White Paper: Astaxanthin for Eye Health

Published: 8-Nov-2016

The following White Paper on Astaxanthin’s use for eye and central nervous system diseases and damage is brought to you by AlgaeHealth, a division of BGG.

Two young scientists working toward their doctorates in France way back in the 1940’s were really on to something. And they were clearly way ahead of their time. Before almost any scientist in the world had ever heard of “Astaxanthin,” Renee Massonet and Rene Grangaud had already discovered how protective Astaxanthin is for the eyes. The work they started in the 1940’s was completed and published in the 1950’s as their doctoral theses, earning them their PhD’s and great respect from their peers in France.

Then something strange happened. The research community somehow forgot about Astaxanthin for eye health. In fact, the scientific community pretty much completely forgot about Astaxanthin as a nutrient for improving health for almost 30 years. Amazingly, it was so completely forgotten that in 1996, a professor and ophthalmologist at the University of Illinois, Dr. Mark Tso, MD, was able to get a patent on the use of Astaxanthin for eye and central nervous system diseases and damage! (As anyone who’s familiar with patents knows, they’re supposed to be granted based on a new, previously undiscovered invention.) How could Dr. Tso get a patent on Astaxanthin for eye disease when Massonet and Grangaud had discovered its potential in this area over 40 years earlier? Frankly, this just shows how completely forgotten Astaxanthin had become.

Since the early pioneers of Astaxanthin research Massonet and Grangaud uncovered the incredible potential of this nutritional gem and Dr. Tso’s subsequent patent, a great deal of research has been completed on Astaxanthin showing a variety of health benefits. One of the greatest and most clinically validated of these areas of investigation is Astaxanthin’s protective properties for the eyes.

To download and view the complete White Paper, please click here.

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