What is Colostrum or first milk?

Colostrum is the thin fluid produced by breastfeeding mothers. It is produced in abundance during the very first few milkings, and with each milking, less is produced. Colostrum introduces immunoglobulins from the mother to the infant and turns on the child’s immune system. Colostrum has incredible immune-balancing benefits

Colostrum contains a rich array of nutrients, including growth factors, lipidic and glucidic factors, oligosaccharides, antimicrobials, cytokines and nucleosides. This substance introduces the newborn to over 95 different compounds that balance and stabilize the immune system. It also brings in eight growth factors that promote normal cell growth, DNA synthesis, fat utilization and increased mental acuity.

Bovine colostrum has an identical structure to the natural colostrum produced by humans. Research has attributed many health benefits to bovine colostrum. These benefits include improved gut stability and nutrient absorption. Colostrum also provides immunological balance, increases energy and reduces inflammation and illness.

Colostrum and gut health:

The gut is responsible for nutrient absorption, detoxification and immunological balance. Researchers believe the microbial balance in the gut plays a role in roughly 70% of our immunological control. The major player here is a special immunoglobulin protein called secretory IgA (sIgA).

Individuals with chronic gut problems, IBS, candidiasis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and autism typically have low sIgA. This is a sign of chronic stress in the body that has drained the immune system and the adrenals. Chronic infections, environmental toxins and poor lifestyle could all be the major causes behind this.

Colostrum is the most prolific substance for boosting sIgA levels in the gut. This provides a balancing effect on the immune system by reducing inflammatory cytokines and pathogenic species in the gut. Colostrum also helps provide raw materials to help repair a damaged gut lining. The intestinal membrane replaces cells every three days, and colostrum supplementation can help heal intestinal problems such as leaky gut syndrome and other permeability issues naturally.

Colostrum and the immune system:

Colostrum provides over 100 times the amount of immunoglobulins as regular milk. Colostrum is also rich in transfer factors that educate and modulate the immune system and successfully teach it to recognize specific antigens. These transfer factors also help coordinate the immune system to be able to recognize the difference between normal tissue and pathological microbes or abnormal tissue growth. These important transfer factors include hydrogen peroxide and immunoglobin G (IgG).

The transfer factors from colostrum are able to boost natural killer cell (NK) activity and calm a hyperactive immune system through activating suppressor T cells. This improves the intelligence of the immune system and allows it to function with greater efficiency. These transfer factors also act as a catalytic memory agent for the immune system to alert naive immune cells of an impending danger.

These colostrum-based IgG molecules can literally save someone’s life who is suffering from acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). In this condition, the individual is not able to effectively produce sufficient IgG on its own to combat pathogenic microbes like Cryptosporidium parvum. According to the Health Science Institute’s Underground Cures, “colostrum is able to ameliorate or completely eliminate the clinical symptoms of those suffering from cryptosporidiosis.”

Getting clean sources of colostrum:

The best form of colostrum is from raw, grass-fed milk cows. You can get this from a local farmer or order it online from several different sources. It is important to get colostrum in a minimally processed organic form that is free of chemicals and high-heat pasteurization. Be sure to get it in powdered or capsule form for best quality.

Colostrum is important to take on an empty stomach in water, so it gets into the digestive system with minimal interruption of saliva and stomach acids. There are no major side effects of colostrum supplementation.