Anti-CancerBenefits of

Shark Liver OilByDaleKiefer

W ith their toothsome maws and machine-hke kiUing efficiency,the primitive creatures known as sharks have long inspired fearand commanded respect. But does this ancient family of bone-

less fish harbor a secret weapon against some of the most dreaded cancersafflicting humans?

Centuries ago, Scandinavian practitioners of folk medicine adopted thehabit of consuming shark liver oil as a general health tonic. In recent decades,scientists have observed that tumors are remarkably rare in sharks, and thatthese predatory fish are notoriously resistant to infections.' This amazingimperviousness to disease doubtless inspired the folk remedy.

Admittedly, fighting disease with shark oil sounds far-fetched. The verynotion evokes unsavory images of cure-all tonics and unscrupulous char-latans from centuries past. But in 1952, Dr. Astrid Brohult stumbled uponremarkable proof that shark oil actually works. The fascinating story of herdiscovery, related by some of her colleagues in the book Shark Liver Oil:Natures Amazing Healer,^ provides a glimpse at the happy serendipity thatoccasionally results when science and intuition mix. > > >

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A Hunch Pays Off

Dr. Brohult was a young Swedishoncologist working with leukemiapatients in a children's hospital.Leukemia is a potentially deadlycancer that affects white blood cells,or leukocytes, which are theimmune system's front-line defen-sive players, manufactured in thebone marrow. When leukemiastrikes, leukocyte production runsamok.

To stop the disease, patients areexposed to enough radiation to killthe cells in the bone marrow thatgive rise to both red and white bloodcells. This drastic treatment is usu-ally effective, but occasionally maybe worse than the disease itself.With fewer red blood cells to carryoxygen and remove wastes, and fewleukocytes left to fight infection andmarshal other defenses, patientsare rendered weak, deathly ill, andprone to infection.

In an effort to stimulate herpatients' bone marrow to resumenormal function, Dr. Brohultadministered calve's marrow to thechildren in her care. She was oper-ating on little more than a hunch.Parents in Scandinavia have longserved bone marrow soup to theirchildren in winter, in the beliefthat it builds strength. Dr. Brohult

reasoned that healthy bone marrowfrom calves might trigger a resump-tion of healthy function in humans.Her hope—and desperation—paidoff. Although the results wereinconsistent, some of her patientsquickly experienced remarkableimprovements, including a normal-ization of white blood cell countsand a striking return of energy.'-While exhilarated, Dr. Brohultimmediately faced the problem ofisolating the active component inthe marrow in order to devise amore palatable source of the won-drous substance.

Getting to the Source

It took another decade before ateam led by Dr. Brohult's husband,a research biochemist, isolated theactive ingredient in calve's marrowthat normalizes white blood cellproduction. The chemical was actu-ally a group of compounds, nowknown as alkylglycerols, or AKGs.Chemically speaking, AKGs areglyceryl ether lipids. Principalalkylglycerols are chimyl, batyl, andselachyl alcohols.' Ironically, twoJapanese scientists, who evidentlydid not appreciate the importanceof their discovery, had discoveredAKGs in deep-water sharks asearly as 1922.

AKGs occur naturally in variousmammahan tissues, including mostorgans responsible for producingblood cells, such as the bone marrowand spleen. Interestingly enough,AKGs are also found in humanbreast milk, and are now thoughtto contribute significantly to aninfant's immunity, especially whilethe immature immune system is atits most vulnerable. In fact, humanbreast milk contains up to 10 timesmore AKGs than does cow's milk.̂

Coming full circle. Dr. Brohult'steam eventually determined thatnone other than the Greenlandshark—found off the shores of theirnative Sweden—is a perfect sourceof concentrated AKGs. We nowknow that AKGs occur naturally inthe human body, albeit in far small-er amounts than are found inshark liver. The reason for sharks'abundant supply has to do with anancient evolutionary adaptation to aliterally crushing problem: how tomaintain buoyancy at extremedepths of 5,000 feet or more.

Primitive sharks evolved an inge-nious ballast system: a specializedliver that allows them to maintainneutral buoyancy at a range ofcrushing depths. Sharks' livers areunusually large, bulging with acarefully orchestrated mixture ofcomplex lipids. Known collectivelyas shark liver oil, this cocktail ofcompounds allows the shark to riseand fall throughout the depths withrelative ease.

