{"id":4980,"date":"2026-06-02T11:56:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T11:56:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.astareal.se\/?p=4980"},"modified":"2026-06-02T11:56:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T11:56:42","slug":"after-25-years-at-the-very-top-i-wouldnt-compete-without-astaxanthin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.astareal.se\/sv\/blogg\/after-25-years-at-the-very-top-i-wouldnt-compete-without-astaxanthin\/","title":{"rendered":"After 25 years at the very top: \u201cI wouldn\u2019t compete without astaxanthin\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Egil Ellis and Helen Lundberg have been among the world\u2019s top sled dog racers since the mid-1980s. With a long list of wins in some of the sport\u2019s most prestigious races, they know exactly what it takes to succeed \u2013 and astaxanthin has long been part of that journey.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe dogs\u2019 wellbeing and performance are what matter most. Over time, we\u2019ve learned what works, and astaxanthin is one of those things\u201d, says Egil.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Egil and Helen were first introduced to astaxanthin in the late 1990s, as they were preparing for another season in Alaska \u2013 widely considered the epicenter of sled dog racing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had never heard of astaxanthin before. We got a call from the CEO of AstaReal just as we were about to head over to Alaska for another season. They wanted to collaborate on testing its effects on racing dogs, but at the time we didn\u2019t think much of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in Sweden, their curiosity grew. Together with AstaReal and their veterinarian, Egil and Helen began testing astaxanthin more systematically, looking at how the dogs absorbed it and how it affected their performance and recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was important to do it properly from the start. We wanted to understand how it worked, what the right dosage was, and whether it actually made a difference. And once we saw positive results, we started using it consistently with our dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of the routine for over 25 years<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, astaxanthin has been a natural part of their work with competition dogs for more than 25 years. During that time, Egil and Helen have achieved significant success, including multiple world championship titles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can never say that one thing alone makes all the difference. But with the experience we have today, and all the research that has been done on astaxanthin, it\u2019s clear that it contributes to performance, recovery, and overall wellbeing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Egil, the effects are particularly noticeable when the dogs are under heavy physical strain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen improved muscle recovery and better endurance. It also seems to affect how well the muscles are oxygenated during work, which is very important in sprint racing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From curiosity to an established part of the sport<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Egil first started using astaxanthin, it was virtually unknown within the sport. Since then, a lot has changed. Today, astaxanthin is widely recognized as part of nutrition and race preparation among sled dog racers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the beginning, no one in the sport knew what we were doing, other than that we had this red powder that stained everything. Today it\u2019s the opposite, it has become a recognized part of how many competitors prepare their dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, Egil and Helen\u2019s dogs have also taken part in additional testing together with AstaReal, including measurements of oxygen uptake and other physiological effects under controlled conditions. For them, the combination of hands-on experience and scientific validation has been key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday, we wouldn\u2019t go into a season without it. That\u2019s based both on our own experience and on the many studies that have been carried out on dogs and other high-performance animals, where the positive effects are clear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Performance and wellbeing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although their use of astaxanthin started in an elite setting, Egil believes the benefits extend far beyond racing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTesting on competition dogs gives clear answers because they\u2019re pushed to their limits. If something works there, it usually works for regular dogs as well. And it\u2019s not just about conditioning \u2013 we\u2019ve seen positive effects on overall health, and even in breeding, with healthier puppies and stronger litters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After spending 13 years in Alaska, Egil and Helen returned to Sweden in 2014. Today, they continue to compete and run their sled dog kennel on a smaller scale. But their approach to performance and care for the dogs remains the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you work with animals, you always want to give them the best possible conditions, whether at elite level or not. For us, astaxanthin has been part of that for a long time.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Egil Ellis and Helen Lundberg have been among the world\u2019s top sled dog racers since the mid-1980s. With a long […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4981,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"category_names":["News"],"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.astareal.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/Egil-Hamar-Norge-Masterskap-2024-10-dog-class--768x512.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.astareal.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.astareal.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.astareal.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.astareal.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.astareal.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4980"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.astareal.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4980\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4984,"href":"https:\/\/www.astareal.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4980\/revisions\/4984"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.astareal.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.astareal.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.astareal.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.astareal.se\/sv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}