(GreenMedInfo.com) Research shows that colostrum may be nature’s safe and healthy alternative to flu vaccines.
Dr. Maria Cesarone from Italy published her study in 2007 in which she compared the efficacy of oral colostrum to that of influenza vaccination in preventing flu illness. Dr. Cesarone found a two month treatment with oral colostrum was three times more effective in preventing flu illness than was influenza vaccination.(1-2)
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What is Colostrum?
Colostrum is the first 24-48 hours of milk produced by the cow after the calf is born, and contains immune system and growth factors needed by the calf. If the calf does not receive mother’s colostrum within 24 to 48 hours after birth, the calf will die. Bovine colostrum is similar to human colostrum.
Mouse Model Shows Colostrum Stimulates Immune System
In a mouse model of influenza published by Dr. Wong in 2014, the authors found:
“Colostrum supplementation enhanced NK cell cytotoxicity and improved the immune response to primary influenza virus infection in mice.”….“Colostrum-supplemented mice demonstrated less reduction in body weight after influenza infection, indicating a less severe infection, increased NK cell cytotoxicity, and less virus burden in the lungs compared with controls.”.(3)
In this study, bovine colostrum, which contains approximately 500g of IgG per milking per animal, has been investigated as a source of polyclonal antibody for delivery to the respiratory tract. IgG and F(ab’)2 were purified from the hyperimmune colostrum of cows vaccinated with influenza A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (PR8) vaccine and were shown to have high hemagglutination-inhibitory and virus-neutralizing titers. In BALB/c mice, a single administration of either IgG or F(ab’)2 could prevent the establishment of infection with a sublethal dose of PR8 virus when given as early as 7 days prior to exposure to virus. Pre-treated mice also survived an otherwise lethal dose of virus, the IgG- but not the F(ab’)2-treated mice showing no weight loss. Successful reduction of established infection with this highly virulent virus was also observed with a single treatment 24hr after virus exposure.
Influenza Immunity Obtained From Hyper Immune Colostrum
In this article, the authors immunized cows with a virulent influenza virus, and the subsequent colostrum contained high titers of anti-viral antibodies. When mice where given this hyper-immune colostrum, the antibodies were transferred from the colostrum to the mice, who were then protected from this virulent strain of influenza virus.(10)
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Links and References
1) Cesarone, Maria Rosaria, et al. Prevention of Influenza With Colostrum Compared with Vaccination in Healthy and High-Risk Cardiovascular Subjects The Epidemiologic Study in San Valentino.” Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis 13.2 (2007): 130-136.
2) Clin Appl Thromb Hemost. 2007 Apr;13(2):130-6.
Prevention of influenza episodes with colostrum compared with vaccination in healthy and high-risk cardiovascular subjects: the epidemiologic study in San Valentino. Cesarone MR1, Belcaro G, Di Renzo A, Dugall M, Cacchio M, Ruffini I, Pellegrini L, Del Boccio G, Fano F, Ledda A, Bottari A, Ricci A, Stuard S, Vinciguerra G. The efficacy of a 2-month treatment with oral colostrum in the prevention of flu episodes compared with antiinfluenza vaccination was evaluated. Groups included healthy subjects without prophylaxis and those receiving both vaccination and colostrum. After 3 months of follow-up, the number of days with flu was 3 times higher in the non-colostrum subjects. The colostrum group had 13 episodes versus 14 in the colostrum + vaccination group, 41 in the group without prophylaxis, and 57 in nontreated subjects. Part 2 of the study had a similar protocol with 65 very high-risk cardiovascular subjects, all of whom had prophylaxis. The incidence of complications and hospital admission was higher in the group that received only a vaccination compared with the colostrum groups. Colostrum, both in healthy subjects and high-risk cardiovascular patients, is at least 3 times more effective than vaccination to prevent flu and is very cost-effective…
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