sin.
We will uncover how the ingredient has the ability to target the root cause of aging by promoting health and how this can be used to address the health concerns of consumers across all life stages.
So, before we begin today's webinar with the expert insight from Asareel, I'd like to provide some background information supported with data for market researcher and other market insights.
The healthy aging market is booming and shows no signs of slowing down.
As young as younger consumers increasingly take a preventative approach early on, it's not just older consumers who are driving demand into space.
Increasing awareness regarding the importance of aging presents a huge opportunity for science-backed ingredients across a range of demographics.
One such ingredient is aspisanin, which is touted as being one of nature's most powerful antioxidants and a potent anti-inflammatory.
The ingredient is seeing large growth in the supplement category.
You can see an example of such a product here on the slide.
According to Enova Market Insights data, the average annual growth of product launches tracked with acetasin increased by 18% globally between 2014 and 2018.
In this space, the industry is also increasingly spotlighting plant-based sourcing for its ingredients, such as red algae for atraplankton.
This is driven by health conscious consumers as as as environmental triggers.
The move to plant base is clearly trending upward, and in the supplement market we are seeing brands really promoting plant derived ingredients.
They're doing this by using green on their packaging, for example, to position their plant usage in a consumer facing way.
The data also supports this, showing a 26% increase in annual growth of supplement supplement launches tracked with a plant-based claim.
Moving on, another market insight data also notes a growing recognition of AstraZeneca's potential in optimal aging.
According to the market research data, here are some of the top health claims on products launched in 2018 containing the ingredients.
This illustrates a wide range of aging areas that the that the ingredient really taps into.
A top claim with eye health, following this we see skin health, brain health, for example.
Other, other key claims include bone health and muscle health.
Overall, the role of Aceanin is prominent in the aging wealth space, and it's not just for the golden years.
In this way, we, we increasingly see this communicated unpack, as you can see here on the slide as.
Now, it's time to introduce our speakers.
First, we have Andy Long, who is a sales and marketing manager for Astra's European team.
She has a specialization in marketing and behavioral studies from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and international experience in the consumer productsporting nutraceutical industries.
Astor Group provides has partnered with extra R&D, regulatory, product development and marketing support, and for the past 6 years, Andy has contributed to these efforts at both business and consumer level in Europe, China, and Africa.
Secondly, Leonhard Hogenstein works as a key account manager for Astaril and holds a master's degree in nutritional sciences from Stockholm University in Sweden.
He, he is a passionate advocate of science-backed functional molecules like roplankin that help to improve health and -being.
Leonard has worked closely with Atrio's partners, providing nutritional and scientific advice and guidance for new product development.
One further note, would be during the webinar, we really encourage our listeners to send in their questions, which we will address at the end in an active Q&A session.
Now, over to you, Andy.
Thank you, Lakshmi, for the introduction.
It's definitely an exciting time for the natural astraxanthan industry.
My name is Andy.
Hey, my name is Leonhardt.
And we're from Astreal's Swedish team.
We'd like to warmly welcome all of our listeners, and we're so happy to see so many people from around the world tuning in today.
As you can see, we have an exciting and full agenda ahead of us, and as Lakshmi mentioned, the natural astraxanthhem market is experiencing exponential growth.
So today we want to share with you some of our key insights, both from a scientific and a commercial perspective.
We know that individuals want to target the root cause of aging at different life stages, and this is a central topic today.
But to understand the power of natural astraxanthin, we really need to understand its ability to promote mitochondrial health.
So Leonard will be delving into the vital role that mitochondria play during our lifespan and why natural astraxanthin is such a powerful mitochondrial nutrient.
We'll be looking at proven clinical results across cognition, muscle and vision.
Including market insights and product examples showing how natural astraxanthin can be used to target different consumer groups.
Today's webinar will run for approximately 35 minutes or so with a Q&A at the end, so please don't forget to submit your questions throughout the webinar.
Very quickly, I would like to introduce you to Astareal.
We're a global pioneer and we're the first in the world to commercially produce natural astraxanthin, and the only brand backed by 30 years of research and innovation.
