TAKE BACK YOUR LIFE 6 By Stephen Ayers
In parts 1-5 of this series of articles titled "Take Back Your Life", we discussed what could be considered the four wheels of the human wellness vehicle. We discussed the importance of proper cell function, the necessity of having and maintaining a balanced endocrine system, and the role of vitamins and minerals, including certain trace minerals as they relate to wellness, the value of antioxidants, and the necessity of enhanced water for maintaining a healthy body. In this segment we shall discuss what roles lactoferrin (Lf) and proline-rich peptide (PRP), which act to regulate and balance the immune system, play in helping to maintain a healthy body.
Since so much of what we eat can and does affect out health and well being, it is important to provide our bodies with the very best of what nature has to offer and that includes those substances that may help provide a balanced immune function.
Colostrum, and two of its chief elements, lactoferrin (Lf) and proline-rich peptide (PRP), work to control and modulate immune function. This is very important in newborns new to a hostile and sometimes unforgiving environment. Adults with over- or under-active immune systems can also benefit from this type of supplementation. Colostrum and its components have potent anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal funcitons to help protect our bodies from attacks upon our immune system. Colostrum and its growth factors augment wound healing, cartilage formation, and bone repair, stimulate muscle protein synthesis, hinder protein breakdown, benefit GI tract structure and function, and encourage the immune system to reduce tissue inflammation and allergic reaction. The Lf component of colostrum also helps to regulate iron absorption and accessibility, and has been shown to appreciably slow down tumor development, growth, and metastasis. Colostrum and its components activate this enhanced immune function when taken orally, especially when consumed sublingually as a dietary supplement. Contact with the immune system via the oral mucosa is believed to set in motion many of colostrum's immunomodulatory benefits. Furthermore, the makeup of bovine (cow) and human colostrum is very similar, and colostrum from both sources is biologically dynamic on its own as well.
Colostrum is the first whole food accessible to newborn mammals and is necessary for life. It is also the first mammary secretion acquired within the first few hours after birth, and provides many valuable nutrients present in the mother's blood. This pre-milk material is nature's way of giving protection to the newborn against viruses, bacteria, allergens, and toxins. The health benefits of colostrum consumption for newborns have been intuitively understood by human cultures for millennia. Colostrum is also accepted as an important food for adults. For example, the Amish at one time prepared a pudding made from the colostrum produced by the mother of a newborn calf. Colostrum is also consumed by adults in India.
Colostrum contains various immune factors, such as lactoferrin (Lf), immunoglobulins (Ig), and proline-rich peptides (PRP), as well as important growth factors for developing healthy muscles and bones. Colostrum also activates and regulates numerous immune, growth, and repair processes. Furthermore, numerous studies have shown that colostrum and its components continue to shape important biological activities when given to adults, so that its beneficial effects extend well beyond the neonatal period of development.
There are many examples that demonstrate the biological effectiveness of orally administered colostrum and its components. Without a doubt, much of the information exchange of immunologically active substances with the immune system appears to occur via the membranes that line the oral cavity. Signals in the form of food, germs, and poisonous substances are initially recognized in the oral cavity, and messages are distributed by a variety of message pathways to pertinent parts of the body. There are also protective substances that prevent digestion of the active components of orally administered colostrum before they can put forth their biological effect(s).
Proline-rich peptide (PRP) is another very important component of colostrum. PRP regulates the thymus gland, which produces T-cells that fight viruses and antigens, and plays a important part in balancing an overactive immune system (such as is found in individuals with autoimmune diseases) or an underactive immune system (seen in immuno-compromised individuals) PRP acts both in vitro and in vivo, and is not species specific.
Lactoferrin (Lf) is another key component of colostrum. It is also secreted in milk, tears, mucus, and saliva, mainly in response to a pathogen attack. Many of the biological activities of Lf relate to its ability to regulate either the immune system or the availability of iron. Bovine Lf inhibits the development, growth, and metastasis of tumors in rats and mice when injected or given orally as 0.2% of the diet, possibly because of its ability to stimulate natural killer cell release. Its anti-pathogenic activities relate primarily to its ability to bind iron and thus starve pathogens, which require iron as a nutrient. Bovine and human Lf also act to prevent colonization by pathogens in vivo by binding to them and preventing their adhesion to host cells. They are particularly effective against H. pylori, which is a common cause of gastric inflammation in humans. An added benefit is the fact that human and bovine Lf have been shown to actually promote the growth of beneficial bifidobacteria.
In conclusion, colostrum, and, in particular, two of its components, Lf and PRP, act to regulate and balance the immune system. Studies suggest that this biological activity is important for adults with over- or under-active immune systems as well as for newborns. Colostrum and its components also have potent anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal activities. Colostrum and its growth factors enhance muscle protein synthesis, wound healing, cartilage formation, and bone repair, benefit GI tract structure and function, and are anti-inflammatory and anti-allergenic. The Lf component of colostrum regulates iron availability and has demonstrated anti-cancer activities. Colostrum and its components exert their biological activities when given orally, in many cases as a dietary supplement. Moreover, bovine and human colostrum are similar enough that they exploit similar biological activities in various species.
To read more about why Steve is so passionate about moving toward wellness and how you can head that way through a healthy lifestyle that includes healthy gut food consumption and supplementation, go to: http://steve.myglycostore.com/go/immunostart/
