by Kimberly Smith, B.A., B.S.
COLOSTRUM for all ages
“How does it feel?”
being the?”
grandmother?”
of nine and yet?”
enjoying the body?”
of a woman?”
in her twenties?”
This is the question I posed to Kaye Wyatt,
a new client to my personal training
business three years ago. As a certified
personal trainer with eight years of experience in
setting up individualized exercise programs for
women, I routinely have new clients complete a
health screening and a comprehensive assessment
of cardio-respiratory efficiency, muscular strength
and endurance, muscle and joint flexibility and
body composition (the ratio of fat to lean body
tissue). Upon her completion of these extensive
evaluations I was absolutely amazed with Kaye’s
results. Being completely intrigued with her
excellent physical condition, I asked how she
maintained her health and youthful appearance.
She told me that she owed it all to colostrum,
life’s first food.
Kaye informed me that her health had been
severely compromised prior to supplementing
her diet with colostrum. When she was a child
her medical doctor irradiated her thymus gland
in an effort to help breathing difficulties, however,
this destroyed her immune system. She then
spent her life coping with severe allergies and
frequent infections, utilizing antibiotics to
control her illnesses.
Just as she had reached the point of giving up
hope of ever recovering from serious health
complications (chronic Legionnaire’s disease, continuous
fever, severe allergies and progressed gum
disease, to name a few), her husband, Doug
discovered the healing benefits of colostrum. Kaye
was reluctant to take colostrum at first, believing
that it would be like the other herbal remedies
and natural supplements she had already tried
which had proven to be ineffective. Colostrum,
however, brought about positive health changes in
her body within days and as Kaye says, “It just
keeps getting better.” Kaye added that she and
Doug now dedicate their lives to providing a safe,
high-quality nutraceutical grade of colostrum for
human consumption. The colostrum comes from
New Zealand cows and meets the rigorous standards
of the New Zealand government. The New
Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
require that all cattle are antibiotic and hormonefree
(no rBST).
Kaye’s unique story of healing had piqued my
curiosity about colostrum. Having children of my
own, I had a general knowledge of colostrum,
e.g., that it is the first fluid emitted from a
mother’s mammary glands during the first
48 hours after giving birth. Colostrum transfers
immunity and protection against disease from
mother to newborn. This first food is so important
that many newborn animals will die if they
do not receive it. As Lendon H. Smith, an M.D.
specializing in pediatrics, writes in How to Raise a
Healthy Child: “The first milk, colostrum, is rich
in both protein and antibodies against a number
of bacteria and viruses.”1 Even though I understood
the importance of colostrum for newborns,
I was not aware of bovine colostrum (from cows)
being used as a nutritional supplement for individuals
of all ages. Being in the health and fitness
industry, I am very skeptical about most supplements
that make exaggerated claims about their
effectiveness for human health and performance.
I decided it was time for me to examine the
research and clinical studies on colostrum and
draw my own conclusions on this natural food. I
was amazed at the vast amount of solid research
on bovine colostrum.
Why Bovine (Cow) Colostrum?
Scientific research conducted over the last decade in major medical research centers and universities
throughout the world has shown
that the immune and growth factors in
bovine colostrum are virtually identical to
those in human colostrum. In fact, bovine
colostrum is up to 40 times richer in
immune factors than human colostrum.
Research has also shown that bovine
colostrum is not species-specific. This means
it can also work effectively in humans and
other mammals. Since colostrum is a natural
food it can be consumed without experiencing
side effects or drug interactions.
Important Components of Colostrum
Colostrum is an optimum balance of hormones,
amino acids, vitamins and minerals.
Bovine colostrum contains powerful immune
factors and growth hormones beneficial to
humans of all ages, combined as nature
intended. Unlike herbal supplements, it is not
a phytochemical. It is the only natural healing
substance that was designed by nature for our
species.
AMONG ITS MANY INGREDIENTS, COLOSTRUM CONTAINS:
- Immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgD, IgE, and IgM)—substances that neutralize toxins, viruses and bacteria, particularly in the digestive and respiratory systems.
- Cytokines—small proteins that affect the behavior of other cells.
- Lactoferrin—one of the most powerful antioxidants with antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Lactoferrin is an iron-binding protein that delivers iron to the body where it is needed and binds to excess iron to remove it from the body. This is critical because disease-causing bacteria thrive and multiply on excess iron.
- Growth factors (IGF-I, IGF-II, EGF, TGF A&B)—substances that aid in cellular, muscular and skeletal growth.
