stackyFACTS
Health

Why some flu shots contain shark-liver oil

HERE’S THE INTERESTING PART

Sometimes your immune system needs a massive kick in the pants to recognize a dead virus, and shark livers provide the perfect wake-up call. Squalene, an oily compound heavily vetted for safety, acts as an adjuvant in flu shots to aggressively recruit immune cells to the injection site. It tricks the body into mounting a massive defense without actually causing a systemic infection.

From the Stacky collection1 min read
Why some flu shots contain shark-liver oil
STACKY / Health
Topics in this factImmunologyadjuvantPharmacology
One discovery leads to another.

Keep exploring facts in this topic.

Health →
STACKY FOR IPHONE

A bigger world.
One discovery
at a time.

Keep discovering with Stacky. Interesting facts in an app that is always within reach.

Download on the App Store
ONE MORE DISCOVERY?

Keep exploring

All in this topic →
Cortisol actively suppresses immune responses
Health

Cortisol actively suppresses immune responses

The primary stress hormone acts like a panicked middle manager, demanding that your body stops doing routine maintenance to focus entirely on imaginary…

Discover more
Health

Stanford immunologists discovered that your biological age is dictated by the lifelong war against the cytomegalovirus which quietly forces your immune system to exhaust its…

You aren't just getting older; your immune system is going bankrupt. Scientists tracking immune aging biomarkers have found that chronic, silent…

Discover more
How flu during pregnancy may affect fetal brain development
Health

How flu during pregnancy may affect fetal brain development

A common flu during pregnancy triggers a massive, systemic immune response that can accidentally scorch the developing fetal brain. Maternal Immune Activation…

Discover more
Health

Stanford microbiologists recently proved that eating traditional fermented foods like Korean kimchi and unpasteurized kefir actively rewires the human immune system by expanding…

The secret to impenetrable immunity has been hiding in bubbling jars of cabbage for centuries. When modern science finally put fermented foods to the test,…

Discover more
Why ketamine therapy requires medical monitoring
Health

Why ketamine therapy requires medical monitoring

Curing treatment-resistant depression with a famous horse tranquilizer requires significantly more than just good vibes and a quiet room. Clinical…

Discover more
The risky idea that helped end polio
Health

The risky idea that helped end polio

Injecting people with a paralyzed version of a crippling disease was a massive gamble that paid off brilliantly. Jonas Salk bucked the scientific consensus of…

Discover more
StackyMore discoveries in the app
Download on the App Store