shark cartilage

Question
Hello Rev. Abbott--I'm 52 and would like to get back on a glucosamine
supplement but wanted to avoid beef products.  Does mercury concentrate in
shark cartilage?  Because they are top predators, there are cautions with eating
the meat but the cartilage is never addressed.  Thank you!  Ellie

Answer
What an excellent question! Supplements like this are not regulated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) since they're not considered "drugs" or "food", but when enough complaints and reports come in via the medical establishment for ill effects, they get the press necessary to be evaluated more closely.

The bottom line with supplements is that none of them are worth the package they come in, no matter what brand name or how much offical-looking support they may have.  

When it comes to the claims, these are usually made based on medical reports or research that show initial findings being promising.  What the consumer isn't aware of is that it's in rats or other lab animals; possibly in a small test group of humans.  Also, what the public isn't aware of, is that the product they're buying is absolutely nothing like what the research used or administered the way it was in the testing.  
 Companies will hear, for a 'fun' example, that two jellybeans before dinner meant that 6 out of 10 people ate 10 fewer calories at their meal.
  The company will then legally market "Jellybeans to eat less!" or claim, "Jellybeans help lose weight" (it will take 350 days of dinners - which is nearly a year - to lose ONE lb, but the claim is nonetheless 'true').  

This shark cartilage product (no matter what brand) is among those products that started out with promising results, but have long since been proven pretty bland in effectiveness, if not effective at all.  For the most part it's not medically supported.  

You can find out more about such things and so much more unbelievable stuff here:  www.QuackWatch.com  This is the Consumer Reports of medicine - they sell nothing and are not motivated by any ulterior motives to promote products or dissuade people from products.  They are starkly honest.

By the way, the amount of actual 'shark cartilage' in the products you might purchase are so small that any potential of mercury is at the lowest of 'trace' levels.  

Keep up the very alert and astute approach you have !  

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