Colostrum

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Beestings redirects here: or you may have wanted bee sting or beasting.
Not to be confused with claustrum.

Colostrum (also known as beestings or first milk or "immune milk") is a form of milk produced by the mammary glands of mammals in late pregnancy and the few days after giving birth.

Colostrum is high in carbohydrates, protein, and antibodies and low in fat (as human newborns may find fat difficult to digest). Newborns have very small digestive systems, and colostrum delivers its nutrients in a very concentrated low-volume form. It has a mild laxative effect, encouraging the passing of the baby's first stool, which is called meconium. This clears excess bilirubin, a waste product of dead red blood cells which is produced in large quantities at birth due to blood volume reduction, from the infant's body and helps prevent jaundice. Colostrum contains all five immunoglobulins found in all mammals, IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG and IgM. There are many beneficial proteins in the colostrum, including a variety of growth factors (IGfs). Bovine colostrum is sometimes used by humans as a dietary supplement for general immunity and physical strength.[1][2][3]

Numerous biotechnology companies have now taken further steps by injecting cows with proprietary vaccines protecting against human diseases. From this "hyper-immunized" primed colostrum, one could purify the antibodies to form a substance for further research and development. Specifically, such a method allows for disease specific antibodies to be highlighted in the bovine colostrum, resulting in a dietary supplement that has, in addition to the general benefits of colostrum, additional attributes for fighting specific pathogens. A few examples are IBD and IBS, Mucositis and Influenza [4] [5]

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[edit] References

  1. ^ Siber G. (1992) Immune globulin to prevent nosocomial infection. New England Journal of Medicine. 327(4):269-71.[1]
  2. ^ Korhonen H.1; Marnila P.1; Gill H.S.2 Milk immunoglobulins and complement factors, British Journal of Nutrition, Volume 84, Supplement s1, 1 November 2000 , pp. 75-80(6) [2]
  3. ^ Mitra AK, Mahalanabis D, Ashraf H, Unicomb L, Eeckels R, Tzipori S. Hyperimmune cow colostrum reduces diarrhoea due to rotavirus: a double-blind, controlled clinical trial, Acta Paediatr. 1995 Sep;84(9):996-1001[3]
  4. ^ Anadis - Research & Product Development
  5. ^ Anadis Flubody