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It has been suggested that bovine colostrum is an excellent supplement for fitness enthusiast and athletes of all levels. Colostrum is the first secretion from the mammary gland following birth of and infant. It is well documented that colostrum is a complex matrix of highly bioactive compounds, which have been shown to be very beneficial for health and wellness. A number of studies have also demonstrated the impact of bovine colostrum on body composition, exercise performance, upper respiratory tract infections and intestinal function.
The nutritional requirements for athletes are unique. They generally require foods that are easily digested and provide good nutrition. They also require foods that can be converted in to, in most cases, muscle, and or energy for training and performance. The objective of most athletes is to build lean body mass, improve muscular strength, increase endurance and capacity and ultimately reduce recovery time.
It is now well understood that hard exercise can have a detrimental effect on the intestinal tract of athletes. This generally is a result of the body coming under severe stress while training, both from overheating and also from poor eating and digestion. It normally manifests in the athlete becoming much more susceptible to colds, flu's and gastric upsets.
Bovine colostrum has been successful demonstrated in a number of clinical and other studies to be extremely beneficial for the performance athlete. It has also been demonstrated in a significant number of cases to be of benefit to human health and wellness. This document outlines how colostrum can be of benefit to athletes and suggests a range of products which will be beneficial to them.
Athletes typically undertake multiple bouts of prolonged, high intensity exercise during the course of a year. Prolonged exercise is defined as exercise of 90 minutes or more at or above an intensity of 75% V02max. It is suggested that imposed stress of a prolonged period, such as undertaken by athletes, can have an immunosuppressant effect on the body, and that this may leave the athlete vulnerable to infection and illness, particularly those infections associated with the Upper Respiratory Tract (URTI).
The gastrointestinal and upper respiratory tract has its own protection mechanism against infection. It is related to the mucosal lining of these systems and the production of the immunoglobulin, IgA. The mucosa provides a protective function to the gastrointestinal system which is the largest interface between the external environment and the human organism. It has been estimated to extend over some 300m2.
Typically infectious substances such as colds and flu pathogens establish themselves in the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract mucosal surfaces, hence the importance of immune factors associated with the mucosa, such as secretory IgA (s-IgA). s-IgA has three primary modes of action in the gastrointestinal tract;
A number of studies have investigated the relationship between exercise and illness. The studies suggest that increased exercise load is not necessarily associated with illness, and most athletes are necessarily "immune-compromised", the significant factor in the relationship between exercise and illness appears to be excessive exercise and absence of adequate recovery time. It also appears that single bouts of prolonged and intense exercise may cause transient immune suppression or an 'open window' for infection to occur.
The studies seem to show that athletes who have a history of URTI prior to participating in prolonged high intensity exercise are more likely to experience the symptoms of URTI following the event. Given that URTI is the most common immune related affliction for endurance athletes optimal immune function particularly of the respiratory tract and gut is of significant importance.
It has been demonstrated that supplementation with bovine colostrum can increase the absolute IgA concentration of the mucosa, as measured in the saliva secretion.
Bovine colostrum is a safe, complex matrix of highly bioactive compounds, which have been shown to be very beneficial for health and wellness. Bovine colostrum is a perfect supplement for athletes because it is high in protein and has been shown to have an indirect but positive effect on an athletes performance. The components in colostrum have been largely shown to be of significant benefit to the gastrointestinal epithelial surfaces and the mucosal immune system.
URTI's are a constant source of concern for sports people and athletes. The data provided indicates that the most at risk individuals for URTI are those who train hard for short periods of time (the casual athlete or fitness fanatic) and the high performance athlete. Athletes who have partaken in the trials with colostrum have found significant effects in mitigating the incidence of URTI's when compared to those who have not taken bovine colostrum for the same period.
A key component in the mitigation of URTI's is the production of s-IgA and saliva flow.
The role of s-IgA is primarily to;
It has been demonstrated that bovine colostrum supplementation promotes the production of saliva and s-IgA. This allows the gastrointestinal tracts immune system to meet its primary objectives, protecting the host from infection and mitigates the URTI symptoms and other pathogenic diseases of the gut, including diahhrea, a common problem with athletes.
It has also been shown that athletes through consistent hard training can damage the intestinal wall causing intestinal permeability. I number of studies have been undertaken which demonstrate how colostrum mitigates the symptoms of intestinal permeability, thus excluding the entry of pathogenic organisms and allergens to the body.
Some trials have been conducted where the effect of colostrum on body composition and performance have been measured. The results of these trials are encouraging in that they have demonstrated that bovine colostrum supplementation appears to increase lean muscle mass and reduce body fat mass. It has also been demonstrated that the supplementation with bovine colostrum appears to reduce creatine kinase levels in blood serum, thus allowing the muscles to recover faster from exercise.
Serum samples taken from athletes have demonstrated no significant increases in factors such as insulin-like growth factors, transforming growth factors and the like. This is important for athletes who are competing at the highest levels where these compounds are routinely measured.
Bovine colostrum supplementation provides sports enthusiasts and high performance athletes with a supplement that has been shown to;
Bovine colostrum supplements are essential for all sports people, from the fitness enthusiast to the performance athlete, who are looking for a supplement that will provide them protection and allow them to train harder to achieve greater performance.
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