A Potent Antioxidant

Dr. Brohult and other scientistscontinued to study AKGs andquickly discovered that they inhibitcancer proliferation' and preventradiation sickness.- The latter find-ing is especially significant. Radia-tion slices through ceils like hotknives through butter, damaging thecells at the molecular level and gen-erating free radicals that propagate

36 LIFE EXTENSION August 2005

destruction in a kind of chain reac-tion. Most antioxidants do a goodjob of neutralizing free radicals inthe bloodstream and within thetissues, but few are capable ofpenetrating the cell membrane toenter individual cells. AKGs appearto act within individual cells, assuggested by clinical studies ofpatients receiving AKGs in combi-nation with ionizing radiation.'"^

The ability of AKGs to protectpeople against the harmful effects ofionizing radiation was discoveredmore or less by accident. At aboutthe time Dr. Brohult first beganexperimenting with AKGs on thechildren's cancer ward, a nurse inStockholm was accidentally exposedto radium, receiving a dangerouslyhigh dose of radiation. Her whiteblood cell count plummeted tounhealthy levels, and for more thana year she struggled with numerousinfections. After receiving supple-mental AKGs, her white blood ceilcount returned to normal andremained stable thereafter."

In subsequent research, doctorsfound that administering shark liveroil orally before, during, and afterradiation treatment for cervicalcancer reduced the incidence ofradiation-induced injuries by about50% compared to control patients

who received radiation alone.""*While such injuries are an often-unavoidable consequence ofaggressive radiation treatment,most do not affect survival. So-called complex injuries due to thecombination of tumor growth andradiation, however, are another sto-ry. Mortality for these patientsranges from 90% to 100%' at fiveyears, depending on tumor stage.Compared to control patients, theincidence of these complex injuriesin patients supplementing withshark liver oil was significantlyreduced, by about one third.'"*'

Powerful Anti- Tumor Effects

Dr. Brohult's team was surprisedto discover that when AKGs weregiven to cervical cancer patients,tumors regressed even before radi-ation treatment began, a findingthat was soon replicated by oth-ers.'"" More recently, scientists havedetermined that AKGs probablyaccomplish this feat by directlyinterfering with cancer cell sig-naling, which is crucial to tumorgrowth and metastasis.''"'^

In a 1986 Swedish study, re-searchers divided women withcancer of the uterine cervix into twogroups. One group of 284 womenreceived shark liver oil before,during, and up to six months afterhigh-voitage radiation treatment. Asecond group of 525 women with thesame disease-stage profile receivedonly radiation treatment.''

One-year survival amongpatients in the AKG group was88%, versus 82%' among radiation-only patients. While this differenceis small, survival rates at the five-year milestone were dramaticallyhigher among AKG patients. Six-ty-five percent of women who hadtaken shark liver oil were stili aliveafter five years, versus just 51% ofwomen in the control group.Researchers concluded that treat-

ment with AKG-rich shark liveroil reduced mortality significant-ly compared to control patients,an effect especially pronouncedamong patients younger than 60."

While the mechanism by whichAKGs reduce radiation side effectsis not exactly clear, they appearto penetrate cell membranes andmop up free radicals." AKGs alsoamplify platelet-activating factorsynthesis, which might help reduceradiation-induced bleeding bypromoting platelet aggregation.-"But their benefits do not end there.Recent research indicates thatAKGs inhibit activation of proteinkinase C, which is essential for therunaway cell proliferation that is ahallmark of cancer."" AKGs alsodirectly boost the immune system bystimulating production of whiteblood cells called neutrophils andby activating macrophages.''' 'Macrophages are a type of whiteblood cell that plays a pivotal role inprotecting against bacterial andfungal invaders. Thus, AKGs mayhelp boost the immune system andhelp fight infections.'

Laboratory research on severaltypes of colon cancer cells indicatesthat AKGs inhibit tumor growth andrender existing cancer cells lesslikely to invade new tissue.-" In 2003,

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Swedish researchers published areport detailing the effects of sharkliver oil on five types of humantumor cells, including ovarian,breast, and prostate cancer cells.They concluded that a commer-cially available form of shark liveroil from Norway, containing a stan-dardized concentration of AKGsand their methoxy derivates,prompted all types of cancer cellsto commit cellular suicide or to behalted in their tracks, thus dyingwithout reproducing. As noted intheir report, "the prostate cells...showed a dramatic reduction in thecolony number even after relative-ly small doses. . ."'

