In the Park double-blind RCT,24 astaxanthin also
significantly lowered C-reactive protein (CRP), a
biomarker of systemic inflammation.25 Although
the 2-mg/day dose had a significant CRP-lowering
effect, the 8-mg/day dose fell short of statistical
significance. Compared with the lower dose, the
8-mg/day dose significantly increased the cytokine
interferon-gamma, which may indicate an antiinflammatory
effect, but also significantly
increased interleukin-6 (IL-6), which can have a
pro-inflammatory effect. The clinical significance of
these findings is unclear, particularly since none of
these, except CRP, is a generally accepted inflammatory
marker.