NutrexHawaii BioAstin Supreme Hawaiian Astaxanthin - 6mg, 60 Softgels - Farm-Direct Premium Antioxidant Supplement for Eye, Skin, Joint & Immune System Health* - Blended with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I started taking Astaxanthin about 4 weeks ago, and I noticed something... I researched, and found some info from WebMD that I think everyone needs to know about. I'm ashamed to go into personal detail, but it killed my sex drive (Yes, I am a Male), and made the whole function....not functional, and I am only 31.Here is a copy and paste from WebMD, before I asked on Yahoo! Answers:"Side effects. Astaxanthin may hinder an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase. As a result, it may keep testosterone from changing into the hormone DHT in the body. This might cause a number of side effects, such as:Lower libidoMale breast growthErectile dysfunction"You can research, or simply type in "DHT Sex Drive" in a search engine and find out just what it does.I hope this helps someone out there that thought they completely lost all manhood. I thought I did!From what I gather, this does not effect Women, but you may want to research deeper into this issue.MORE on DHT: "Dihydrotestosterone (DHT): It's important physiological functions, how it affects your physique, sex drive, nervous system, and the drugs that are derivatives of DHTDihydrotestosterone (DHT)DHT stands for dihydrotestosterone. It is a very close chemical cousin of testosterone and has many important functions in the body. It is responsible for the sexual differentiation that occurs in the womb way before we are even born. It is the dihydrotestosterone levels in the womb that determine whether or not the fetus will develop into a male or female. So, you can imagine, this is a pretty strong androgen. DHT is the most androgenic of hormones. Its responsibility lies in all of the male secondary sexual characteristics such as deepening of the vocal chords, male hair patterns on the body, hair on the face, oily skin (especially when you first hit puberty and your natural test is raging), and last but definitely not least, male sexual drive and function."I HOPE THIS HELPS!EDIT - June 7th 2014:I have found more information confirming this. I am not one that trusts WebMD on anything, but most know WebMD, and tho I have found information on other sites. WebMD was mentioned because this is what a large portion of "Internet researchers" trust.Please, read my 2 comments in the comments area.One person wondered why I gave it 5 stars. Well, it is obviously pure Astaxanthin seeing as how potent the side effects were. So, I do not crush the product for not working if it works exceedingly. It simply does not work in my favor.Today I have had someone post that they could not find anything on WebMD, and basically that what I have said is not true. In response, I have a link to a Reviewing section on Astaxanthin that is on the WebMD site. Again, the reason WebMD was used & a link back to this particular site was used to further express these facts is because the member stated it is not there. Well, now there is a link if anyone wants to read word for word what others have stated. I also encourage others in that comment to search any other site, or really the best thing to do is goto any search engine & read on the matter for yourself to conclude whether or not you want to pull the trigger & use Astaxanthin at all.I truly wish it did not cause an issue in Libido, and I wish it really were in my head, because it tremendously helped my joint pain. Unfortunately, wishing cannot make it so. Now, with that said, it could be dose dependent. So, if this issue is a serious matter to you, I recommend possibly finding (by searching search engines) a dsicussion on Astaxanthin, DHT & Hair loss to ask or find the answer to all of the questions anyone may have, because (again) this may be a dose dependent issue, but I do not know that you will be able to find that you can take the therapeutic dosage to give the relief Astaxanthin gives with getting the DHT issues that are associated with it. This is why I would encourage everyone to thoroughly research it. If worst comes to worse, try it at a Therapeutic level for yourself. If the symptoms do not arise, enjoy the benefits. If symptoms do arise, discontinue on Asta to see if your issues (ED & decreased libido, perhaps) go away a few days after discontinuation.I hope all of this has helped someone.

Apparently, Natural Astaxanthin is the most potent antioxident known to man, being 6,000 times more potent than Vitamin C. I have read that nothing replaces the body's need for Vitamin C, but Natural Astaxanthin is a good partner for it - and never becomes pro-oxidant - an extra bonus.Natural Astaxanthin is responsible for making flamingos pink, and providing the color to salmon and the stamina for them to swim upstream for days, I have not turned pink like a flamingo, nor do I find myself swimming upstream for days like a salmon, but indications of increased stamina, etc., tell me this supplement is working to my benefit. And, I have noticed one of its jobs is to help root toxins out of one's system.This is also an internal sunscreen, so one doesn't burn and immediately peel with too much sun exposure. It is beneficial for the eyes, and helps prevent sun damage to them, as well.After purchasing another brand of Natural Astaxanthin, which when tested contained none ot the Natural Astaxanthin it claimed to have, I have come to greatly respect Nutrex Hawaii's products. I am convinced this is an upstanding company, and their 6mg capsules work well for those of us who prefer to consume our daily supplements in divided doses.One of my noticable benefits is a knee, which the doctor said required surgery. I can now navigate stairs, and rarely notice my knee issues. Do I feel healthier using this supplement? Most definitely!UPDATE June 11, 2017: I continue to purchase and use this supplement, but again, I found another brand which I thought was a better value - and got taken for another ride. It was a repeat of an earlier mistake, as again there was NO Natural Astaxanthin in those capsules, which claimed to be 12mg. If the price is not comparable to similar products, it may not be what the labels states. Buyer beware - even on Amazon.Use a reputable brand of Natural Astaxanthin, like Nutrex-Hawaii. Otherwise, one may be consuming who knows what?

UPDATE: I had dry eyes and taking just 6 mg a day has fixed it, EVEN after cataract surgery! So yay.THIS is a DEFINITE staple in the supplements I take. I find 6 mg a day is best for me and does what I need it to do, so a bottle lasts me two months. SMALL price to pay for all it does for me.________________________________________________________________________________________PROS:INGREDIENTS - I LOVE the Bioastin Supreme has a vegan gel cap and that there is extra virgin olive oil in it. ALSO LOVE THEY'RE VEGAN SOFT GELS!EFFECTS - I am now in my seventies (71 in a couple months), and have been taking on and off for over 15 years, starting with the regular Bioastin.I feel a difference in my joints, energy and I am VERY fair skinned, and while I also wear sunblock, well, I can burn walking out to get the mail. This helps with that.I also noticed almost an IMMEDIATE difference in my eyes! I HAD very dry eyes and this helped IMMENSELY.BONUS - Smooths skin and wrinkles. My skin feels more moisturized from within. STILL use moisturizer on my face, but I've noticed a smoothing of wrinkles.QUANTITY, QUALITY VS PRICE - there are a lot of astaxanthin products out there and I researched this one years ago and am happy with the company and how they make this product, But also because of PRICE vs QUANTITY.CONS: NONE really except I suggest you START with 4 to 6mg and go from there.Sometimes LESS is MORE.I find the 6mg fine for me. Not saying many can't benefit from 12 mg, just saying you may wish to start with 4-6 mg once a day to see how your personal chemistry works with the gel caps.It seems more reviews saying THEY DIDN'T LIKE IT had started with 12 MGS.