Immune Boosting Colostrum
The role of nutrition in supporting our immune system both on active days and recovery days, in winter and during the spring and summer months cannot be understated and having a tool kit of essential supplements to hand can give you a fighting chance against illness, fatigue and even injury.
When it comes to supporting your immune system, yes, our regular diet should in theory be more than capable of providing the nutrition it needs. And as it happens certain vitamins and minerals are essential and can be found in the foods we eat regularly.
But sometimes, dietary restrictions, seasonal availability, food quality or simply a reduced appetite can mean that we will often be deficient in important vitamins and minerals, putting our immune system at risk.
It's a lesser-known fact that even in the summer months, those of us in the Northern Hemisphere more often than not will probably be vitamin D deficient - despite all the sunny weather.
All of this added together is exactly why vitamin and mineral supplements are popular choices when it comes to filling in those gaps. They become a highly beneficial safety blanket when we know our immune system is up against it or when we want to protect it.
Products that contain things like vitamin D3, B vitamins, probiotics & prebiotics and even colostrum are all going to be highly beneficial and provide that extra support your immune system might need; whatever the weather.
Supplements like our active greens, active balance and active vitamin D3 have been carefully formulated to provide you the correct ingredients at optimal doses to support the normal function of a whole host of body systems and functions; and especially our immune system.
But there's one more which you may have spotted us very sneakily back there and that's the immune boosting pure Colostrum.
But what is Colostrum powder?
Colostrum is a nutrient-dense first drink produced by mammals for their new-born and contains essential nutrients including growth factors, antibodies and lactoferrin to promote growth and regulate immune responses.
It has been shown that natural antibody levels in bovine colostrum are up to 100 times higher than in regular cow’s milk, making bovine colostrum a powerful and convenient supplement for those looking to support their immune system with high-quality nutrition.
Why is colostrum so important?
Colostrum is made up of an abundance of immune, growth and tissue repair factors which contribute to a whole host of body structures and functions. During periods of intense training or when unwell, airway infections, or upper-respiratory tract infections are very common in active people and are often partially caused by the exercise itself.
Studies show that supplementing with bovine colostrum may prevent upper airway infections in people that exercise regularly, reduce the severity symptoms of airway infections that do occur and reduce the amount of time unwell too.
As well as providing extra immune support, colostrum has also been shown to contribute to muscular-skeletal repair and growth. These studies have also shown that colostrum is also the only natural source of two major growth factors: transforming growth factors alpha and beta and, insulin-like growth factors 1 and 2.
These growth factors show positive muscle and cartilage repair characteristics; as well as promoting wound healing with multiple regenerative effects that extend to most structural body cells; including in the gut and digestive system.
Colostrum quite simply is your emergency first aid kit when training hard or unwell.
But why Colostrum?
When you are on the lookout for a colostrum supplement, first things first you will want to make sure that the product you are purchasing is a high-quality colostrum formula and contains at least 30% Active IgG (Immunoglobin) as a minimum per 10g serving. These formulations are manufactured using a process called Radial Immunodiffusion (RID) to measure the IgG content of colostrum, ensuring every batch contains a minimum 30% IgG content.
Immunoglobin G is a powerful antibody that is naturally produced to support the normal function of the immune system or provide extra support during periods of intense training or when unwell.
You will also want to make sure that your supplement is ethically sourced in small batches and collected in the first 12 hours for maximum nutrient density and is processed using a low heat spray dry to maintain maximum bioavailability and integrity and to ensure that it is non-denatured.
A colostrum supplement is ideal for anyone who wants to supplement their diet with colostrum. It’s also a perfect compliment alongside a protein shake like our Active Whey & Collagen, so you can conveniently up your colostrum intake as and when you need to. Or you can add it to other drinks, smoothies or even yoghurt or porridge too.