Colostrum is the pre-milk fluid produced from an animal’s mammary glands during the first few days after giving birth. Colostrum is a rich source of antibodies, growth factors and other nutrients, which may provide temporary passive immunity against various infectious organisms that affect the gastrointestinal tract of newborns.
Colostrum’s antimicrobial activity is based on the ability of specific immunoglobulins of the IgG type to react with bacterial, viral and other antigens in the gut.
Bovine colostrum contains lactoferrin, a known immunostimulant and colostrinin, a protein-rich polypeptide that is another Immunomodulatory substance.
Colostrum has been shown to improve lean muscle tissue growth, especially when mixed with whey protein and creatine. It improves muscle recovery and reduces soreness following intensive exercise.
Bovine colostrum also has fantastic anti-inflammatory characteristics that can help animals suffering from inflammatory swelling and pain. Colostrum supplements help to reduce inflammation and therefore reduce the pain that’s caused by these conditions.
A substance known as Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-a) is found in colostrum. This substance helps to effectively “turn off” inflammation at the source. Another helpful ingredient is interleukin-1ra (IL-1ra), a protein that helps to reduce inflammation caused by certain conditions.
Not only does IL-1ra contain helpful substances to reduce swelling and pain, but it’s been shown to aid in cases of chronic inflammatory diseases like arthritis. Proline rich peptides (PRPs) are also found in colostrum, and these act as an oxidative stress regulator.
Colostrum also contains high levels of antioxidants. Oxidative stress, the build-up of high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), has been proven to cause widespread damage in the animal body generally resulting in the speeding up of the aging process in our dogs and cats.
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