When we started formulating dog food formulas for competition dogs nearly twenty years ago, antioxidants had just entered the arena in a big way. Vitamin C was the antioxidant of choice and Vitamin E was soon to follow but there was another level that I knew we could take our products to in regards to the topic. Astaxanthin…
We include good levels of antioxidants to cleanse the body of free radicals. Antioxidants flush out the junk. An incredibly effective and relatively new antioxidant that we have been using for some time is one called Astaxanthin.
Astaxanthin is a fat-soluble nutrient that has a very unique molecular structure, which makes it a superior antioxidant. Its structure means that it can clean out free radicals, or waste from cells in your dog’s body. It is an all natural material that is found in microalgae grown on the Kona coast of Hawaii. The extract of this algae is the most highly concentrated, compared to other sources of Astaxanthin.
Microalgae contains over three times the concentration than traditional sources such as Salmon and Crustaceans. Astaxanthin is known to protect cells from free radical oxidation, enhance immune support, improve breeding as well as health and longevity. Astaxanthin is proven to be 500 times stronger than vitamin E, and 2000 times stronger than vitamin C as an antioxidant.
With powerful properties like these, we absolutely had to include it in our feed formulas. Along with good levels of other antioxidants like vitamin E and C, as well. At the time of this article Canine Health Forward is the only manufacturer to use Astaxanthin in a food formula to date.