We're an expert in natural astraxanthin cultivation, R&D, and clinical science, and the only brand backed by over 60 clinical studies.
We have two state of the art indoor production sites in Sweden and USA providing a consistent and stable supply of natural astraxanthin with excellent levels of product quality and purity.
And of course we have all the relevant certifications such as ISO, HACCP, halal, and kosher.
What's important for our global audience today is that we are a truly international organization and our partners benefit from access to talented, high performance, local teams with technical, marketing and regulatory experts with in-depth knowledge of your target region.
Today we'll be focusing on the benefits of natural astraxanthin for cognition, muscle, and vision, but I'd like you to be aware that Astel is backed by over 60 clinical studies.
You are welcome to contact us directly in regards to the benefits of natural astraxanthin that are not on the agenda today, such as skin health and cardiovascular health.
We will also answer your questions after our presentation.
Some of you listening may already be familiar with natural astraxanthin, but for those of you who are not, we'll take a quick look at what it is and where it comes from.
Often referred to as nature's most powerful antioxidant, natural ataxanthin is a naturally occurring carotenoid that imprints salmon, crabs, krill, and even flamingos with vivid reddish color.
Natural astrazxanthan has physical and biologic biological functions in the animal kingdom and protects animals in the peak of their struggle against harsh environmental conditions.
For example, in salmon, astraxanthan is thought to play an important role during their exhaustive upstream marathon, and important for us is that clinical studies have shown that humans also benefit from the superior antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties of natural astaxanthin.
So where does natural axanthin come from?
And where do steril derive our natural xanthin, the freshwater microalgae, Hematococcus pluvialis.
Here you can see the unicellular freshwater microalgae, which is under normal growth conditions, green.
However, when exposed to environmental stress, for example, high temperatures or low level of nutrients, the algae start preparing to go into a protective rest state by accumulating high concentrations of astaxanthin.
To provide protection from this harsh or unfavorable environment.
This action protects the algae's DNA, lipids, and cell structure from UV radiation and other sources of free radicals.
And what is really fascinating, that is in this form, the algae can survive for months or even years until the environment conditions improve again.
This is a really successful survival strategy.
A very quick overview because Leonard will go deeper into this later during the webinar.
But if you look on the left-hand side of this slide, you'll see the structure of natural astraxanthin.
What's important to note here is the very unique structure that provides protection against oxidative stress both in the inner and outer layer of the cell membrane.
Secondly, in the center of the slide, you'll see that if we compare natural astaxanthan's antioxidant capacity to other common antioxidants, and here specifically, we mean the singlet oxygen quenching activity, we see natural asaxanthin is much stronger than these other common antioxidants.
And finally, on the right-hand side of the slide, you'll see that natural aaxanthin is considered a pure antioxidant.
We know that younger adults are becoming more conscious about their health and believe that modern lifestyles and diets increase the risk of serious health problems later in life.
Meanwhile, senior consumers want to stay as fit and active as possible and maintain a good quality of life.
And obviously good health is deemed the key way of achieving this.
Therefore, we should start to think of healthy aging as a lifelong pursuit.
Another way to think of this is that individuals are looking to maximize their health span, and this is the length of time in which one's life, during which you are in reasonably good health, and supplements play a key role.
According to a research and markets report published this year, the dietary supplement market was valued at over $100 billion US dollars, and it's being driven by a shift towards preventative health management practices.
Also important to note.
The definition of health changes depending on our age.
However, the diverse set of health concerns that fall under the healthy aging banner can be considered to be united by a common cause, mitochondrial dysfunction, creating the opportunity for ingredients such as natural astraxanthin to act on multiple conditions.
Here you can see what can be considered a summary of consumer needs over different life stages.
For example, stay beautiful and fit, stay independent and in need of medical attention.
You see a range of products, each with astraxanthan as a key ingredient, and each formulated to target a specific health concern or concerns that are relevant to those life stages.
We're now going to dive into the science behind natural astraxanthin, which I believe will inspire your product formulation concepts and provide further insight as to why the natural astraxanthan market is experiencing such impressive growth.
Thank you, Andy, for this great introduction.
