Shark cartilage for cancer: Beware of fishy remedy
A book called Sharks Don’t Get Cancer generated quite a stir a few years ago by promoting shark cartilage as a miracle cure for cancer. Since sharks didn’t get cancer, it said, their cartilage could help your body fight it off, too.
The problem is, no one knows for sure if shark cartilage has any effect at all on cancer. Claims of the healing power of both shark and cattle cartilage have gone along with the rising popularity of complementary and alternative medicines.
About the only thing creditable research says for sure is:
• it is possible for sharks to get cancer, and
• shark cartilage has no effect on advanced-stage cancer.
One researcher points out the world’s shark population has suffered because the fish are being killed for their cartilage. He says, too, that cancer patients are missing out on legitimate treatment options by taking shark cartilage instead.
How it works
After researchers proved sharks do get cancer, other theories emerged as to why their cartilage may help battle this disease. Researchers point out that cancer cells rarely invade cartilage, possibly due to substances that inhibit the destruction of collagen. It’s also possible cartilage’s density coupled with fewer blood vessels make it less hospitable to cancer cell growth.
A more common theory is that a protein in the cartilage may help prevent angiogenesis — the growth of new blood vessels — that nourish tumors. Others think something within the cartilage stimulates the immune system to fight off tumor cells.
But much more research needs to be done to verify whether these potential anticancer components can truly help.
Studies offer no proof
The Chinese have used shark fin soup to cure many ailments for more than 100 years. And scientists in the U.S. have been interested in cattle cartilage for healing wounds for nearly 50 years. But whether these substances can help cure cancer is another matter.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) reports more than a dozen studies of cow or shark cartilage since the 1970s. None of them have provided reliable evidence that either one works as a treatment for cancer.
Experts say that simply taking a small pill of crude extract won’t pass those properties on to humans. They also point out that stomach acid destroys the protein that prevents blood vessel growth. Even if it survives the acid, the actual protein molecule is too big to get into your bloodstream, so it just passes on through your body.
The NCI’s official position is that it cannot recommend cartilage, unless it is taken as part of a well-designed study. Several FDA-approved studies are underway as scientists try to isolate the particular properties of cartilage that show promise as cancer preventors.
A dietary supplement
Shark cartilage is not a drug. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies it as a dietary supplement and does not approve it for the treatment of cancer or anything else. No disease prevention claims are allowed, so there is no evidence it’s effective. More than 40 different brand names are sold in the United States. Because they have no standard quality requirement, the exact makeup of each brand can be different.
If you choose to take this supplement, you may experience mild side effects such as digestive discomfort, weakness, low blood pressure, or hyperglycemia. A problem to watch out for, though, is hypercalcemia — too much calcium in the blood. Doctors have seen this in cancer patients who take large doses of vitamin D, calcium supplements, or calcium-rich shark cartilage.
Symptoms of hypercalcemia are fatigue, depression, mental confusion, nausea, vomiting, constipation, and increased urination. See your doctor immediately if you suspect this condition.
© FCA Publishing
Excerpted from FC&A's The Cure Conspiracy.
