Not just shark finning. Threatening the survival of the sharks is also the "shark cartilage", the cartilage of sharks, which unfortunately has become part of many products in recent years, especially in the natural market, from cosmetic creams to food supplements.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
Not just shark finning. Threatening the survival of the sharks is also the "shark cartilage“, Shark cartilage, which has unfortunately become part of many in recent years products present mainly in the natural market, from cosmetic creams to food supplements.
This "ingredient" would be able to lower the concentrations of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood by preventing clotting, would provide proteins and mucopolysaccharides that promote the integrity of the connective tissue, as well as calcium, organic phosphorus and magnesium, and would even alleged anticancer properties. But Dr. Francesco Perugini Billi, surgeon specializing in natural medicine, in his article with the sadly significant title "Shark Cartilage, a useless massacre", explains how all scientific research on the low incidence of tumors in sharks has been exploited thanks to a intense advertising campaign to induce the consumption of this ingredient, promoted by the companies that market it “often with the support of pseudoscientists. It was immediately a billion dollar business“Says the doctor.
The real explosion came in 1992, when Dr. William Lane published the book "Sharks don't get cancer“, In which, citing controversial studies, he proposed shark cartilage as a new miracle cure for cancer. But, beyond the scientific question, assuming that there are anticancer, anti-inflammatory or antioxidant substances in shark cartilage, it is good to remember that these can be safely and effectively replaced with more eco-sustainable ones. “Cartilage and shark oil have nothing unique about them. Some of the substances attributed to anticancer properties can even be synthesized. Unfortunately, cosmetics have also recently come into play. A whole series of creams and creams for beauty have come out on the market. An idiocy. Slaughtering sharks is really useless and stupid“, Says Perugini Billi.
Also because, the economic exploitation of shark cartilage means a real one devastation of world populations of this magnificent animal. “American populations have shrunk by as much as 80%! An American company that markets shark cartilage is located in Costa Rica slaughters over 111.000 sharks a year. Some estimate, by default, that in the oceans that bathe the Americas, another 200.000 sharks are killed per month. Considering that some large shark species reach sexual maturity after 12 years and can procreate 1 or 2 small sharks every 1-2 years, it is clear that this excessive exploitation will soon lead to disastrous consequences for the ecological balance of the sea ", concludes the doctor. The sharks, in short, they should be left where they are: eye the ingredients of the products you buy.
Roberta Ragni
Read also: The 10 rare sharks facing extinction
Also read: Cathay Pacific will no longer carry shark fins on its aircraft
