(Mercola.com) -- Astaxanthin—one of about 700 different carotenoids—is now believed to be the most powerful antioxidant found in nature.

In terms of supplements, it's definitely one of the most beneficial I've ever learned about.

Astaxanthin is derived from the microalgae Haematoccous pluvialis.

It's the part that gives salmon and flamingos that eat the algae their orange or pink colouring.

It is produced when the algae's water supply dries up, forcing it to protect itself from ultraviolet radiation.

-- Astaxanthin is thought to be the most powerful antioxidant found in nature. According to recent research it may even provide protection against gamma radiation-induced DNA damage

-- Previous research has demonstrated that it can act as a potent “internal sunblock” to protect your skin against sun damage and photo aging effects

-- Contrary to other carotenoids, astaxanthin cannot function as a pro-oxidant, even when present in high amounts, making it highly beneficial. It’s also unique in that it can protect the entire cell—both the water- and fat-soluble parts—from damage

-- While you can easily obtain most of the carotenoids you need from your diet, it may be difficult to get therapeutic amounts of astaxanthin through food alone. You’d have to consume three-quarters of a pound of wild-caught sockeye salmon, which contains the highest amounts of astaxanthin of all the marine foods, to receive the same amount of astaxanthin you’d get in a 4mg capsule if you were to take a supplement

Essentially, astaxanthin is the algae's survival mechanism, and serves as a "force field" to protect the algae from intense sunlight.

One can't help to wonder if this might help explain why it also appears to have a protective effect against gamma radiation—the highly hazardous ionizing radiation produced by radioactive atoms.