Shark Cartilage Information Exchange

What Is Shark Cartilage?

Shark Cartilage , in the true sense of the term, is just that--Cartilage tissue from a shark. Cartilage , a translucent elastic tissue, composes most of the skeleton of embryonic and very young vertebrates and, through a process of calcification, is transformed into bones which make up the fully developed skeletal system. You're probably most familiar with Cartilage as the "tough stuff" you don't want in your meat. You most likely refer to it as "gristle." Cartilage is apparent in the human body, as your nose and "Adam's apple."

Cartilage is also found between the segments of the spine and at the ends of long bones, where it acts as a shock absorber and a bearing surface to reduce the friction between moving parts. It is tough and elastic. There are three types.

FibroCartilage , the first type, is found between the backbones. It is the strongest of the three types. The second, hyaline Cartilage , is gristly elastic tissue that thinly covers the moving ends of bones, connects the ribs to the breastbone, and supports the nose, windpipe, and part of the voice box. This type of Cartilage is likely to harden in elderly people. Yellow Cartilage , the third variety, is the most elastic. It is found in the external ear, Eustachian tube, and throat.

One of the most interesting things about Cartilage , however, is not its form but its importance to the body--an importance that is first apparent in the embryo. In an early fetus, there are no bones; it is Cartilage that provides the framework on which the major bones of the body--excluding the skull--take form. Eventually, fetal Cartilage becomes impregnated with calcium salts so that hard, or "stony," bones become apparent.

The bones of children are relatively pliable because they contain more Cartilage --which is found at the tops of bones in zones called growth plates--and less calcium salts than do the bones of adults. (A theory has been postulated that newborn children are resistant to many diseases because of the large amount of Cartilage present in their bodies during the early fetal and developmental stages.) Elderly people have much less soft tissue such as Cartilage and a higher proportion of calcium salts, so their bones are more brittle.

A process similar to the one in which fetal Cartilage develops into bone takes place throughout life whenever bones are broken. It is believed that when a bone breaks, a substance within the bone signals cells from the circulatory system to clean out the breakage site and summon undifferentiated cells to populate the site and multiply. These undifferentiated cells become chondrocytes, or Cartilage cells, which produce an intertwining of cartilaginous fibers that fills the break and joins the bone fragments together. Finally, the Cartilage is calcified and becomes new living bone.

Amazingly, Cartilage is a tissue that performs its functions without nerves, blood vessels, or a lymphatic system. Nutrients are, therefore, not transported to Cartilage via the blood or lymphatic fluid. It is this particular characteristic that seems to hold particular promise in battling cancer and other diseases that cause the formation of malignant tumors.

As is discussed in more detail in our section on Shark Cartilage as an Angiogenesis Inhibitor and Potential Aid in the Fight Against Cancer and other Angiogenesis-Dependent Diseases, in 1983, two researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology published a study showing that shark Cartilage contains a substance that significantly inhibits the development of blood vessels that nourish solid tumors, thereby limiting tumor growth. Working independently, medical researchers at Harvard University Medical School found that if one could inhibit angiogenesis--the development of a new blood network--one could prevent the development of tumor-based cancer and metastasis.

To date, scientists have not identified the specific active components of shark Cartilage which are responsible for manipulating the process of angiogenesis. Some in the scientific community (mainly those in a position to gain financially from the opportunities synthesis would yield) criticize advocates of shark Cartilage because there has been no identification or synthesis of the active substances within shark Cartilage . The fact remains, however, that natural dried shark Cartilage powder, though crude, appears to be yielding positive results on numerous medical fronts. (Update: Since first publishing this page, there has been substantial new research identifying the active substances within shark Cartilage . See, our sections on the Latest Developments in Shark Cartilage Technology and Liquid Shark Cartilage Extracts.)

Powdered Shark Cartilage

Powdered shark Cartilage is available in bulk power form, which is usually mixed with water or fruit juice and taken orally or mixed with water and taken rectally via a rectal retention enema. Powdered shark Cartilage is also available encapsulated in gelatin capsules or pressed into caplets which are taken orally.

