Astaxanthin is the same red-orange pigment found in aquatic animals or in the feathers of the most exotic bird species. Not only does it add color to life, but it also ranks as one of the most powerful antioxidants known to man. It is 10 times more effective than beta-carotene and scientists have proven that astaxanthin is more effective than both vitamin C and vitamin E. Antioxidants are absolutely necessary in maintaining a healthy body. Free radicals are highly unstable molecules due to their lack of an unpaired electron, which causes them to strip an electron from stable molecules, causing the once-healthy molecule to become unstable. Once free radicals damage a molecule, that molecule follows the same path and damages other molecules, starting a perverse and dangerous chain of events. Some doctors and scientists say that free radicals help the aging process and all its effects. Unfortunately, we cannot prevent free radicals because they are based on oxygen. Every time we breathe, oxygen molecules enter our lungs, travel through our bloodstream, and go directly to the cells that use the oxygen for energy and to build proteins. If this only happened occasionally, free radicals wouldn't be a concern, but unfortunately for us, our cells and DNA, each cell can take 1000 hits from free radical activity within 24 hours! Because it is necessary to breathe and we need oxygen, doctors and scientists have discovered that nature has created a crew of free radical scavengers called antioxidants. Astaxanthin is an antioxidant that goes a long way. Because it has a low molecular weight, it can cross the blood-brain barrier where it works its antioxidant magic on the eyes, brain and central nervous system. It also has a longer shelf life and is resistant to damage, allowing it to accompany free radicals from cells to other antioxidants such as vitamin C for a longer period of time.