I would like to start with a question that is very relevant for this webinar and a question that I was asking myself recently, more often, which is when does healthy aging start?
On the left side of the slide, you see a picture of myself, now in my early 30s, and on the right side you see a simulation of how I may look like in my 70s.
The reason why I show this picture, now out of a consumer perspective, is that we really can influence the aging process by making the right choices in terms of lifestyle and nutrition.
Rather than seeing aging as a status later in life.
So the answer to the question is that healthy aging starts very early and is relevant over all generations.
But what aging means in a cellular and molecular perspective was proposed by Lopes et al.
In one of the most cited papers in biogerontology in the last decade called The Hallmarks of Aging.
9 characteristics or hallmarks of aging have been identified.
These hallmarks of aging include conditions like genomic instability, which is when DNA damage occurs or DNA mutations happen, or altered intracellular communication, also caused by chronic inflammation.
Another characteristic of the aging process, and one that is associated with many of the other hallmarks you see here on the slide is mitochondrial dysfunction.
Mitochondria are among the first part of the cell to become dysfunctional.
Especially in metabolically active tissues requiring high amounts of cellular energy like the heart, the eyes.
The brain and the muscles.
But what are mitochondria?
How do mitochondria become dysfunctional, and what, what can we do about it?
So, As we probably all know, mitochondria, they really play a vital role in cellular function.
They are also called the powerhouse of the cell.
They have a key function in the generation of cell energy in the form of ADP.
And cells with high energy requirements have more mitochondria.
And there are a lot of other key roles.
That mitochondria play, like they, they regulate calcium levels, they contribute to immunity inflammation, they play a key part in cell survival and cell death pathway, and these are just a few examples.
However, our mitochondria are also a major source of reactive oxygen species.
Each time ATP is made, swarms of free radicals are produced through normal energy metabolism.
And high levels of these reactive oxygen species can be compared to pollution and can damage the mitochondria and other parts of our cells.
And this is nothing new.
It was already proposed in 1972 by a medical doctor, which was called the mitochondrial free radical theory of aging, and it said an organism's longevity was directly related to the amount of free radical damage created within the mitochondria.
I mentioned that reactive oxygen species can cause mitochondrial damage.
We know as we age that the mitochondria number decrease, they change their form, they have fewer membranes, and swell.
And what happens is that those mitochondria get less efficient in creating energy to drive cellular function.
So we begin to leak free radicals, and these promote oxidative stress in the surrounding cells.
And when these mitochondria become dysfunctional, we experience different symptoms, as you see here on the slide.
This can cause early aging, also delayed recovery from physical or mental exertion, chronic fatigue, cognitive decline, muscle weakness, even sarcopenia, and vision problems.
So if ATP is the currency of energy for a cell, the goal of healthy aging is not to go bankrupt with your cellular energy.
So how do you do that?
Here you see some examples of how to fuel our mitochondria according to science, and when we talk about lifestyle factors.
One very crucial aspect of keeping mitochondria healthy is exercise, for example, endurance exercise or even high intensity interval training.
But also, I read recently some, Harvard paper that looked into caloric restriction, and also this had a beneficial effect on our mitochondria, or it's intermittent fasting.
Or sleep, lower stress levels, and reduced exposure to environmental toxins.
And adequate nutrient levels are essential for mitochondrial function, as several specific micronutrients play crucial roles in energy metabolism and ATP production.
B vitamins are involved in energy metabolism.
Carnitine is very important for fat oxidation.
Q10, selenium, important antioxidants.
But recently, science also looked at the beneficial effects of carotenoids on the mitochondria.
And when we're talking about carotenoids, let's put the focus on natural as the xanthin and the positive effects on the mitochondria.
I would like to bring your attention to a recent review that was published in 2018 in the journal Nutrients, where the authors concluded astaxanthin can effectively prevent oxidative stress induced mitochondrial dysfunction.
But how, how does it do that?
So to understand why natural astasanin is a mitochondrial nutrient, it is important to know that 35-50% of all membrane-bound tasanthin in the cell is specifically found in the mitochondria.