Whether sold as bulk powder or in capsules or caplets, it is still powdered shark Cartilage . Purchasing shark Cartilage in its bulk powdered form has the advantage of being much less expensive (usually 30% - 40%) due to the increased manufacturing processes involved in producing capsules or caplets. Powdered shark Cartilage capsules, despite the increased cost, appeal to many consumers because they are more convenient and/or because many people find the taste and smell of bulk powder unpleasant. At higher dosages, gelatin capsules, because of the need to take so many, may cause digestive problems. Thus, the
type of product used in many cases may be dictated by the dosage and/or the individuals personal ability to tolerate oral doses. In advanced cancer patients, for example, enzymes and other nutrients are more effective when administered via retention enema than when taken orally. (For more information on administering shark Cartilage via rectal retention enema, see our section on the REAL LIFE IMPLANT KIT.)

Components of Powdered Shark Cartilage

Simple chemical analysis shows that unadulterated dry shark Cartilage powder is 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. The ash is 60 percent calcium and phosphorus at a ratio of two parts calcium to one part phosphorus. Almost no heavy metals are found in the ash because without blood vessels in the Cartilage , there is no way for the heavy metals, often found in minimal amounts in shark meat, to be deposited in the shark Cartilage . The high levels of calcium and phosphorus are the result of calcification
of the Cartilage , especially of the backbone Cartilage .

Although the protein that is the angiogenesis inhibitor is diluted to some degree by the calcium, phosphorus, carbohydrates, and other natural components, the diluents play an active role in disease control. The mucopolysaccharides in the carbohydrates stimulate the immune system, which works synergistically with the protein in fighting disease, and the organic calcium and phosphorus are used metabolically as nutrients.

How Powdered Shark Cartilage Should Be Produced

Any shark Cartilage product, to ensure quality and reliability, must be properly processed. The processing of dry powdered shark Cartilage involves four basic steps: (1) Cleaning; (2) Drying; (3) Pulverizing and (4) Sterilizing. These processes must be accomplished without rendering the active protein fibers ineffective.

Much research, testing, and management necessarily is involved in the development and production of high quality shark Cartilage products suitable for human consumption. Processing shark Cartilage without rendering the active protein fibers ineffective presents major problems, many of which are not addressed by manufacturers of inferior shark Cartilage products.

Conventional cleaning, drying, pulverization, and sterilization processes with their excessive heat and/or use of harsh solvents or chemicals often denature the active protein and render the Cartilage therapeutically valueless. Proteins are easily denatured by heat and other manufacturing processes and by various chemicals like solvents and acids that are designed to remove fats and other unneeded components.

The central strands of protein that make up the heart of shark Cartilage are among the largest proteins produced by any cells. It is these strands, called macro proteins, that appear to carry the angiogenesis inhibitor; and it is these strands, so prevalent in shark Cartilage , that give the Cartilage 1,000 times the antiangiogenesis effect of mammalian Cartilage . When looking at a piece of shark Cartilage , you can see the strands containing the antiangiogenesis inhibitor in the matrices of all the components.

These strands are very tough and almost impossible to pulverize, yet they are the material essential to antiangiogenesis. Thus, in order to produce an effective shark Cartilage , it is essential that these strands be pulverized without denaturing the protein from which they are made. In addition, the abundant water content of Cartilage (Cartilage is more than 85 percent water) and the way in which the water is bound within the Cartilage also make drying difficult and costly. Heat must be used sparingly since excessive heat is damaging.

In shark Cartilage , at least one of the proteins active as an angiogenesis inhibitor is denatured if processing temperatures are elevated. Furthermore, both the Cartilage and the protein within it are inactivated if they are treated with solvents like acetone or submitted to strong acids for extended periods. Fortunately, there is practically no fat attached to shark Cartilage , so solvent extraction as a processing step is unnecessary. In the processing of bovine Cartilage , which normally has a fairly high amount of fat clinging to it, solvent extraction is needed to keep the product from turning rancid. The acetone used to remove the fat connected to bovine Cartilage denatures the already modest amount of angiogenesis-inhibiting protein.

