·
Can young children take colostrum?
Smaller servings of Colostrum can help growing children in many ways, from better concentration, increased
memory plus children have a higher tendency to catch colds and illness from other schoolmates and colostrum will
help immensely.
Can I take colostrum with other supplements and medications?
Colostrum actually helps your body and works to regulate your body's absorption rates. Colostrum heals the
digestive tract so well that all substances eaten internally (food, herbs, natural healing substances, and
medications) will become more bio-available to the body. Although colostrum has no known drug interactions, you
may find that the other supplements and medications that you are taking could have a more pronounced effect.
Do the immunoglobulins and growth factors in colostrum survive pasteurization?
Tests have been carried out on colostrum (which is flash pasteurized at 72§ C for 15 seconds) show that the
colostrum retains its bioactivity during this process.
How Does Colostrum Differ From Plain Milk?
Colostrum not only contains all the goodness of milk but also contains significant levels of growth promoting and
disease fighting substances commonly referred to as growth factors, immune factors and immunoglobulins. These
substances are also present in milk but at negligible levels. Further, colostrum has a much higher protein, vitamin,
mineral content and is lower in lactose.
How does colostrum interact with other medicines and supplements?
Colostrum actually helps your body and works to regulate your body's absorption rates. In effect you will be getting
more bang for your buck with everything you consume whether its water, supplements and food. You will be getting
greater benefits since your body will be able to utilize them more. You may even find that you don't need to take as
much as normal since your body is able to absorb all the nutrients.
How does colostrum produce the anti-aging results?
Colostrum works with your body to utilize its natural substances and increases your overall health. After puberty our
body begins slowing down the production of growth hormones. These hormones are necessary for the
reproduction of virtually all of our body cellular tissue. It has been shown that by age 80 we are producing virtually
no growth hormones, and so we age and die. Colostrums growth factors are the actual hormones that stimulate the
normal reproduction of body cellular tissue. Normal reproduction means just that (normal) not aged, cancerous,
wrinkled, or weakened. The New England Journal of Medicine (a few years back) stated that the most effective anti-
aging process would be simply the replacement of growth hormones at proper levels to slow, possibly stop and
even reverse the aging processes.
The main function in the newborn is in the form of transfer of passive immunity from the mother to the child. The
mother has been exposed to a variety of environmental factors and organisms to which her immune system has
produced antibodies during her lifetime. In transfer of passive immunity the mother passes on her complement of
antibodies to these various factors onto her offspring. In humans and apes the mother passively immunizes her
young in utero by passage of antibodies through the placenta. In animals where maternal antibodies do not pass
the placental barrier (horses, cattle, pigs, and sheep) the young are passively immunized immediately after birth by
way of colostrum. In these species the maternal antibodies present in the colostrum are absorbed directly through
the gut in the first few days following birth.
How much colostrum should I take?
The amount of colostrum you take varies from person to person. The label suggests 2 to 3 capsules twice daily, but
if you’re recovering from an injury you may want to start off taking more than this. Also, if you feel a cold or flu
coming on you may want to up your dosage to help you recover quicker and relieve your symptoms.
I am vegetarian and I do not eat animal food.
Colostrum is neither animal nor vegetable. We take very good care of our cattle and make sure they are healthy
and live a long happy life. Mother Nature produced colostrum for every mammal on Earth and it is by far the
healthiest choice. With that said, the choice is completely yours.
I don't want to take colostrum away from the baby calf's that need it!
Don't worry; we don't deprive calves of their colostrum. Calves need it as much as any mammal and many calves
would die without it. We make sure the calves get their fill.
Is Bovine Colostrum Safe?
Bovine colostrums have been used for years as a food supplement, its use and safety is well documented.
Colostrum is completely safe; it has no negative side effects and is a whole and natural food that can be consumed
in ANY quantity. There are absolutely no toxicity levels. Further the manufacture and use of dairy products, and
their associated safety and nutritional benefits is also well known. Through quality control management of the entire
manufacturing process, from collection of the colostrum, through to packaging and storage, ensures the colostrum
is delivered in perfect condition, certified to be fit for human consumption.
Should Colostrum be pasteurized?
Absolutely! Cow manure can easily splash onto the udders contaminating them with E-coli, salmonella and other
pathogenic bacteria. This creates the potential for contamination of dairy products.
