SQUALENE: Oxygenator, cancer fighter

Oxygen is the great forgotten nutrient – and the great forgotten nutrient deficiency. A lack of it has been pinpointed as a cause of or contributing factor to nearly all our degenerative diseases. Squalene is the closest thing we have to an oxygen supplement.
This remarkable compound imbues the tissues and organs of our bodies with the life-sustaining element through a simple chemical interaction with water. The process has nothing to do with lung respiration, so don’t mistake squalene for a better- breathing nutrient. It won’t alleviate asthma, reduce shortness of breath or allow you to go scuba diving without a snorkel, although by releasing oxygen inside body tissues, it does contribute to one of the lungs’ functions.

A thin, oil-like extract, squalene was first isolated from the liver of a rare species of deep-sea shark, although it’s found naturally in the human body, too, principally the skin. We now know that olive oil is a rich source as well. In fact, the substance may account for a good deal of olive oil’s heart-protecting qualities.

Sharks use squalene to manage the limited amount of oxygen in their deepwater environment. Above sea level, our atmosphere has lost some of the oxygen content it had a century ago, which could in part explain our almost epidemic rates of cancer, heart disease and immune system malfunctions, to name just a few illnesses. In Germany, Japan, Korea and other nations, squalene supplements fortify treatment programmes for hardening of the arteries, ischemic heart disease, high cholesterol, liver disorders and skin problems.

Cardiovascular Disease
Heart cells may suffer most from the lack of oxygen. For this reason I’ll sometimes give squalene to patients with congestive heart failure, who need all the help they can get in delivering oxygen to starved cardiac muscle. Life’s dependency on oxygen does, however, come at the cost of oxidation. Squalene helps to offset any possible additional risk because it’s an antioxidant, working with vitamin E and similar nutrients in guarding cells from the damage that allows cholesterol to build up inside arteries.
Supplement cynics might point out that squalene is one of the very ingredients that the body uses to manufacture cholesterol in the first place. This is true. But supplements do not elevate blood levels of cholesterol. To the contrary, research suggests that the compound lowers high blood concentrations of cholesterol and triglycerides. A daily 860 mg dosage, one study found, augmented the ability of cholesterol medication to decrease LDL and increase HDL cholesterol.

Cancer
Both a deficit of oxygen and the cell damage of oxidation are major reasons for the development and spread of tumours, so squalene’s anticancer properties should come as no surprise. Progressive doctors, myself included, and many of their cancer patients the world over are convinced that squalene further controls the spread of malignancies. Animal research backs up the belief. In one such laboratory study, squalene, along with vitamin E and aloe vera, shrank tumours by more than 33 per cent.

Immune Weakness
Our general ability to fight off illnesses ultimately depends on a vibrant immune system, which in turn relies on a steady supply of oxygen.

– Squalene improves several measurements of immune system strength, especially against cancerous tumours and overall activity. As the dosage increases, so do the results of the immune tests.
– Squalene wards off cancer- causing substances, bacteria, fungi, the herpes virus, the Epstein- Barr virus and such autoimmune diseases as leukaemia.
– Squalene detoxifies several chemicals capable of hurting us.

Its presence also has prevented the deaths of experimental animals given lethal doses of theophylline, phenobarbital and strychnine; they survived when protected with the oil. Lab mice exposed to a lethal level of radiation survived longer when squalene was given.

Skin Problems
Squalene’s abundance in the skin is proof enough of its need there. It holds moisture, which helps to keep skin smooth and supple. Studies have found good indications that it may guard against ultraviolet radiation and, along with its anticancer and proimmunity influence, forms of skin cancer.

SUPPLEMENT SUGGESTIONS

Neither I nor any published studies have found any detrimental effects from long-term squalene supplementation, so safety problems are not a consideration. To oxygenate the body and as a geeral health enhancement, I normally recommend a daily dosage of 1-3 grams. I prescribe 2-4 grams for people with cancer. Judging from the number of European oncologists who also use it, I expect to see a major paper soon chronicling squa-lene’s clinical success.