Squalene

Squalene is a unique fatty substance, structured as an isoprenoid. Isoprenoids are fat-soluble antioxidants with the unique ability to anchor themselves to cell membranes.* Vitamin E, tocotrienols, Q10, mangosteen, and beta carotene are other examples of nutrients with primary isoprenoid structure. Many fruits and vegetables have small amounts of isoprenoids.*

A carbon spine is the backbone of any fat. Hydrogen molecules are attached to each side of the carbon, forming the fat structure. Saturated fat has two hydrogens per carbon, one on each side. Unsaturated fat means one of the hydrogens is missing. Olive oil is called an omega 9 oil because it is missing one hydrogen at the 9th carbon, a monounsaturated oil. DHA is a polyunsaturated oil, and has 6 missing hydrogens. Saturated fats are stiff. They are easy to use for fuel, as our bodies chop them up into smaller units to metabolize. Unsaturated fats can bend and fold as well as chemically interact, thus forming different shapes that enable them to interact in body structure in an endless array of possibilities.

Squalene has a 30-carbon-long skeleton. By comparison, the longest length essential fatty acid, DHA, is 22 carbons long. Squalene is not a fatty acid because it does not have an acid molecule attached to the end of its carbon skeleton. Like DHA, squalene is highly unsaturated (10 missing hydrogens), enabling significant bending of its carbon spine and biological interaction.* In fact, squalene forms 3 interconnected rings composed of 6 isoprenoid units, a fascinating structure to say the least.

The unsaturated bonds of DHA are easily damaged by oxygen. The structure of squalene, on the other hand, is highly stable against oxygen and is itself able to act as an antioxidant.* In fact, adding squalene to food has been shown to protect DHA from oxygen induced free radical damage.* It is the isoprenoid structure that enables this excellent antioxidant activity.*

Squalene is naturally produced during cholesterol synthesis and is widely distributed in human tissues. Its major concentration is in the skin as a part of the oils secreted by sebaceous glands, helping to provide a protective barrier to the skin surface.* Whereas hyaluronic acid helps moisturize skin by holding water in its structure, squalene helps maintain skin moisture by oil lubrication of the surface.*

Squalene can deactivate the free radical known as singlet oxygen, the free radical that is generated by exposure to the sun's UV radiation.* Squalene can also absorb and bind fat-soluble toxins, helping to excrete them from the body.* These multiple functions of squalene make it an excellent nutritional support product for the skin.*

The use of squalene as an immune support supplement was popularized by Hans Neiper, world-renowned German physician and physicist.* He became interested in the oil because it is 80% of the oil in the shark liver. A shark liver is 25% of the shark's mass. He felt it was the squalene that enabled sharks to maintain their energy in low oxygen depths of the sea. His research with Kirlian photography indicated squalene was extremely Kirlian-positive. In his world-view this meant squalene helped convert field energy into photon energy (like getting energy from the sun instead of from calories). He noticed those taking the oil would warm up and have improved circulation to their extremities.* His research is little understood in modern context and the immune support principles he espoused have never been verified in human studies, though a few animal and cell studies lend some modest support.*

The role of squalene in human metabolism is not well defined, which is a shame considering it's prevalence around the body, isoprenoid structures that are known to attach to cell membranes, its significant antioxidant and detoxification capacity, and its potential as an immune support nutrient.*

What we do know about squalene is that it is an excellent skin support nutrient.* In our experience with it over the past fifteen years we have found it to be our top nutritional product to help resolve dry skin, especially during the winter months.* This observation is consistent with squalene's known role in skin structure.*

Ingredients & Dosage

Directions: Take 1 capsule, up to 3 times per day.

Other Ingredients: the softgel capsule is made of gelatin, glycerin, and water.

This product does NOT contain milk, egg, gluten, corn, peanuts, crustacean shellfish, soybeans, tree nuts, wheat, yeast, or rice. This product does NOT contain hidden fillers, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, colors or flavors, or sugar.