Health Tip: Sharks Do Not Get Cancer – Oh Really?

Shark cartilage is being promoted and sold as an anti-cancer agent. Producers of shark cartilage supplements claim their products will impede or stop the growth of cancer by inhibiting the development of blood vessels that supply nutrients to a cancerous tumor. While some animal tests have shown that shark cartilage has a modest ability to inhibit growth of new blood vessels, similar results have not been duplicated in humans. All the studies cited by shark cartilage advocates have been deemed “incomplete and unimpressive” by the National Cancer Institute.

The premise that shark cartilage will provide protection against cancer is based on the common thought that sharks do not get cancer. This thought process continues on to imply that what protects sharks will protect humans too. There is one slight problem with this particular line of logic - sharks do get cancer. According to the Registry of Tumors in Lower Animals at George Washington University, many types of cancers have been documented in sharks. Oops! Looks like the consumer has been bitten again.