Ever thought that a voracious and grievous creature like shark can even be of help to the human kind, by absenting some grave maladies in them? Surprising, isn’t it? A shark skeleton is made out of cartilage, a dense form of connective tissue. This cartilage in a shark’s skeleton is believed to hold many health and healing properties and hence, has been in use since the ancient Roman times, for its curing aspects. Shark cartilage is composed of proteins, calcium, collage, sulfur and polyoses, thus making it a beneficiary ingredient ready to use in any nutritious dietary supplement. The shark’s cartilage gained importance with the release of Dr. William Lane’s bestselling book ‘Sharks Don’t get Cancer’, in 1992. This declaration by Dr. William, lead to a series of researches on sharks and shark cartilage to find out whether or not sharks get affected by cancer tissues. It was found out that sharks are rarely affected by cancer. Researches were even conducted to find out the property that protects the sharks to a large extent against cancer. These experiments brought forth many fruitful realizations about shark cartilage. Read on to find some health and nutrition benefits of eating shark cartilage.
Nutrition Benefits Of Eating Shark Cartilage
- Any kind of injury or burns can be calmed down by using shark cartilage. Shark cartilage is prescribed to osteoarthritis patients since it helps in reducing pain by lowering the inflammations and making it easier for the joints to move properly.
- The shark cartilage gained popularity because of its cancer resistant properties. It is believed that the shark cartilage contains some substance that inhibit the growth of new blood cells that nurture cancer growth. With this action, shark cartilage cuts the flow of blood to cancerous tumors, resulting in their shrinkage and protecting the healthy surrounding tissues. It is popular in preventing breast, ovarian, cervical, pancreatic or prostate cancers, as these cancer tissues depend on a system of blood vessels to survive.
- Shark cartilage helps in blocking the growth of new blood vessels. Sounds scary, but it actually helps in curbing the outburst of dangerous tumors. Tumors can grow only when they are supplied with oxygen rich blood. The formation of new blood vessels is the only way tumors can get adequate oxygen. Shark cartilage kills this supply of fresh blood to the tumors, thereby curing them instantly.
- Intravenous or oral dosage of shark cartilage helps in controlling the growth of tiny capillaries that destroy the cartilage of joints and subsequent pain and joint destruction in arthritis. The shark cartilage inhibits the growth of blood vessels that force the abnormal tiny capillaries to lapse.
- The skin problem of psoriasis is also caused by the abnormal growth of capillaries. Due to the constant increase in the capillary count, the skin gets affected adversely. This can be cured by using shark cartilage that forces the tiny capillaries to reduce.
- Shark cartilage has also been known to cure eye problems, such as glaucoma. Glaucoma is an enfeebling disease that damages the optic nerve, leading to cecity. Regular intake of shark cartilage reduces the pressure of backed-up fluid in the eye and hence, helps in preserving the eye from draining problems.
- Shark cartilage is also prescribed as a dietary supplement to people, since it is high in protein and calcium content. Diseases related to the changes in the large molecules can be treated with shark cartilage, as it contains polysaccharides. Shark cartilage also helps in curing diseases like asthma, poison oak, eczema, emphysema and hemorrhoids, to name a few.