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.
As early as 1908, the Nobel laureate Metchnikoff advocated the consumption of health-promoting bacteria. His insight reflected the intuitive wisdom of human societies that have consumed yogurt and fermented milk for thousands of years. Today, a growing appreciation of the importance of a healthy population of bacteria (and some species of yeast) in the colon, and recognition of the health benefits of certain species has prompted interest in the consumption of these living organisms (probiotics), particularly lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. The methods by which probiotics apply their health effects are extensive, and include the combination of anti-pathogenic substances, competition for nutrients required by pathogens, competitive inhibition of adhesion of pathogens, induction of expression of mucin proteins, modification of toxins or toxin receptors, reduction of permeability of the gut, and stimulation of non-specific and specific immune responses to pathogens. Numerous studies of infants, children, and adults, including HIV-positive infants, have demonstrated that prudent consumption of probiotic bacteria is safe and effective. Probiotics can significantly affect many disease conditions. A study found that consumption of fiber and fermented dairy products was linked with a decreased risk of colon cancer. Some probiotic bacteria have been found to be beneficial for infants and children with acute infectious diarrhea, individuals with acute gastroenteritis, atopic eczema resulting from food allergy, pelvic radiotherapy-induced diarrhea, and intestinal inflammation. A combination that included species of lactobacilli, bifidobacteria, and streptococcus helped maintain reduction of ulcerative colitis and prevented the recurrence of Crohn’s disease. Bifidobacteria are believed to create vitamins that can be used by the human body, including thiamin, folic acid, nicotinic acid, pyridoxine, and vitamin B12. Dietary bifidobacteria are believed to successfully colonize the large intestine: they can survive stomach and small intestine enzymes. When compared with animals not receiving supplementation, mice consuming B. bifidum is protected against a rotavirus responsible for diarrheal disease. Destruction of E. coli is enhanced when individuals consumed a fermented product containing adherent strains of L. acidophilus or B. bifidum.
Colostrum, and two of its main components, lactoferrin (Lf) and proline-rich peptide (PRP), act to regulate and balance the immune system. This biological activity is very important in newborns just beginning to live in a harsh environment, and also has demonstrated it’s importance in adults with over- or under-active immune systems, perhaps resulting from various types of stress. Colostrum and its components also have potent anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal activities to help protect the body from invading pathogens. Colostrum and its growth factors enhance wound healing, cartilage formation, and bone repair, stimulate muscle protein synthesis, inhibit protein breakdown, benefit GI tract structure and function, and act on the immune system to inhibit tissue inflammation and allergic response. The Lf component of colostrum also acts to regulate iron absorption and availability, and has been shown to significantly inhibit tumor development, growth, and metastasis. Colostrum and its components bring to bear their biological activities when given orally, in some cases as a dietary supplement. Contact with the immune system via the oral mucosa is believed to be important in initiating many of colostrum`s immunomodulatory activities. Additionally, the composition of bovine (cow) and human colostrum is similar, and colostrum from both sources is biologically active on its own as well as other mammalian species when given orally or injected.
Colostrum is the first complete food available to newborn mammals and is even essential for life in some mammalian species. It is also the first mammary secretion obtained within the first few hours after birth, and provides many important biological elements and nutrients present in the mother`s blood. This pre-milk substance is nature`s way of providing protection for the newborn against viruses, bacteria, allergens, and toxins. While the health benefits of colostrum consumption for newborns have been instinctively understood by human cultures throughout time, some cultures have also recognized it as an important food for adults. For example, the Amish once prepared a pudding made from the colostrum produced by the mother of a newborn calf. To this day in India, colostrum is consumed by adults.
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 key role 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, principally 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/