Dairy products (for human consumption) must be pasteurized to kill these pathogens. There are two ways of
pasteurizing colostrum - the optimal flash (15 second) pasteurization and a slow 30-minute vat process. Flash
pasteurization uses the expensive, high-tech equipment found in the modern dairy that does not denature the
colostrum. With the less expensive, 30-minute pasteurization process, a huge vat of colostrum is heated from the
outside. It takes a long time to heat a large kettle of colostrum to the required temperature. During this interval,
bacteria grow in the colostrum.
As the bacteria feed upon the colostrum, it denatures and destroys its effectiveness. Most colostrum that is being
sold to the public today has been prepared for the animal feed market and has not been pasteurized. Colostrum is
pasteurized to the most demanding of International Standards - 72°C for 15 seconds - to ensure the highest
microbiological quality.
Should I be taking colostrum if I am pregnant?
Colostrum definitely won’t hurt you or your fetus, but as always with anything you take during pregnancy you should
check with your health care professional first. Once your baby is born it would be beneficial to start taking
colostrum right away. Colostrum will help boost your immune system which suffers during child birth, it will help you
recover faster and it will also help you to lose those extra pounds quicker associated with pregnancy.
What about my pets? Can they benefit from colostrum?
Yes! As a matter of fact, most pets love colostrum. Bovine colostrum is not species specific, dogs and cats will gain
many health benefits from colostrum.
Antibodies are very specialized molecules that are produced by the body's immune system. They are produced in
response to the host being exposed to an immunogenic or foreign substance (antigen) such as an infectious
microbe. There action is to ward off and or neutralize potentially disease-causing agents. A very important feature
of antibodies is that are directed specifically to their antigen that induced their formation.
Growth factors are very small bio-active molecules which promote growth and maturation of various cell types and
tissues. They are found in very high concentrations in colostrum. They not only stimulate normal growth and
development but also help regenerate and accelerate the repair of aged or injured muscle, skin, bone, cartilage
and nerve tissues. Growth factors also stimulate the body to burn fat for fuel instead of muscle tissue in times of
fasting or dieting. They also help build lean muscle and have been shown to have a positive effect on athletic
performance.
In addition to immunoglobulins there are other substances in colostrum that have an immune function. Collectively
they have been termed "Immune Factors". Their function is to complement the various functions associated with the
immune response
What are Immunoglobulins?
The immunoglobulins are a group of specialized bio-active proteins or molecules found in serum and other tissue
fluids, including the milk of all mammals. There are five classes of immunoglobulin that are recognized in mammals
Immunoglobulin G (IgG), Immunoglobulin A (IgA), Immunoglobulin M (IgM), Immunoglobulin E (IgE), and
Immunoglobulin D (IgD).
The function of these molecules is to bind to invading organisms and to activate specific actions that help prevent
to prevent infection and to rid the body of disease causing agents. They function in cell killing, inflammation and
prevention of bacterial and viral attachment. The most prevalent class of immunoglobulin in all species is IgG.
Immunoglobulins have an integral role in the immune defense system in that they form antibodies.
Sports people's bodies need optimum nutrition and they frequently injure themselves when playing so colostrum is
vital, both for optimum and faster rates of healing after injury.
What if I'm lactose intolerant?
The amount of lactose in colostrum is scant - 163 mg. in two capsules compared to 13,000 mg. in one 8-oz of milk.
Any discomfort would more likely be a sign that colostrum is healing the digestive tract.
Colostrum is great for making the body work more effectively, which makes weight loss easier.
Colostrum is the first food for growth and immunity; it is the pre-milk or rather the first lacteal secretion that is
produced by the mother in all mammals immediately following the birth of her young. Colostrum is frequently
referred to as “life’s first food”. It not only supports life but also makes it flourish. Colostrum is produced in the first
few days following the birth of the newborn. Colostrum is a non-toxic, non-allergenic food supplement that has no
negative interactions with drugs, food or other supplements.
Each drop contains the promise of life: the immunoglobulins, growth factors, antibodies, vitamins, minerals,
enzymes, amino acids, and other substances designed to provide the body with the ability to face a lifetime of
invasion by micro-organisms and environmental toxins. Colostrum is a non-toxic, non-allergenic food supplement
that has no negative interactions with drugs, food or other supplements.
What is Immuno-Supplementation?