Astasanin is a fat soluble nutrient that has access to cell and mitochondrial membranes for ultimate protection.
Astraxanthin has a fat loving middle aliphatic chain and water-soluble ends, which match the the structure of membranes.
Making it fit perfectly without disrupting the membrane structure.
It does not convert to vitamin A.
It's, it's also 100% pure antioxidant.
And it contains anti-inflammatory properties properties.
Moreover, astaanin has the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and to cross the blood retinal barrier.
Here we see how the structure of ahasanin helps protect mitochondria from oxidative stress.
These cultured cells are allowed to accumulate oxidative stress for 2 days either without haanthin on the left or with haanthin in their membranes on the right.
The mitochondria in these cells have holes punched in their membranes by accumulating free radicals which causes them to leak and makes them unable to continue producing energy.
Leaky, dysfunctional mitochondria are shown in blue, while healthy mitochondria are shown in red.
As you see, there are a lot more red, healthy, energy producing mitochondria in the assentin treated cells.
This demonstrates that natural steranin's unique structure makes it an effective defense against free radicals, keeping mitochondria healthy and producing energy.
On this slide, we see how ahaanin helps your mitochondria work better to produce more ATP.
Before we talked about, Astaanin and how it can protect the mitochondria.
But as to Sandton.
Can actually do way more than that.
It also enhances mitochondrial function.
So it has been shown that it turbocharges our mitochondrial engines by enhancing utilization of fat via the CPT1, which is the carrier molecule for long chain fatty acids in the mitochondria.
And estanthin protects it from oxidation.
Asanin has also shown to promote mitochondrial biogenesis, so It actually helps to get more mitochondria in ourselves.
In summary, we also could say if mitochondria are the engines, as the sandin is the engine oil that lubricates and protects the cellular engines.
Thank you so much, Leonard.
It's a really interesting explanation.
Thank you.
So, I suppose one thing some of you might be thinking is, within our industry, generally, we might be more familiar or perhaps more educated on the importance of mitochondria and the vital role they play in our health and in combating the aging process.
Perhaps some of you are wondering, is the average consumer as aware as us?
Does this message resonate at consumer level, in regards to Protecting your mitochondria and fueling them.
And the answer is yes, more and more.
As you can see, the notion of mitochondrial and cellular health is gaining traction at consumer level.
Here are just a few recent examples of articles in consumer media.
And on the right-hand side, you see two great product examples with astaxanthin as a key ingredient, which is focusing on cellular health.
So we will jump into our first health benefits focusing on cognition.
And important here is to recognize that across all generations, healthy aging overwhelmingly means maintaining cognitive and physical capacity.
You'll see in a over Market Insights consumer survey from 2017 showed that consumers in the UK and US pinpointed retaining mental sharpness as they age as a key health concern.
We also see from a great survey done by FMCG gurus globally, that a huge portion of consumers say they are lacking mental sharpness, that they suffer regularly from feelings of fatigue and tiredness.
Or if they suffer from regularly having general forgetfulness.
So, Leonard, maybe you can give us some of the background as to why the brain is so susceptible to oxidative stress and inflammation.
Absolutely, Andy.
So when we talk about Asha Sanin and cognitive health, it's really important the reason.
Why the brain is so susceptible to oxidative stress.
It is important to know that our brain uses about 70% of all the ATP generated in the body.
It is a very mitochondria dense tissue that consumes a lot of oxygen to support ATP intense neuronal activity.
Moreover, the brain is very rich in unsaturated lipids, and these lipids are often primary targets for free radicals.
And free radicals can also generated during, for example, endogenous neurotransmitter metabolism, and these neurotransmitters can also auto-oxidize, again, generating harmful free radicals.
And our neurons are also known to have a quite modest endogenous antioxidant, antioxidant defense, so I think it is clear that our brain needs optimal antioxidant protection.
Let me now show you a clinical study where assteryl astasanin improves cognitive function in middle aged and elderly adults with age-related forgetfulness.
It was a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, and the participants were supplemented for 3 months with 6 to 12 mg of natural antin, and the results showed that supplementation with natural ataxanthin improved memory, mental quickness, and multitasking in these subjects compared to baseline.
