Shark Cartilage

RECOMMENDED USE: The shark cartilage contains mucopolysaccharides including sulphate of condroitin with antiinflammatory properties, because of this it's used commonly to fight rheumatic arthritis, artrosis and other related diseases. In addition, is an anticancerigenic action due to its propertie to inhibit the angiogenesis (process by which new weaves, that can be harmful, grow).

INGREDIENTS: Shark cartilage (Sphyrma zygaena L.).

CONTENT: 250 capsules / 400 mg. each one.

DOSE: Take 2 capsules, three times daily.

WARNINGS: Do not take if you are pregnant or breast-feeding, in postoperative state, people who suffer renal lithiasis nor children in growth age.

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Man’s interest in the use of Shark Cartilage began when it was determined that these animals possess biological characteristics that appear almost supernatural; for example, it is known that sharks are almost impervious to infections, cancers and circulatory problems. Shark cartilage is reported to be 100 times greater in quantity and 1000 times greater in quality when compared with cartilage from other species. Special studies have focused with particular interest on the properties of shark cartilage to restrict blood flow to tumors, which could provide a breakthrough in the treatment of certain types of cancers. Tumors, whether cancerous or benign, are developments of unnatural growth in the body, which are provided with nutrients that are carried by blood supply. If Shark Cartilage does indeed constrain blood circulation to tumor cells, that would restrict nutrients and oxygen, thus encouraging the tumors to suffocate and die. Shark cartilage also contains powerful substances such as glycosaminoglycans and anti-inflammatories, which are useful as Mucopolysacharides, and contain chondroitin sulfate and keratin.

Shark Cartilage has a composition of approximately 40% proteins, including Mucopolysacharides (chondroitin) and (collagen), as well as 6% Calcium and 9% phosphorus.

Mucopolysacharides are basic substances that are associated with collagen and act as the first line of defense (skin and mucous) against bacteria and infection... Glucosamine also makes up 50% of hyaluronic acid (the lubrication within synovial fluid) which is in your joints, which is why it is an important component in the treatment of joint lubrication and arthritic conditions.

Mucopolysacharides has also been demonstrated to be beneficial in the treatment of other degenerative illnesses such as lupus and skin conditions such as psoriasis. Many skin conditions are associated with connective tissue disorders are being treated and supported by Shark Cartilage.

It has also been demonstrated that Shark Cartilage is helpful in treating all types of rheumatic illnesses, as it eases the pain and inflammation of the affected parts. There is also evidence that the polysaccharides in Shark Cartilage are beneficial to healthy skin, since skin is also dependent upon healthy connective tissue. Shark Cartilage has strong components of calcium and phosphorus, which aid in the treatment of dermatitis and other skin conditions.

Researchers hypothesize that the cancerous cells that are very resistant to standardized medical treatment can be made vulnerable by treatment with Shark Cartilage, due to an identified protein (FIA – Factor Inhibitor of Anti-Angiogenesis) that has been found in concentrations 100,000 times greater than that of other cartilages (principally bovine shoulder blade). This protein inhibits the proliferation of endothelial cells (cells that line blood vessels), a key point in the growth of the tumors. Langer and Lee from Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered that cartilages of different animals contained inhibitors of Angiogenesis, which are essential for the embryonic development of tumors. Almost all the skin and organs develop a vascular net, which provides cells with nutrients and oxygen. Once formed, the vascular net is a stable system and is regenerated slowly. In a healthy adult, the formation of Angiogenesis primarily occurs during wound healing, in response to ovulation, and during certain illnesses such as cancer, psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis.

The Angiogenic process, as it is usually known, can be synthesized as it continues: a cell is activated by means the lack of oxygen, blended with other things; the Angiogenic molecules rob the endothelial cells and promote the proliferation of growth. During their migration, the inflamed cells also secrete molecules that intensify Angiogenic process.
The endothelial cells respond to the Angiogenic call for differentiation of themselves and for the secretion of proteins, which open a fissure in the walls of the tumor and allows them to migrate toward the place of the Angiogenic call. Many fragments of proteins absorbed by the digestion of the walls of the tumor, intensify the proliferation activity and the migratory activity of the endothelial cells, which form a capillary tube by means of an alternate arrangement of their proteins to an adherent membrane. Finally, the capillary emanations of the arteries and the veins will join, providing the tumor with a continuous flow of blood.

The nutritional value that Shark Cartilage provides is also very important for older people and women in menopause, since they require a larger dose of calcium and phosphorus, to replace that lost during the drop in estrogen levels.

In 1995 Dr. J. Lott (Denton, USA), presented at the first congress of alternative and complementary medicines a study developed with immuno-compromised mice that had been implanted with tumor cells, and subsequently received doses of Shark Cartilage. A decrease was observed in the cellular proliferation of tumor cells.
In 1996 Dr. McGuire and collaborators of the University of Nebraska demonstrated the activity anti-Angiogenic properties of Shark Cartilage.
Although in the last few years no definitive conclusion has been reached on the usefulness of Shark Cartilage that has been endorsed by the conventional medical or pharmaceutical sectors, evidence is mounting, and interest is becoming so wide-spread that the government of the United States has assigned a budget of $2,500,000 dollars for a study about the effectiveness of the Shark Cartilage, using a population of 800 people with lung cancer.

ANTIMUTAGENIC ACTION: Shark Cartilage has the propensity to capture and eliminate free radicals, especially the super oxidized radical (One of the free radicals that is produced under normal circumstances is the 02, designated as the “super oxidized” radical, because it has acquired an additional electron.) This free radical is one of the final products of cellular breathing, which takes place in the mitochondrial corpuscles that are inside the cells. During this cellular breathing, most of the oxygen that arrives in the mitochondrial is completely exhausted – that is say that it acquires electrons - and is transformed into water. However, approximately 5% of the oxygen only decreases partially, with the consequent production of the super oxidized radical), guaranteeing a protective effect against lesions at DNA level.

ANALGESIC AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTION: An ongoing study of the extract Shark Cartilage, particularly a soluble extract, is being tested in the treatment of pain management in patients with prostate cancer and metastasized cancers, with good initial results. The mechanism of action of this soluble extract has been located at level of the synthesis of the oxidized nitric acid, since the effect is blocked by the L-arginina (substratum of the synthesis of this molecule). The anti-inflammatory effect has been attributed to its high Mucopolysacharides content, mainly the chondroitin sulfates TO, C and D.
HIPOLIPEMIANTE ACTION: Studies in animals have demonstrated the effectiveness of the glycosaminoglycans in the Shark Cartilage to diminish the levels of cholesterol, LDL and VLDL, what is translated in a decrease of the atherosclerosis risk (effect attributed to the chondroitin 6-sulfate).