In the first 48 hours ater giving birth, mothers produce a very special "pre-milk" fluid called colostrum.- Colostrum contains substances that protect infants from infection and disease
- Colostrum stimulates growth
- Colostrum contributes to over fifty other health-supportive processes.
- Colostrum's powerful ingredients have been shown to benefit people of all ages.
Colostrum and Immune Support
Colostrum (also known colloquially as beestings, bisnings, or first milk or "immune milk") is a form of milk produced by the mammary glands of mammals in late pregnancy. Most species will generate colostrum within one day of giving birth.
Contents[hide] |
Newborns have very small digestive systems, and colostrum delivers its nutrients in a very concentrated low-volume form. It has a mild laxative effect, encouraging the passing of the baby's first stool, which is called meconium. This clears excess bilirubin, a waste product of dead red blood cells which is produced in large quantities at birth due to blood volume reduction, from the infant's body and helps prevent jaundice. Colostrum is known to contain antibodies called immunoglobulins such as IgA, IgG and IgM in mammals. IgA is absorbed through the intestinal epithelium, travels through the blood, and is secreted onto other Type 1 mucosal surfaces. Colostrum also contains a variety of growth factors (IGfs).
Chemically, colostrum are very rich in proteins, vitamin A, and sodium chloride, but contains lower amounts of carbohydrates, lipids, and potassium than normal milk. The most pertinent bioactive components in colostrum are growth factors and antimicrobial factors. Antimicrobial activity is due primarily to immunoglobulins; however there are other molecules such as lactoferrin, lysozyme and lactoperoxides found in colostrum. The antibodies provide passive immunity while growth factors stimulate the development of the gut. This liquid contains a lot of immunological factors, which are passed to the neonate and provides the first protection against pathogens. The passive immunity from mother gets transferred to the newborn.[1]
[edit] Effects upon the brain
In lambs colostrum tube-feed in the stomach compared to saline has been found to enhance activity with their mothers and reduce distress bleating. Associated with this, such tube-feed colostrum has been found to activate the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of the hypothalamus and also amygdala and insular cortex. This suggests colostrum has soothing effects that are meditated by oxytocin and vasopressin pathways linked to these in the brain.[2]
[edit] Adult consumption
Few scientific studies suggest that adult human consumption of bovine colostrum is beneficial to general health. Proponents of the use of bovine colostrum by humans as a dietary supplement or as Medical Food claim that bovine colostrum raises both general immunity and physical strength, and sometimes cite the few studies of bovine colostrum in humans. While numerous studies show safety when used by adults, most of these studies do not show great efficacy of normal colostrum for human consumption, but show significant efficacy for specific health and immunity parameters when using Hyper Immunized colostrum (see below) [3][4][5]
It has been suggested at a conference that a nutritional formula containing Bovine colostrum may help slow CD4 cell decline and reduce immune activation in people with HIV who have not yet started antiretroviral therapy[6]
[edit] Hyper-immunized colostrum
Hyper-immunized colostrum occurs when cows are immunized against specific antigens. Biotechnology companies have tested whether injecting cows with vaccines protecting against human diseases can cause them to produce these corresponding antibodies and secrete them in large quantities in their colostrum. Such "hyper-immunized" colostrum has been suggested as a means to help humans fight specific pathogens. The Australian company Immuron is doing research on such hyper-immunized colostrum and suggests it might potentially help with diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome, type 2 diabetes, influenza, and gastrointestinal sequelae of AIDS.[7] [8] Several products of this type are under development or being evaluated in human clinical trials.
[edit] References
- ^ Pakkanen and Aalto: (1997) Growth Factors and Antimicrobial Factors of Bovine Colostrum, International Dairy Journal
- ^ Val-Laillet D, Meurisse M, Tillet Y, Nowak R.(2009). Behavioural and neurobiological effects of colostrum ingestion in the newborn lamb associated with filial bonding. Eur J Neurosci. 30(4):639-50. PMID 19659454 doi:10.1111/j.1460-9568.2009.06845.x
- ^ Siber G. (1992) Immune globulin to prevent nosocomial infection. New England Journal of Medicine. 327(4):269-71.[1]
- ^ Korhonen H.1; Marnila P.1; Gill H.S.2 Milk immunoglobulins and complement factors, British Journal of Nutrition, Volume 84, Supplement s1, 1 November 2000 , pp. 75-80(6) [2]
- ^ Mitra AK, Mahalanabis D, Ashraf H, Unicomb L, Eeckels R, Tzipori S. Hyperimmune cow colostrum reduces diarrhoea due to rotavirus: a double-blind, controlled clinical trial, Acta Paediatr. 1995 Sep;84(9):996-1001[3]
- ^ Lange J et al. (2009). Reduced CD4+ T cell decline and immune activation by NR100157, a specific multi-targeted nutritional intervention, in HIV-1 positive adults not on antiretroviral therapy (BITE) 49th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, San Francisco, abstract 1230b
- ^ Immuron - Research & Product Development
- ^ Immuron Flubody
Click Here for More information about The World's Most Advanced Colostrum