Here is another clinical study with an interesting concept in the cognitive health space.
Where we looked at how natural astraphanin can fight mental and physical fatigue.
In the first study of its kind, participants were given 12 mg of aststeril, natural astrophanin, or a placebo for 8 weeks.
The study was designed to induce the fatigue and stresses of daily life and athletic training.
In terms of design, first, to challenge their mental capacity, the participants were subjected to a number of calculations that required intense concentrations.
The physical component was performed using a bicycle ergometer.
At the end of the study period, visual analog scale analysis showed that tasanin significantly reduced the perceived symptoms of mental and physical fatigue compared with the placebo group.
Moreover, the phentin group had better cognitive performance compared to the placebo group.
The participants performed different calculations for 15 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of rest and another 15 minutes of additional calculations.
It is expected that participants would perform worse in the second round of calculations, as mental fatigue sets in.
Performance during the 1st 1 minute's calculation session was compared to the 2nd 15 minute calculation session in both treatment and control groups.
After 8 weeks of treatment.
The control group made an average of 3.2 mistakes in the second round of calculations as compared to the first round of calculations.
The Ashaanin treated group, who experienced less mental fatigue, according to the Vast course, did not see a similar decline in performance.
So the Asanin treatment group averaged 0.2 more wrong answers in the second round of calculations as compared to the first round of calculations.
Also indicating that taentin leads to better cognitive performance.
Here you can see a summary of astasanin's efficacy in terms of cognitive health.
Our studies showed that astasanin improves age-related forgetfulness and multitasking and alertness.
It reduces inflammation by the NFKB pathway.
It enhances capillary blood flow in the brain.
Decreases oxidation of red blood cells which is linked to prevention of dementia.
It helps fight mental fatigue and also promotes sustained energy.
Thanks so much, Leonard.
I'm sure that cognitive function is a topic that most of us can relate to when we think about aging.
Baby boomers and seniors intent on staying mentally sharp with age, as as millennials and middle-aged consumers looking to manage hectic, stressful lifestyles are all utilizing natural nutritional products to help them meet their needs.
The cognitive health supplement market is expected to reach over $11 billion US dollars by 2024.
And as you can see, natural astraxanthin is being recognized as an ingredient to watch within this space.
Last year, for example, Enova Market Insights tracked new supplement launches with Astaxanthin.
And these products used brain or mood health as one of the top claims, accounting for about 28% in new product launches.
As you can see on the right-hand side, there's a couple of great product examples utilizing natural astraxanthin.
One targeting the vegan market, whilst the other is an example of an innovative dosage form and shows the versatility of natural astaxanthin can be used in new product development.
Thanks, Andy.
In the next section, we talk about muscle health and mobility and why our high performing muscles need healthy mitochondria to fuel their activity throughout the lifespan.
How do healthy mitochondria defended by astaantin affect muscle performance?
In this clinical study, in cooperation with the Gatorade Science Institute, competitive cyclists supplementing with 4 mg per day assteryl ascentin improved their power output by 20 watts, or 15% compared to the placebo group, which only saw a 1.6 watt or 0.5% increase in power outputs.
The Asster group also improved their time.
Shaving 121 seconds after 20 kilometer timed trial in 4 weeks of supplementation compared to only a 19 2nd improvement in the placebo group.
This study demonstrates natural astraxanthin can boost athletic performance by promoting endurance and efficient energy production.
But when we talk about muscle health and aging, a very important topic is to talk about a condition called sarcopenia.
Sarcopenia is characterized by progressive loss of skeletal muscle.
And most prevalent in the elderly, research showed that muscle loss already starts in our 30s, and it is characterized by loss of muscle mass, loss of muscle strength, and compromised performance.
So what are the driving factors of sarcopenia?
One of the main drivers is physical inactivity or being sedentary.
On this picture here in the middle, you can see 3 cross sections from 3 different male thighs.
On the left we see a young male.
Quite active male with, with this dark tissue in the middle, and this is mainly a healthy muscular, as you see.
And here in the middle and on the right side, we see 2 66-year-old males that have the same age and the same muscle mass, but they have one big difference.
