The Perfect Tool for Supporting Immunity During the Winter Months
As we move into the winter months, many of you will be wanting some key tools to have in your cupboard to help support immunity and prevent catching colds and flus - those with children only know how frustrating it can be to be swept by the rollercoaster of circulating viruses when school season begins!
This is why I wanted to share with you an incredibly powerful tool that I use when I feel symptoms of an infection come on.
The name of this supplement is Lactoferrin, which is predominantly known for its ability to bind and transport iron, therefore helping to prevent anemia. However, its properties go way beyond this.
Where is lactoferrin found?
It’s probably no surprise that lactoferrin is primarily found in milk, particularly in human and cow's milk, and is also present in various bodily fluids like saliva, tears, and mucus. These fluids are loaded with antibodies and other immune boosting compounds like lactoferrin. For example, it is particularly abundant in colostrum - the first milk produced after giving birth, which is designed to support and protect the baby’s immature immune system.
Other fluids such as, tears, saliva and mucus (in the respiratory system and in the gut) are specially designed fluids that help protect us against pathogens by being rich in white blood cells and lactoferrin.
So exactly how does lactoferrin protect us?
Lactoferrin plays several important roles in our immune system, such as:
Iron Regulation: It binds to iron, helping to control its absorption and availability, which is essential for many physiological processes.
Immune Function: Lactoferrin supports the immune system by enhancing the activity of immune cells and modulating inflammatory responses.
Antimicrobial Activity: It exhibits properties that inhibit the growth of bacteria, viruses, and fungi, contributing to the body's defense against infections.
Gut Health: Lactoferrin helps maintain a healthy balance of gut bacteria and supports digestive health and the immune system.
Lactoferrin as a prophylactic treatment for covid and chronic respiratory infections?
Research has also shown that Lactoferrin can inhibit viral replication, and particularly in relation to COVID, it has shown it can bind to the spike protein of coronaviruses, potentially preventing the virus from entering cells (1). This paper references a study where they administered roughly 200mg of lactoferrin a day for 10 days to patients with an acute COVID infection, in addition to zinc, which led to 100% recovery in all 75 patients within 4-5 days.
There is also research that shows how treating children with 400mg of lactoferrin in 2 separate (200mg) doses, away from food, for 4 months, can significantly reduce chronic respiratory infections (2).
Other studies have demonstrated that it can also treat acute hepatitis C with 1.8-3.6 grams of lactoferrin a day (3).
No toxicity has been seen in high doses of up to 4g a day, so it is also a very safe supplement to try.
Give it a go and let me know your experience!
You can order lactoferrin from the below provider with a 10% discount using the code: ANSM10
References:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7390755/
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/11/2/249
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10363572/