Local protection in the form of immuno-supplementation with bovine antibodies has been shown to be an effective
means of providing local protection to the gastrointestinal tract against disease.
Bovine immunoglobulin in the form of antibodies, both specific and non-specific, has been shown to be effective
against various diseases. In trials it has been successfully shown that specific antibodies in bovine milk are
effective against both enteropathogenic and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, cryptosporidium, rotavirus, and
Shigella flexneri.
What is Passive Immunity?
In all species of mammals the transfer of passive immunity occurs where the mother passes on her complement of
antibodies to her young. In the case of the newborn this helps in protecting the young against potentially pathogen
agents until the time its own immune system is sufficiently developed to ward of infection on its own.
What is Passive Local Protection?
In humans passive transmission of immunity occurs prior to birth and thus a newborn human baby at birth is born
with a complement of maternal antibodies. After birth the antibodies present in human colostrum and milk function
in local protection of the gut. In animals like the horse, cow, sheep, and goat passive transmission of maternal
antibodies occurs in the first 20-48 hours following birth by way of colostrum.
During this time the newborn animal absorbs intact maternal antibodies present in the colostrum directly through
the digestive tract. After the first few days the animal's digestive tract matures (gut closure) and the direct
adsorption of intact antibody ceases. At this point any antibodies present in the colostrum and milk act in local
protection of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
What is the Adaptive Immune System?
The adaptive immune system produces a specific response in response to an infective agent. This specific
response is in the form of antibodies, which are produced to neutralize the invading agent.
A very important feature of the adaptive immune system is that it involves memory, in that gives rise to resistance to
repeated exposure or infection by the same invading agent. The importance of this memory factor is seen in
childhood diseases such as Chicken Pox, Measles, and Mumps in which the adaptive immune system produces a
life-long immunity following infection.
What is the Immune System?
The immune system is a natural defense mechanism by which the body fights infection. It is divided into two
functional systems, the innate and adaptive immune systems.
What is the Innate Immune System?
This is the first line of defense by which the host combats infectious agents and pathogenic microbes. This is non-
specific response, which proves effective against most infective agents. The skin is part of the innate immune
system as it acts as a preventive barrier to most infective agents.
Interestingly, bovine colostrum is the only form of colostrum that is not species specific. In other words, it contains
all of the immune and growth factors found in all other sources and thus it can significantly benefit all other
mammals, including humans of course.
Because calves are born without any immunity to airborne, disease-causing organisms, their mother’s colostrum
must contain a very large amount of immune and health factors. As a result bovine colostrum has 10 - 21 times the
factors of human colostrum, making it the richest source of colostrum available.
Why Can't I Get Colostrum From A Local Farmer?
You can. It needs to be refrigerated and consumed before it spoils. A cow produces colostrum only once a year for
the first few days after they give birth. Raw colostrum is not pasteurized and contains immune factors from just one
cow. This differs from processed colostrum, which is concentrated and provides a broad base of immune factors
that have been pooled from hundreds and sometimes thousands of cows.
Why do I need colostrum, as an adult?
Once puberty has passed, our bodies begin the aging process by gradually producing less of the immune and
growth factors that help us fight off disease and heal damaged body tissue. Colostrum is the only natural source of
these life-giving components.
Why is Colostrum Important?
Colostrum is the first food that is available to the newborn. It is not only highly nutritious but also contains
substances (immunoglobulins and immune factors) that help to stimulate and augment the newborns immune
system thus helping to protect the vulnerable newborn from its new potentially harmful environment (passive
transmission of immunity). Further it contains substances (growth factors and cytokines) which act to stimulate the
development, maturation and proliferation of various tissues and organs.
The significance of colostrum is best illustrated in farm animals, such as the horse, cow, goat, sheep and pig. In
these animals passive transmission of immunity occurs after birth in the form of colostrum. If these animals do not
receive colostrum in the first 12 - 24 hours following birth they have a very good chance of not surviving (mortality
rates of up to 25% have been reported).
Why is Local Passive Protection Important?
The importance of passive local protection is evidenced in the newborn calf where diarrhea and other enteric
infections (scours) can prove fatal. It has been widely accepted that the best source of nourishment for the infant
mammal is mother's milk. This has largely been attributed to not only the nutritional benefits of mother's milk but
also the presence of milk immunoglobulins providing local passive protection of the GI tract.