They have a very different activity level.
In the middle, we see a male which is very inactive, has just around 3000 steps per day, and you see the white tissue surrounding the muscles in the middle, and this is actually fat already indicating.
That the muscle mass declines.
And on the right side, as we said, same body mass, a very active male, and as you can see, the fat tissue is significant less, and the muscle mass in this picture was preserved through physical activity.
So.
In terms of numbers, we also know that sarcopenia is a major public health concern because the number of individuals with sarcopenia in Europe would rise from 19 million in 2016 to 32 million in 2045.
The reason why I'll show you this slide is to stress the importance of physical activity and resistance training, in particular for the prevention of sarcopenia.
Another important driver for sarcopenia is mitochondrial dysfunction.
Leading to an inflammatory response and to chronic inflammation.
And chronic inflammation likely affects muscle mass and strength negatively.
In a recent clinical study, astayl astraansin has been shown to boost the effects of exercise in the elderly experiencing age-related muscle loss.
Participants supplementing with 12 mg per day as the real tacentin for one month, followed by three months of exercise and supplementation, saw significant improvement in muscle strength, muscle size, and muscle force, whereas the placebo group saw no significant improvement over exercise alone.
This shows that natural astrasanin can boost the effects of exercise in adults of all ages and demonstrate new opportunities for using this ingredient in the healthy aging category.
Thanks so much, Leonard.
I would just like to provide a little insight into this category.
And I think what is really important to mention is that mobility is a top priority regardless of age.
For example, a Stanford health report published last year showed that 53% of millennials fear losing their physical agility and self-reliance.
Again, referencing Enova's consumer survey, reduced physical activity levels due to health was indicated as a top health concern amongst consumers in the UK and US.
And companies such as Nestle Health Science are highlighting the importance of a preventative approach and provide a lot of fantastic consumer education on how aging impacts muscle, bone and joint health.
So what is important here is to consider different needs for different stages of life.
And here we've selected just a couple of examples to show how natural astraxanthan can target diff different consumer groups.
For example, in the UK, the MetRx Oxygen astrazxanthan.
And they target this towards athletes and younger consumers or in the USA Astemed Mayo, a prescription medical food for the clinical management of sarcopenia.
The next area we would like to discuss is vision and eyesight.
And the numbers in front of you, I'm sure that unfortunately, most of us can relate to quite.
And FMCG gurus survey conducted globally just this year showed that the portion of consumers that say they spend over 40 hours a week on smartphones, PCs, laptops, or TVs is, it's high.
And 38% of respondents say that they spend too much time in front of digital devices.
Where we see an opportunity is that 50% of consumers say that they would like to make improvements to their eyesight.
So now I'll pass back to Leonard, and he will be discussing how natural astraxanthin can support vision and eye health.
Thank you, Andy.
It's really important to understand that eyes need healthy mitochondria to especially focus.
Here you see the eyeball with Very important muscle tissue in the front.
It's called also the ciliary muscle.
This is the muscle that secures the lens, and when this muscle contracts, it makes the eye focus on near objects, and when it flattens, it makes us able to focus on far objects.
And through all these digital screens and staring at screens all day long.
This muscle gets really strained and has to work extra hard.
So what we know is, of course, it's muscle tissue, so it contains a lot of mitochondria and These mitochondria need to be supported to really do their job and to work more resiliently throughout the day.
So here you see a clinical study on eye fatigue, and it was a double-blind placebo controlled study with 26 computer workers complaining of eye fatigue symptoms, and they got a placebo or 5 mg of astacentin per day for 4 weeks, and the eye fatigue symptoms were assessed by a questionnaire.
And as a result, we saw that the number of eye strain symptoms were reduced significantly by 46% with Ashasanin supplementation.
Really help the eyes to focus, and this process of focusing is called accommodation.
In the next clinical study I want to show you, we also measured, it was an objective measurement of eye fatigue, and here we This is again a double-blind placebo-controlled study with 48 computer workers that were experiencing daily eye fatigue, and they were supplemented with a placebo or 6 mg of ascentin per day for 4 weeks.
