Studies in progress

Astaxanthin Study

Who are we recruiting?    We are  recruiting men and women, 55 years or older, non-smokers and women cannot be on estrogen replacement.

What are we studying?   We are testing whether a phytonutrient found naturally in certain plants and animals, called astaxanthin, can improve how well your cells respond to stress. Are you curious to know whether supplements actually work? This is a fun way to find out.

Why are we studying this phytonutrient?  Our main interest is using exercise to increase stress resilience as we age. However, we have recently shown that adaptation to exercise is not as effective in older adults compared to young. We would like to pair an exercise intervention with a dietary phytonutrient known to improve cell defenses to test whether the combination will further boost the response seen by an exercise intervention alone. Before we can do that, we need to test whether the supplement affects our measures of cell defenses.

What would you need to do? The study requires 2 visits to the laboratory with a total time commitment of approximately 30-45 minutes and a willingness to take the supplement daily for 14 days. Because the purpose of this study is to generate preliminary data, there is no placebo arm and every subject will be taking the actual supplement.   The major requirements of the study include coming into the lab fasted (overnight fast), with one blood draw before and one blood draw after taking the supplement for 14-days.

Why should you consider participating?  Volunteering has been shown to have both positive mental and physical effects. This is a very low risk study with just 2 blood draws and 14-day astaxanthin supplementation. A review of 87 human studies found that none had reported any safety concerns or adverse effects of astaxanthin.

How do you find out more information about the study?   Please e-mail the principal investigator, Dr. Tinna Traustadóttir at tinna.traustadottir@nau.edu and we will set up a time for a phone call and/or e-mail you more information about the study.

Parking is available for all of our studies. If you are interested in more information or to find out if you qualify for any of our studies you may contact Dr. Traustadóttir at 928-523-7291 or via email at: tinna.traustadottir@nau.edu.