Scientific Studies and Research - How Glandular Supplements Work
It's Actually Pretty Straightforward
I've had a lot of people ask me how glandular / organ supplements work. The short answer is that it's a bit like taking an herbal product - but the result is normally more pronounced since these supplements are more biocompatible than herbs.
The long answer is that there are four main processes by which these supplements function when consumed.
1. Packed Full of Nutrients (Vitamins, Fatty Acids, Minerals, etc.)
Some organ meats, such as liver, are extremely rich in nutrients such as Vitamin A, B-Vitamins, various forms of Vitamin K, etc. Just compare the average level of various vitamins & minerals in beef liver and beef steak:
2. Oral Tolerization
This is defined as:
...treatment of an autoimmune disease by feeding to the affected individual the autoantigen inducing the immune response and causing the disease in order to suppress the immune response by invoking oral tolerance.
Source: Merriam-Webster.
Much of the research into glandular / organ / collagen supplements has focused on this phenomenon. Numerous studies (including several in the list compiled here) now show that consumption of collagen reduces joint inflammation in those with autoimmune disorders. This occurs when inflammatory cells are either 'deactivated' or when Th2 and Th3 cells engage in 'bystander suppression' and signal other immune cells to stop attacking the body's tissue. This chart explains this process in a bit more detail:
3. Hormonal Assistance (Thyroid Supplements Are a Great Example)
Certain glands are rich in biologically active hormones which can be used to replace lost hormones or help regulate imbalanced hormones in those suffering from endocrine disorders. In fact, early research into glandular supplements focused heavily on this aspect of their use (which is why the term glandular became standardized even though these type of supplements include everything from glands to freeze dried beef heart to collagen).
We don't sell any thyroid or pancreas supplements but there are plenty of fascinating studies on their historical use in treating endocrine problems. As an example, here's a pic of a young girl from the early part of the 20th century who had severe hypothyroidism and was treated with porcine thyroid extract:
Glands that are used to produce hormonal products include the pancreas, adrenals, thyroid, ovaries, and others. Personally, I'd recommend that people avoid taking these types of supplements unless necessary because I don't think they're necessary for most and many people have had negative results with them (specifically, women often report developing menstrual issues while taking ovarian supplements and those taking adrenal supplements often struggle with fatigue once they quit taking them - this is part of why we are not interested in selling freeze dried adrenal supplements).
4. Tissue Specific Factors
Every organ contains tissue specific proteins, paracrine factors, nucleotides, etc. Collectively, these act to regulate the tissue that they come from and they appear (in our opinion) to act as fuel for the body when consumed. It's a bit like how most guys who want to build muscle will eat more meat - they know that the extra protein will make it easier to build up their own body. Or how athletes with aching joints will take collagen supplements because they feel that it boosts their joint health. The idea is that by consuming those difficult to produce tissue specific factors you are helping your body to quickly rebuild related tissues by giving it the right 'resources.'
List of Studies Verifying the Effect of Glandular Supplements
The following list references some of the actual studies describing how glandular / organ / collagen supplements work:
- Barnett M, Kremer J, St Clair E, Clegg D, Furst D, Weisman M, Fletcher M, Chasan-Taber S, Finger E, Morales A, Le C, Trentham D. Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with oral type II collagen. Arthritis Rheum. 1998 Feb; 41(2): 290-297.
- Bland J. Glandular-based food supplements: helping to separate fact from fiction. Bellevue, Redmond Medical Laboratory, Dept of Chem, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA. 1980: 20-21.
- Choy E, Scott D, Kingsley G, Thomas S, Murphy A, Staines N, Panayi G. Control of rheumatoid arthritis by oral tolerance. Arthritis & Rheumatism. 2001 September; 44(9): 1993- 1997.
- Collin J. The last word – benefits of usage of animal glandular supplementation. The Townsend Letter Group. 2001.
- Faria A, Weiner H. Oral tolerance: therapeutic implications for autoimmune diseases. Clin Dev Immunol. 2006 Jun-Dec; 13(2-4) 143-57.
- Friedman A, al-Sabbagh A, Santos L, Fishman-Lobell J, Polanski M, Das M, Khoury S, Weiner H. Oral tolerance: a biologically relevant pathway to generate peripheral tolerance against external and self antigens. Chem Immunol. 1994; 58: 259-90.
- Fukaura H, Kent S, Pietrusewicz M, Khoury S, Weiner H, Hafler D. Induction of circulating myelin basic protein and proteolipid protein-specific transforming growth factor-β1-secreting Th3 T cells by oral administration of myelin in multiple sclerosis patients. J Clin. Invest. 1996 July; 98(1): 70-77.
- Haas E. Staying Healthy with Nutrition: Complete Guide to Diet and Nutrition. Celestial Arts. 1992.
- Maugh T. Fooling the body to heal itself. Los Angeles Times. 1993 October 15.
- Millington O, Mowat A, Garside P. Induction of bystander suppression by feeding antigen occurs despite normal clonal expansion of the bystander T cell population. J Immunol. 2004, 173: 6059-6064.
- Min S, Hwang S, Park K, Lee J, Lee K, Kim K, Jung Y, Koh H, Do J, Kim H, Kim H. Induction of IL-10-producing CD4+CD25+ T cells in animal model of collagen-induced arthritis by oral administration of type II collagen. Arthritis Research. 2004 March; 6:R213-219.
- Murray M. Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine. Prima Publishing, 2nd edition. 1998.
- Weiner H, Mackin G, Matsui M, Orav E, Khoury S, Dawson D, Hafler D. Double-blind pilot trial of oral tolerization with myelin antigens in multiple sclerosis. Science. 1993 Feb 26; 259(5099): 1321-1324.
- Zhu P, Li X, Wang H, Jia J, Zheng Z, Ding J, Fan C. Oral administration of type-II collagen peptide 250-270 suppresses specific cellular and humoral immune response in collagen-induced arthritis. Clin Immunol. 2007 Jan; 122(1): 75-84.