And as an objective measurement, we looked at the accommodation amplitude.
So this is the ability of the eye to focus from near to far objects.
And at the end of the study we saw a significant improvement in the assentin group after 4 weeks of supplementation.
As the Reel has put much focus historically on, on eye health and the research behind it, and we have in total, 16 clinical studies on eye health that also showed positive effects on blood flow and inflammation in the eye.
Thanks so much, Leonard.
What I would like to just shortly highlight here is that demand for natural tizans and eye health supplements is growing.
Again, we see a over market insights data collected this year showing that of new, launch product launches last year, eye health was a top health claim for products containing natural astraxanthem.
And here are just two product examples, Fortify, for example, in the USA and Higher Nature in the UK utilizing astaxanthan for eye health.
We are coming towards the end of the webinar, so just a reminder to keep the questions coming in.
We will start answering those in just a few minutes.
But what we would like to discuss a little bit.
Is that most importantly, consumers really feel the difference after supplementing with natural astraxanthin.
Today we've looked at some of the clinical evidence that supports the benefits of supplementation, and we know that natural ataxanthem works.
However, it's really important to consider the consumer in all of this.
Here on this slide are just a few examples of the positive feedback for some of the products presented here today, such as Fortify.
And I would encourage you all to take the time to read some of the product reviews for products containing natural astraxanthan that are widely available online as they are overwhelmingly positive.
Consumers really feel natural astraxanthin working in their bodies, and this creates a loyal group of customers who feel a real benefit.
After all, it is the consumer and how they perceive a product works who will dictate the longevity of your product.
Very quickly, if natural astaxanthin is on your radar, we've compiled a list of questions to ask and things to check.
Very important to know your source, and work with a reputable supplier.
Production methods, stability and purity, and a stable supply are very critical, as as clinical evidence specific to the brand that you choose to work with.
So, Leonard, key takeaways.
How can we summarize what we've presented today?
Yeah, thank you, Andy.
So we talked about.
Mitochondrial dysfunction as a very as one of the hallmarks of aging.
And after this webinar we have learned that astrosanin is a powerful mitochondrial nutrient that protects the mitochondrial membrane and enhances mitochondrial function.
And also one important key takeaway is that the maintenance of mitochondrial fitness is essential for increased health span and longevity.
Absolutely.
So today, we've also focused on the clinical evidence that supports natural astaxanthin across cognition, muscles, and vision.
But just a reminder, we have over 60 clinical studies, including other benefits such as cardiovascular and skin health.
We really see that there is an unlimited potential for new product development, utilizing natural astraxanthin as a key ingredient to support mitochondrial health and therefore, Healthy aging.
And absolutely, there is a growing awareness of natural axanthin at consumer level, and this is driving impressive market growth.
So, thank you all for listening in and let's get started on some of the great questions that we've received so far.
Thank you very, very much, Angie and Leon Leonard, for your presentation.
Some really interesting insights raised there.
It's super clear that natural dancing can play a very broad role for health.
But now let's move to the Q&A session to see how the presentation has sparked our listeners' interest.
So I see you've had a great reaction from all the listeners today.
Firstly, let's go with this interesting question from Anna.
So Anna asks, can you con can you consider Asta Samson as a neurotropic, and do you see any market potential in this area?
So maybe, Leonard, you could take this question.
Yes, absolutely.
I think it's a very relevant question if we look at the current supplement trends and before answering this question, I would quickly.
Tell the audience like what are actually new topics.
So new topics are basically.
Substances or ingredients that may enhance cognitive function, enhance memory, creativity, motivation, or, for example, executive function.
And possible target target groups here are especially the Younger audience like athletes, students, or executives, but also, of course, active seniors that want to stay resilient in their later years.
And traditionally, nutrients used in the neurotropic space are, for example, I have in my mind now caffeine to boost focus, for example, or creatine for ATP production in the brain.
DHA for maintaining brain health or MCT or also CBD like for releasing or for releasing anxiety, for example.
And yeah, the answer here is definitely yes, assentin fits very into this space with its brain protecting and also brain enhancing properties.
Mhm.