Particle size, which is dependent on how well pulverized a material is, is another consideration. Shark Cartilage must be absorbed into the system as quickly as possible to prevent the protein from being digested by proteolytic enzymes. If digested by these enzymes, the protein is broken down into its constituent amino acids, which are not effective in antiangiogenesis. The preformed protein, rather, is what is effective as the angiogenesis inhibitor. Shark Cartilage powder must therefore be pulverized finely enough to be quickly absorbed into the body system as a suspension of preformed protein. Experience has shown that at least 90 percent must pass through a 200-mesh screen for maximum effectiveness. This is finer than most talcum powders.

After conducting years of research and experimentation, Dr. I. William Lane developed a process for cleaning, drying, pulverizing and sterilizing shark Cartilage that ensures quality and reliability without rendering the active protein fibers ineffective. Dr Lane's process is so effective and innovative, in 1991 he was awarded a patent on the process. (Click here to view the actual text of Dr. Lane's US Patent No. 5,075,112.)

In his book, SHARKS DON'T GET CANCER, Dr Lane had the following to say about his patent:

It is estimated that only about three patents have ever been issued to the health-food industry. Patents are difficult to obtain for health foods because hard evidence about such foods' effectiveness is often not available. Representatives of the health-food industry also do not usually seek patents, as do representatives of the pharmaceutical industry. Many food supplements are effective products, but proving their effectiveness is difficult, and sometimes test procedures don't exist.

Since the evidence of shark Cartilage 's ability to inhibit angiogenesis can be proven by the CAM assay and the results of the xenograft studies conducted at the Institut Jules Bordet, I did apply for a patent. The patent was issued to me on Christmas Eve 1991. It reads in part: "This invention relates generally to a method of, and a dosage unit for, inhibiting angiogenesis or vascularization in an animal having an intestinal wall utilizing an effective amount of shark Cartilage , particularly finely divided shark Cartilage , for passing through the intestinal wall as a suspension for inhibiting, inter alia, tumor growth and metastasis, in particular Kaposi sarcoma; arthritis, in particular rheumatoid arthritis; diabetic retinopathy and neovascular glaucoma; psoriasis and inflammatory diseases with vascular component." This patent will give the consumer protection against the "copycat" products that often haunt successful health-food products not protected by patent. Copycat products--the manufacturers of which are spurred by the desire to make a profit--may not be produced with the care needed to assure quality. The products may not even undergo the testing necessary to assure effectiveness. This is a particularly serious problem with a shark-Cartilage product since the Cartilage requires proper processing to ensure quality and reliability. The proper method of processing shark Cartilage took months--if not years--to perfect. As the patent says, "It will be understood that the shark Cartilage useful in the method of the present invention may be prepared by any suitable means or process to result in shark Cartilage that is substantially pure shark Cartilage , substantially free from adhering tissue."

With the patent issued on Christmas Eve, I received the best Christmas present I could have, but the United States Patent Office also gave a gift to all hopeful and potential users of shark Cartilage . The patent will legally stop copycat manufacturers and distributors so that maximum effort can be devoted to improving the quality of shark Cartilage to provide its users with maximum benefit.

Dr. Lane's original patent (US Patent No. 5,075,112) has been assigned to Cartilage Technologies, Inc. (now Atrium Biothreapies, Inc.), the makers of CARTILADE® brand shark Cartilage , the world's leading brand of shark Cartilage . Dr. Lane has continued to work on new methods of producing shark Cartilage and other shark Cartilage products. While powdered shark Cartilage is still the most widely used shark Cartilage product, the Latest Developments in Shark Cartilage Technology have shown promising results from newly-deveoloped Liquid Shark Cartilage Extracts such as Cartilade LED® and CarTCell® which hold much promise as angiogenesis inhibitors, with the further advantage of being more favorably absorbed by the body.

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