Transfer Factor™ Overview

How is Transfer Factor™ different from colostrum?

Important ingredients in colostrum include water, nutritional fats and proteins, antibodies, immune cells, and transfer factors. Both antibodies and transfer factors support "passive" immunity in the newborn. Antibodies are effective at transmitting immunity from a mother to her young in the first few days of life, but are not very effective at transferring immunity to adults on a long term basis.

First, antibodies are absorbed by the intestines efficiently only during the first few days of life, so any antibodies given by mouth to an adult may not be absorbed very well. If antibodies are transferred from one species to another, they must be given by injection in order to be effective. Second, unlike transfer factors, antibodies from one species are not necessarily effective in another animal or person. If cross-species antibodies are effective, they are usually effective only for a short time, because the recipient will eventually make antibodies which destroy the donor antibodies (called anti-antibodies). However, transfer factors have been shown to be just as effective when given orally as when given by injection.

Hyperimmune egg and colostrum products are good, but certain issues must be addressed. First, lactose and large proteins which are potentially allergy causing are not removed from those products, so lactose intolerant and allergic people may not be able to take some of those products. Lactose and large proteins, including casein and antibodies, are not present in 4Life Transfer Factor™. One would need to consume about 45 grams (3 tablespoons) of colostrum to get the transfer factor activity in just one daily maintenance dose of 4Life Transfer Factor (3 small capsules).

Depending on the processing used, other products from colostrum may not be guaranteed to contain any amount of transfer factor. 4Life's Transfer Factor™ is licensed under a patent that recognizes that transfer factors exist in cow colostrum and that transfer factors can be effectively extracted and concentrated for human consumption. Every batch of 4 Life Transfer Factor™ is tested to ensure transfer factor activity.

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