Colostrum Heals
A primary factor in colostrum’s ability to
contribute to overall health and well-being is
that it supports the health of the entire gastrointestinal
(GI) tract. The surface of the GI
tract is our body’s largest skin surface. A newborn
has openings in the GI tract, allowing
the immune factors (larger molecules) to be
passed to the infant. Colostrum’s healing
growth hormones then function to close
these openings, creating an effective barrier
against disease.
Since most disease enters the body
through the digestive system, it is imperative
that the GI tract be in a healthy state to ward
off invading diseases, pathogens and toxins
(such as alcohol, caffeine, chemical additives,
non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, etc.).
According to Dr. Donald Henderson, a
noted gastroenterologist, “Colostrum seems
to help that battle in many significant ways.
Not only does it either destroy pathogens
and/or prevent them from attaching to the
intestinal walls, it also helps to repair and
regenerate the critical skin surface of the
intestinal wall at a cellular level, partly
because it contains many growth factors,
notably epidermal growth factor. And in
addition to successfully combating harmful
organisms in the intestines, colostrum also
encourages the colonization of beneficial
bacteria in the bowel.”2
Research being conducted supports the
theory that many chronic diseases are caused
by infections. Paul E. Ewald, an evolutionary
biologist, argues in his book, Plague Time,
that infection may play a role in cancer, atherosclerosis,
Alzheimer’s and other chronic
conditions ordinarily thought to be
inevitable consequences of genetics, lifestyle
or aging.3 Also infection (along with smoking,
diet and lack of exercise) has just joined
the list as a possible risk factor in developing
coronary heart disease, the leading killer in
the U.S.4 Based on this possible infectious
causation of chronic illness, it is imperative
to heal the entire GI tract to limit the amount
of pathogens that can permeate those membranes
and gain access to the body. I would
have to conclude that using colostrum daily
to heal and improve the health of the GI tract
would help to reduce the risk of acquiring a
chronic condition or illness in the future.
Many anecdotal reports suggest that
colostrum may be effective in treating
numerous disease conditions including, but
not limited to, AIDS, ADD, allergies, arthritis,
asthma, bacterial and viral infections, chronic
fatigue syndrome, diabetes and ulcers, as
well as support for weight loss and poor
wound healing. It has also been suggested
that colostrum may enhance athletic performance,
slow the aging process, reduce
depression and decrease the damaging effects
of stress.
Colostrum and the Skin
Dr. Darlene McCord, a noted biochemist
specializing in skin care preparations, states,
“With all of the work that the skin does to
protect us, it is the last organ to benefit from
our food or supplement intake. Topical intervention
is necessary for healthy skin.”5 The
purpose of a skin cream is twofold: to deliver
moisture and healing nutrients at the cellular
level while providing a protective barrier.
Dr. McCord became interested in the
possibilities of using colostrum in skin
preparations after reviewing extensive
research. She has combined the amazing
healing components of colostrum with the
perfect delivery system of the same lipids that
exist in our cellular membrane. This ensures
that the healing and protective substances
can be delivered to the epidermal cells.
Currently plant lipids are being used as the
delivery system for many skin preparations;
however, in that these plant lipids are not
identical to human lipids, they cause an
allergic reaction with at least one-third of
the population. The difference between
colostrum and the phytochemicals (substances
derived from plants) that often
comprise skin preparations is simply that our
cells have an “appetite” for colostrum.6
I have always been quite cautious about
putting anything “extra” into my body and
thoroughly investigate the beneficial effects of
any nutritional supplements, herbal remedies
and other products that claim to promote
health, fitness and wellness. Scientific evidence
supporting the overall health benefits of
colostrum is too vast to ignore. After all,
colostrum is the only natural healing substance
that was designed by nature for our species.
After examining the intensive research
and clinical studies into the immunoceuticals
and nutraceutical properties of colostrum, I
have incorporated it into my nutritional
regimen and recommend the regular use of
this natural healing substance to family,
friends and clients.
Kimberly Smith has a B.A. with a B.S. in
physical education and is a certified personal
trainer. E-mail
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References:
- Smith, Lendon H. How to Raise a Healthy Child. M. Evans & Co. New York (1996).
- Henderson, Donald R. “Research Shows Colostrum To Be A Powerful, Broad Spectrum Nutraceutical”. CNR Publications (2000).
- Mirsky, Steve. “A Host with Infectious Ideas,” Scientific American, May (2001).
- Karow, Julia. “Taken to Heart,” Scientific American, May (2001).
- McCord, Darlene. Colostrum Skin Care. Darja Laboratories, (2001).
- Ibid.
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