Cingles Info

Shark Cartilage Flagged for Safety Evaluation for Possible Hepatitis Risk
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has picked shark cartilage as one of six food
supplements that it believes should be evaluated for its safety and efficacy due
to reports that it can lead to hepatitis.
Shark cartilage, one of the six food supplements chosen by the IOM to test a new
evaluation program, is widely available on the Internet and in health food
stores.
According to the IOM's preliminary report issued July 24th, shark cartilage was
"flagged" because the panel was aware of a case report of hepatitis following
ingestion.
Websites that sell shark cartilage tout the product as potentially having
anti-inflammatory properties that could be useful in the treatment of prostate
cancer, psoriasis and lupus.
Some of these sites acknowledge that shark cartilage is considered by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration to be a food supplement and not a drug since no
proven therapeutic effects have been found.
The FDA is expected to act on the IOM's recommendation in the fall.
Other sources: IOM