The vascular networks supplyingvital nutrients that help fuel tumorgrowth have long been a target ofanti-cancer research. Shark oil hasbeen reported to starve tumors byinterfering with the developmentof this blood supply. Recently,researchers reported that this effectis likely mediated by the presence ofAKGs in shark liver oil.̂ '-̂ ^

Squalene Also Counters Cancer

Squalene is another major com-ponent of shark liver oil. Commonin nature, squalene is a hydrocarbonthat makes up a significant portion

of the oily secretions that preservethe integrity of our outer layers ofskin. It is also found in olive oil, andis believed to be responsible forsome of the benefits of the Mediter-ranean diet, which, according toepidemiological studies, include asignificantly lower incidence ofcancer and heart disease.-'-*

In Greece, for instance, womenwith a high olive oil intake have abreast cancer rate that is only onethird that of American women. It isestimated that some individuals mayconsume up to 400 mg of squaleneper day in countries where olivesand olive oil play an indispensablerole in the diet.-"*-" Laboratoryresearch on animals and humancancer cells confirms squalene'scancer-fighting effects.'""

Additional Potential Benefits

According to Shark Liver Oil:Nature's Amazing Healer., "AKGs,taken in the form of shark liveroil... will improve the quality of lifeand ease the aging process." One ofthe book's authors. Dr. IngemarJoelsson, worked for years withthe Brohults in Sweden, and haspublished numerous medicaljournal articles on the benefits ofshark liver oil and AKGs. Taken asa dietary supplement, say the book'sauthors, this natural immune sys-tem booster "helps increase gener-al well-being, stave off commonviruses and infections, and battlemore serious diseases .. ."-

Dr. Joelsson and his coauthorscite multiple benefits of shark liveroil supplementation, based largelyon anecdotal evidence and theircombined years of experienceas physicians and researchers.Although few controlled studies areavailable to support these claims, itis interesting to note the remarkablebenefits reportedly experienced bytheir patients, including significantimprovements in allergy symptoms.

alleviation of asthma symptoms, andeven relief from chronic pain.

According to the authors, in 1992the Brohults were granted a patentfor a method of treating allergiesand asthma with AKGs. The bookalso describes positive changes inskin conditions such as dermatitisand psoriasis with the use, bothtopical and oral, of shark liver oil.Indeed, it has been used topically totreat dry skin and wounds forcenturies by native Scandinavians.-

Safety and Dosages

Consumption of shark liver oilhas no known side effects.'" thoughexcessive amounts may result instomach upset or diarrhea, andindividuals who are allergic toshark meat may suffer an allergicresponse to the oil Shark liver oilhas been available for consump-tion by the public for more than 40years, especially in Scandinavia,where it is a popular preventiveand therapeutic agent.'^ It isimportant to recall that AKGsoccur naturally within the humanbody, albeit in far smaller amountsthan are available through supple-mentation.

The scientific literature supportsthe use of 100-150 mg of alkylglyc-erols daily for general immune sys-tem enhancement."

Published clinical data by Dr.Astrid Brohult suggest that 0.3-2.6grams (300-2600 mg) of alkylglyc-erols daily may help minimize thedecrease in platelets and whiteblood cells associated with radia-tion treatment for cancer, with anapparent optimal dosage of 600 mgof alkylglycerols per day.'- Animalstudies have also shown that alkyl-glycerois can increase white bloodcell and platelet counts.^"" There-fore, consuming alkylglycerols formore than 30 days consecutivelyshould be done with physiciansupervision.

38 LIFE EXTENSION August 2005

Altbough much research remainsto be done on the numerous poten-tial benelits of shark liver oil, pastresearch indicates that this gift fromthe deep holds enormous promisefor anyone wishing to enhanceimmunity, fight cancer, and pro-mote general health. •

Please Note: Do not consume sharkliver oil lor more than 30 days con-tinuously without first consultingyour physician.

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