Astaxanthin is one of a group of natural pigments known as carotenoids. In nature, carotenoids are produced principally by plants and their microscopic relatives. Animals cannot synthesize carotenoids and thus all natural carotenoids are first made in plants.As an antioxidant, astaxanthin has been shown to be upto 500 times more powerful than Vitamin E and more than 10 times as potent as beta-carotene. As an antioxidant, astaxanthin was shown in ORAC testing to be 5 times more potent than Lutein. A variety of human clinical studies have shown significant health benefits from astaxanthin. Because astaxanthin freely crosses the blood-brain and blood-retina barriers, astaxanthin can readily neutralize free-radicals and other reactive species in the eye and nervous system. Protection of the eye and brain tissue from oxidative stress could potentially provide valuable support for both eye and brain health. Astaxanthin was also found to be a powerful modulator on the immune function in a randomized, placebo controlled, double-blind human study. Likewise, when looking at the protective effects of UV light on cells, astaxanthin was found to be 1000 times more effective than both beta carotene and lutein.