A recent study into the beneficial properties of the natural carotenoid, astaxanthin, has given scientific support to its use for diabetics with coagulatory problems. The astaxanthin product, made by AstaReal, was the supplement used in the study, as it contains the natural carotenoid derived from the Haematococcus pluvialis microalga. The product was found to help prevent or alleviate diabetic coagulatory disorders, that elevate the risk of thrombosis and other cardiovascular complications, such as cardiomyopathy and stroke.
Included in the pathology of diabetes are hyperglycemia and hypercoagulation. Unstable blood sugar levels are linked to the activity of coagulation factors and/or a decrease in activity of anticoagulation factors that lead to hypercoagulability. Therefore, coagulation disorders often occur in diabetic patients with poor glycemic control.
The results
The double-blind placebo-controlled study on patients with type 2 diabetes provided evidence for why AstaReal reduces the risk of diabetic coagulatory disorders, citing significantly lowered plasma concentrations of triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, levels of coagulation factors and increased levels of anticoagulation factors, compared with the placebo group, after eight weeks.
In addition, supplementation reduced glycated haemoglobin, implying reduced blood sugar, which is linked to coagulatory factors. This evidence leads to the conclusion that natural astaxanthin seems to be effective against diabetic coagulation disorders.
Commenting on the findings, Dr Kung-Chi Chan of Providence University and Cheng Ching Hospital, Thaichung City (Taiwan), said: “In this clinical study, we observed that astaxanthin supplementation has beneficial effects on ameliorating coagulatory disorders in type 2 diabetic patients. Our future work will be to investigate the effects of astaxanthin supplementation on the development of microvascular complications in diabetic patients, such as retinopathy and renopathy.”
The results also discovered that the supplement had other benefits. For instance, a high dose of astaxanthin reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines and improved lipid profiles.
