
The Role Transfer Factor
Plays in the Health of Your Performance Horse.
"For
decades, the approach to maintaining healthy horses was to
wait for signs and symptoms of disease to occur and to counter
the challenge with an array of drugs which were toxic for the
disease causing agent. This approach is now being questioned
as the armada of drugs is diminishing due to multiple drug
resistant pathogens. So, the question arises…what if a new
paradigm existed? Could it be possible to optimize the immune
status of horses so that disease is much less likely to occur
and if it does occur, it's severity and duration is minimized?
The answer is yes and this shift is being engineered by small
naturally occurring protein-like molecules called transfer
factors." Dr. Richard Bennett, Comparative Pathologist
with 4Life research
This
is an introduction to two revolutionary immune system products; TF
Performance & Show and TF
Animal Stress Pack. Both products include Transfer
Factor Plus, a patented immune system modulator formulated
with transfer factors by 4Life Research, Inc.
So,
what exactly are transfer factors and what role do they have
in the health of the performance horse?
Transfer
factors, first identified in the earlier 50's by researchers
are naturally occurring polypeptides that are non-species specific.
Unlike antibodies, which are species specific, they are molecularly
identical in all mammals. They direct, educate and stimulate
immune system function. They have three primary fractions.
1.
Inducer Fractions: these transfer factors selectively
enhance immune surveillance. The inducer fraction acts on
the Natural
Killer cells (NK Cells) to activate a response in
the face of a threat. This is critical for the resolution
of most infections. (NK Cells are the body's first line of
defense against viruses, bacteria and malignancies.
2.
Antigen Specific Fractions: These
transfer factors act in two ways to educate the immune
system to respond quickly when confronting an infectious
threat. They carry "memory codes" to specific pathogens
that are common to several species, i.e. Cryptosporidium
protozoal infections. They stimulate an expansion of the
immune system cells, which in turn initiates a massive
specific response to a pathogen. They also respond to similar
pathogens, i.e. Herpes Viral infections that differ from
species to species.
3.
Suppressor fraction: This fraction down regulates the
immune response when the threat has been defeated. They are
responsible for returning the immune system to a resting
state to await the next threat. These transfer factors modulate
immune system function when reacting to auto-immune situations
where the microbes have "hidden" in specific tissues and
the immune response mistakenly becomes directed toward "self".
- For
years, the use of transfer factors in veterinary medicine
was limited. Transfer factors were expensive and arduous
to produce and not cost effective to use outside of research.
They were only available from dialyzed leukocytes and not
orally available.
- Recently
researchers have developed an ultra-filtration process that
allows transfer factors to be readily available and in oral
form. 4Life Research holds the license to the patent (U.S.
Patent 4,816,563) for the ultra-filtration process used to
extract transfer factors from bovine colostrum.
- The
question often arises…how are transfer factors orally available
in the gut …I thought colostrum was only beneficial before
the intestinal tract became less permeable?
- Transfer
factors are orally absorbable throughout the horse's entire
life cycle because of their molecular weight, which is 6-8000
daltons. In contrast, maternal antibodies are 20 to 100 times
greater weight and only bio-available for a few days after
birth.
4Life
Research now incorporates transfer factors in their proprietary
blend, Transfer Factor Plus, for both human and veterinary
application. Transfer Factor Plus plays a significant role
when confronting disease as an interventional tool and has
a definite role in prevention of disease itself. Independent
studies have shown Transfer Factor Plus increases Natural
Killer Cell function by an unprecedented level of 248%.
Link
to clinical equine experiences
The
veterinarian application is present in two formulations:
For
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