Shark cartilage

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In Shark cartilage is cartilage of sharks , considered in dried and powdered dietary supplement is commercially available. The preparations are advertised as a means of "strengthening the joints" for people with signs of wear and tear of the joints , osteoporosis and arthritis . Since they are not approved as medicinal products, the manufacturers are not allowed to make any promise of cure. Since the 1980s, however, also claims in publications, preparations containing shark cartilage are suitable cancer prevent or even cure. The best-known remedy of this type in Germany and Switzerland is called Haifit .

Manufacturing

To produce one kilogram of shark extract, 50 kilograms of shark are required. All parts of the animal are used. The world's largest supplier of shark cartilage is Shark Technology in Costa Rica , founded by William Lane. In the 1990s, she said she was processing 200 animals a day. The powder is exported from Costa Rica to the USA and processed there for the European market. Shark extract is also added to cosmetics. The manufacturers of the shark cartilage preparations declare that sharks are not caught specifically for the products, but are " bycatch ", for example from the tuna fishery.

Research and publications

In 1983, two researchers in Massachusetts found in laboratory tests that cartilage extracts from calves and also from sharks prevented the growth of new blood vessels in vitro . Planting shark cartilage in mice and rats did not prevent the growth of tumor cells , but it did slow it down. Tumors need their own network of blood vessels to grow. The extract did not have a killing effect on existing tumor cells in these experiments. It is not yet known which substance in the shark cartilage is responsible for the observed effect.

After the publication of these results, the biochemist William Lane , then president of the American Fishmeal Trade Association , began to be interested in research into shark cartilage and its uses. As government agent for the US government, his job was to look for new investment opportunities for the fishing industry.

In 1992, Lane published a book called Sharks don't get cancer , which was published in German in 1994 with the title Why Sharks Are Immune To Cancer . In it he refers primarily to the results from Massachusetts; independent clinical studies are not available. Lane also recommends shark cartilage for psoriasis , diabetic retinopathy , glaucoma , enteritis, and arthritis .

Lane cites 80 grams of powder as the daily dose for an adult when taken orally. He does, however, recommend rectal intake as an enema ; 20 grams are sufficient for this.

Processes

At the end of 1999, the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as the control authority for drugs , sued LaneLabs and Cartilage Consultants for unfair advertising with false statements for the shark cartilage preparation BeneFin and a sunscreen. Cartilage is owned by William Lane, President of LaneLabs , and his son Andrew Lane. On June 30, 2000, the US Trade Commission ( FTC) banned advertising claims that they were "clinically tested" cancer drugs and fined LaneLabs $ 1 million.

In 1994 the Haifit manufacturer Medisana sued the Marburg pharmacist Gregor Huesmann for denouncing the drug in the shop window as "shit of the month" and calling it ineffective and completely overpriced. According to media reports on the campaign, sales of the preparation had dropped significantly. Medisana sued for injunctive relief and 300,000 marks in damages . In 1998, the Munich Higher Regional Court, as the last instance, prohibited Huesmann from making certain wording. However, he was still allowed to claim that the consumers had been simulated a healing effect by appropriate formulations. The claim for damages was rejected.

Evaluation and criticism

  • The claim that sharks don't get cancer is wrong. In a tumor registry at the American George Washington University and in scientific publications, over 20 types of cancer have been recorded in sharks.
  • There is no independent scientific study that shows the effects of shark cartilage in human cancer. On the contrary: Scientists at the Mayo Clinic did not find any positive effects of shark extract on breast cancer or colon cancer in a study . Most of the selected patients dropped out of the study. The physical and psychological condition of the patients in the shark cartilage group worsened significantly compared to the placebo group. Gastrointestinal side effects have been reported.
  • The ingestion of shark cartilage is described by several scientists as completely ineffective, as it is broken down by gastric acid in the stomach and possible active substances would be destroyed during digestion .
  • According to the current state of research, the German Cancer Research Center sees no evidence of a tumor-specific effect of shark cartilage.
  • Dr. Gerd Büschel from the Biological Cancer Therapy Working Group at the Institute for Medical Oncology in Nuremberg explained: “What is claimed and what has really been proven is far apart. These are simply exaggerated interpretations. "

swell

  1. ^ Mare No. 14: The shark cannot defeat cancer ( memento of the original dated December 15, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mare.de
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h Shark Info: Shark cartilage against cancer
  3. ↑ a b c Shark Info: The brutal business with shark cartilage and cancer
  4. ↑ Ökotest (1998) ( Memento of the original from September 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. and getoese.de: The shark - the miracle cure @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.oekotest.de
  5. ↑ Results of current studies on shark cartilage extract (2005)