GNC
In their ignorance and greed for money, money, and more money, so-called "homeopathic" and"health food" manufacturers and distributors are not only ignoring the real evidence, butpracticing deceptive marketing; misquoting scientists, misrepresenting the results of scientificstudy, misinforming consumers, preying on and giving terminal cancer patients false hope, (andtaking their money), by pushing the product as a cure for cancer in humans. Even K-Mart proudlyadvertises, "We now have shark cartilage!"One American-owned shark cartilage factory in Costa Rica destroys more than 111,000 sharksper year -- some estimates place the figure for sharks killed in American waters for cartilageabove 200,000 sharks every month.A third of the world's open water sharks -- including the great white and hammerhead -- faceextinction, according to major conservation surveysSpecies hunted on the high seas are particularly at risk, with more than half in danger of dyingout, reported the Shark Specialist Group at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature(IUCN). Collapsing shark populations have already severely disrupted at least two coastal marineecosystems, and could trigger even more severe consequences in the high seas, marinebiologists warned at the same time. The main culprit is overfishing. Sharks are prized for theirmeat, cartilage and in Asia especially for their fins, a prestige food thought to convey healthbenefits.When sharks are overfished, the carnivorous fish they feed on increase in number. Thecarnivorous fish, in turn, prey on parrotfish, which normally graze for plant life on the reef. Sincethere are less parrotfish to eat the algae off the coral, the entire identity of the reef changesfrom coral to algae dominated, according to the authors. Thus overfishing of sharks maycontribute further to the loss of resistance of coral reefs to multiple human disturbances.Although shark cartilage may be a popular supplement, the market for such products isunsustainable while cartilage is procured from endangered species, and continued sale of theseproducts contributes to the decline of shark populations globally. Furthermore, there have todate been no rigorous clinical trials providing evidence of the efficacy of commercial sharkcartilage supplements in treating conditions such as arthritis and cancer. I strongly urge you toconsider removing shark cartilage products from your stores, and to explain to your customerswhy you are taking this decision, as public awareness of this issue is essential to improving sharkconservation worldwide.
GNC
refuses to acknowledge these facts. Unlike the national chainNutrition House, Who have educated themselves and removed all shark products from theirshelves. Voice your disapproval.
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