Of course, and, and, and acetasin is also a very natural product, and I think consumers are increasingly looking for natural neuro neurotropics, so that's really interesting.
Absolutely.
And taking another look at the questions.
Andy, you earlier highlighted how healthy aging ideas are gaining traction with consumers.
And one listener is asking how what, what is increasing the awareness among consumers of natural aanthin.
Yeah, I'm very to take this one.
Yeah, absolutely, very interesting question and hopefully the webinar answered this to some extent, today.
But I think probably from our perspective, it would be remiss not to mention the trend for preventative healthcare when answering this question.
What comes to mind is sort of how consumers are looking to online forums like Live Strong or popular blogs or magazines like Women's Health, Men's Health, for example.
They're all utilized as a great source of information for consumers who are taking this preventative approach.
And recently, the benefits of natural astizanthin have been covered in popular media.
A few examples that pop to mind is Whole Foods magazine, Women's Health, The Times in the UK, Huff Post, and other blogs like Get the Gloss.
And definitely that is playing a big role in driving consumer awareness.
You've seen some great product examples today.
So, obviously the fact that Astraxanthin is being included in formulations of products of very known brands is raising awareness in the mass consumer market, but also I think it's important to mention that.
Consumers, they really feel natural AstraZen and working, and we should not underestimate the power of word of mouth and recommendation, especially in this digital age.
So when people really feel a product's working for them, they're very happy to share and, and recommend, and I think all these things in combination are, is what's really driving awareness at consumer level.
OK, interesting.
So the word is really spreading, so really exciting time.
So the word is really spreading.
Now, looking at the questions again, there's one here that is kind of asking about the functionality of the ingredients, and they're actually asking if you could combine it with protein powder and if you could do so, what would your target group be?
Leonard, could you, take this one?
Yes, I'm happy to take this question.
It's actually a great idea to combine protein powder with assentin, and I think we get also more and more requests to combine protein powder with this very powerful ingredient.
And I think the target group here can be very diverse.
On the one hand, We have the elderly.
That suffer from age-related muscle loss, as we already heard in the in the webinar, and the recommended protein intake for this population is already is already higher, so protein powder makes sense.
And also, you know, we had the first clinical study looking at sarcopenia.
Patients, so, combining protein powder with astraphenin in this target group makes absolutely sense.
And the second target group would be the sports nutrition group where protein powder remains the number one supplement, as we know, and we have a lot of, a lot of studies on, on muscle performance and recovery.
So it's also important to look at the source of the protein.
You may want to use a whey protein or.
A plant-based protein because as we know it's very trendy, so pea protein, for example, works very in combining our thin, so I want to also say our vegan friendly.
So it's a great combination for different target groups.
Great.
Yeah, thank you for that.
I think moving on, of course, a really big part of aging for a lot of people is healthy skin.
So, Lisa, I have a question from her and she is asking, what are the benefits of natural sansin for skin health.
Andy?
Great question and an indication that we really enjoy talking about.
In a short way because I know we're running out of time a little bit.
I think to highlight very simply what makes Naastaxanthin so beneficial for skin health is that it has the ability to act on all Skin layers.
So we have a lot of clinical evidence that supports natural astraxanthin as a sort of perfect beauty from within ingredients.
And these studies show that it supports skin hydration, has the ability to promote smooth skin, enhance skin elasticity, reduce age spots, and also fine lines and wrinkles.
So, I guess the kind of key message there is that natural astaxanthin works on all skin layers.
And of course, if you have further questions about skin health in, in, being specific, then you can get in touch with us directly.
Great, yeah, perfect answer, thank you, Andy.
As I mentioned before, we are slightly running out of time, so I'd like to thank everyone for tuning in today's presentation.
Please continue to submit your questions via the link, and we'll follow up with you after the webinar.
And one last note from me, to keep it, keep up with the industry news, please visit nutritionInsight.com and sign up to our newsletters.
Yes, and we would just like to thank everyone for joining today and we will get back to everyone who's submitted questions as quickly as we can.
Also, from my perspective.
Thank you very much to the listeners.
Take care and hope to, hope to read from you soon.
