Shark Cartilage

STRENGTH: 750 mg
FORM: 100 Capsules

Sharks are unique, in that they do not have a bone structure as we know it. Their internal infra-structure is made up of only cartilage. Cartilage contains certain proteins and mucopolysaccarides (a type of carbohydrate), which are thought to stimulate immune function within the shark to combat disease. It is not entirely clear how this occurs, but in recent years there has been a lot of talk about the use of Shark Cartilage to treat certain diseases. Some studies indicate that Shark Cartilage has many times the anti-angiogenesis (prevents blood vessel growth) effect of any element found in mammals. This one attribute alone may have a direct affect as to how certain anatomical anomalies will grow in the body, in essence (and theory) it may prevent a ‘growth’ from getting any blood, preventing its increase in size. What makes it work? Well, there are several complex proteins that have been identified in shark cartilage that may perform this important function.

Chemical analysis of dry Shark Cartilage powder shows that it contains approximately 41 percent ash, 39 percent protein, 12 percent carbohydrates, 7 percent water, less than 1 percent fiber, and less than 0.3 percent fat. It is speculated that the combination of the above, along with the mucopolysaccharides may stimulate the immune system, and prevent the blood vessel growth that Shark Cartilage is so well known for. And as a matter of safety, shark cartilage contains no blood vessels which doesn’t allow for the build up of the heavy metals (mercury, lead etc.) that have shown up in other marine raw materials and ensures a pure product.

Two studies performed back in the 1980’s at Harvard and MIT showed that Shark Cartilage contains a substance that significantly inhibits the development of blood vessels that nourish solid tumors, thereby limiting tumor growth and preventing its metastasiation (spread). Even though a specific mechanism of action has not been identified, it has not stopped scientists from doing further research that will validate this products efficacy. More recently on March 26, 2001, AEterna Laboratories, a leading Canadian biotechnology company, reported that phase I/II data indicate that a high dose of the company's oral Shark Cartilage product doubled the median survival time for patients with refractory metastatic kidney cancer. A very specific type of Shark Cartilage used in another study, where the results were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting on "New Drugs in Cancer Therapy", showed it also had promise. Not only did results show an anti-tumoral activity in the cartilage, it also uncovered a new element of its activity which increases tissue type plasminogen activator (tPA), which is an enzyme involved in the production of angiostatin (prevents blood vessels growth). This increased tPA activity resulted in an increase in endogenous (produced by the body) angiostatin at the tumor site. There are many potential uses for this kind of product, in that it contains some of the very material that can benefit our joints and other soft tissues as well.

The processing and handling of this material is also very important, so buying from a reliable source that provides high quality raw material is very important. Nutri-Force provides with the freshest, purest high grade shark cartilage available, and you can rest assured that you will be buying a high quality product that you can trust.†

REFERENCES: