Transfer Factor represents one of the most exciting advancements in immune system health. Transfer factors are tiny molecules of protein, which are produced by immune cells called T-cells. Transfer factor is based on the foundation that key immune information can be transferred from one cell to another. These cells can then teach our immune system to better defend our health.

Highly Purified and Rigorously Tested
Colostrum from healthy, organically fed cows is purified and filtered to provide a mixture of pure transfer factor molecules. Numerous rigorous techniques including further purification and isolation result in pure transfer factor. People who are lactose intolerant or who have milk allergies of any kind need not be concerned, as all lactose and milk proteins are removed during the extraction and concentration process.

Important Note About Mad Cow Disease (BSE) and Transfer Factor
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a progressive brain disorder in cattle that results from an infecting agent. This agent is a modified form of a normal cell surface component known as prion protein. This transmission of BSE between cattle is the result of feeding infected animal protein to otherwise health cows.

You can rest assured that the cattle in question are isolated exclusively for the processing of transfer factor. None of them have ever been fed any animal protein. Additionally, the protein molecules used in transfer factor are a fraction of the size of BSE prions, and the advanced filtration process used to extract transfer factor molecules eliminates any potential contamination of the product.

Please click here for more information about Transfer Factor.

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Since Dr Peter Koeppel, one of the leading experts on immunology and biochemistry at a leading Swiss pharmaceutical company released a paper on the use of nucleotides and RNA for human health applications. Much information has been sought regarding these valuable building blocks.

In part one of this series we will explain what a nucleotide is and how it links in very closely with our DNA. The beneficial implications of supplementing the daily diet with these naturally derived conditionally essential dietary building blocks, that are know as nucleotides will be explained in part 2

Where do nucleotides come from?

As any good nutriontist will tell you, any thing that the human body needs can be obtained from food. Foods that are naturally high in nucleotides are listed below.

• Liver
• Tripe
• Lean Meat
• Fish
• Mushrooms
• Fungi
• Yeast extract

However to boost your immune system from nucleotides we must take them in a more concentrated form, this will be covered in more depth in the next article.

Part 1. Understanding Nucleotides and DNA

Dr Koeppel states that nucleotides are the building blocks that are necessary for making new DNA and RNA.To help us understand this better; we need to think back to high school when we learned about the double-helix of DNA. Remember the spiral-appearing ladder with the different colored rungs? That is a model of the DNA that makes up the genes and chromosomes found in us all. DNA is a very large molecule, and the rungs of the DNA ladder are made of a combination of two different nucleotides. The nucleotides are molecules, called guanosine and cytosine, that pair up together, or adenosine and thymidine, which also pair up together. Adenosine and guanosine are called purines. Cytosine, thymidine and uradine are called pyrimidines. RNA is similar to DNA, except that the molecule uradine replaces thymine in that pair, and RNA is an intermediary between DNA and protein. A gene is a discrete sequence of DNA nucleotides, and genes are what make up our chromosomes. So, it makes sense that genes are made of DNA.

While all of this sounds very technical, what you need to understand is that nucleotides are molecules that are essential to the creation of new DNA and RNA molecules which are then used by new cells of all kinds. This is important because nucleotides, either by themselves, or in combination with other molecules, are involved in almost all activities of the cell (and therefore, the body).

What is DNA in layman’s terms?

Deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA, which makes up the genetic material in cells, is comprised of units called nucleotides.

Conclusion

Nucleotides can be simply described as the nutritional building blocks of new cells. There are 5 key nucleotides, which form the crucial building blocks of DNA and RNA, and are therefore essential for ongoing new cell production and system repair.

In part 2, we are going to explain how nucleotides are involved in many of our body’s vital functions, and more importantly how by supplementing our diet with nucleotides we can help to boost our immune systems

Copyright 2005 David McEvoy

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Other than taking a decent amount of exercise and following a healthy diet, we may feel there is little we can do to help our bodies maintain themselves. However, it is possible to boost the immune system and encourage cell production through the use of supplements containing nucleotides - the body’s essential cell building blocks.

The body has an ongoing demand for new cell production, and must create cells at the same rate at which its cells die. To do this, a typical cell must double its mass and duplicate all of its contents in order to produce the two new ‘daughter’ cells.

This multiplication of a cell starts with the doubling of the information (inter-phase) - namely the DNA. Previously we discussed how the DNA is formed by the five key nucleotides. A normal DNA consists of 3 billion nucleotides.
It is only after this multiplication of the DNA that the M-phase can start. This is where the two cell nuclei are formed and the cells start to divide into two separate cells.

Cell proliferation is a lengthy and complicated process, dependent mainly on energy and supply of the specific building blocks, the five key nucleotides.

Research has shown that by providing extra dietary sources of nucleotides, the multiplication of these new cells can be speeded up. This applies to the following cell types:

Intestinal mucosa cells - the cells lining the gut

Bone marrow cells, namely leukocytes (especially Lymphocytes) - more commonly termed as the white blood immune cells

Erythrocytes - Red blood cells

Certain brain cells

For years, nucleic acids and nucleotides were considered essential nutrients. Now these nucleotides are increasingly considered to be limiting in certain diets and during periods of stress and illness.

It was thought that the body could synthesise sufficient nucleotides to meet its physiological demands via ‘de novo’ synthesis of nucleotides. However, research during the last several years indicates that this is not correct. There are certain conditions in which the body requires dietary nucleotides to meet its physiological requirements.

These conditions include:

Rapid growth

Limited food supply

Stress

Chronic disease

Bacterial and viral infections

In these situations, metabolic demand exceeds the capacity of the ‘de novo’ synthesis, and therefore dietary nucleotides become conditionally essential.

Importantly, dietary nucleotides may also spare the energetic costs of ‘de novo’ synthesis of nucleotides.

Critical point in nutrition: energy

Building nucleotides by the ‘de novo’ process requires lots of time and energy. Supplementing purified nucleotides to the diet reduces the proportions required to manufacture, while accelerating all active processes and saving energy also.

Supplementary nucleotides have been demonstrated to enhance the efficiency of a number of vital organs; these include:

Immune organs including the bone marrow

Liver

Intestines

Consequently, supplementary nucleotides have an effect on a number of vital functions:

Immunity

Production of stress hormones

Digestion and absorption of nutrients

Vitality and well-being

Focussing on Immunity

Nucleotides are an essential part of an healthy immune system, because they have been shown to support the following:

The reversal of malnutrition or starvation-induced immunosuppression

Enhancement of T-cell maturation and function

Enhancement of natural killer cell activity

Increase of delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity

Aiding resistance to infectious agents such as Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans

Modulation of T-Cell responses toward type 1 CD4 helper lymphocytes or TH1 cells.

In layman’s terms, nucleotides help to boost the immune system by speeding up the process of creating new defence cells, which are essential for the body to fight infections.

Reducing the effect of an infection

In 2003 a double-blind placebo controlled trial was carried out by Dr Isobel Davidson at Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh. This clinical trial was carried out to test the effects of nucleotides on reducing the severity of specific symptoms, secondary infections and healing time after a natural infection by the cold or flu virus. The findings showed that the specific formula of nucleotides significantly reduced the symptoms of painful sinuses and earache. Over the first six days of taking the nucleotides or a placebo, the discomfort level was on average greatly reduced for the nucleotide patients:

Dry mouth: 30% less
Sore throat: 20% less
Muscle aches: 15% less
Headache: 40% less

Salivary IgA (antibody) concentrations were similar at recruitment, but the subsequent to this were higher in general for the nucleotide group. For the layman, higher antibody levels indicate a greater immune response.

Preserving a strong immunity

The positive effects of supplementary nucleotides on immunity was also backed up with another placebo controlled trial carried out by Professor Lars McNaughton, University of Bath, 2002. McNaughton tested the effects of nucleotides on athletes under both short-term and high intensity, and moderate endurance exercise. Again these results were significant and conclusive. Athletes on the nucleotide treatment showed a 25% higher IgA concentration after 90 minutes endurance exercise, compared with the placebo group.

The stress hormone, cortisol, was 10% reduced for the nucleotide supplemented group. High cortisol levels have been shown to impede the effectiveness of disease fighting cells. Hence, the placebo group showed a greater drop in antibodies. High decreases in IgA (antibodies) are thought to be a reason for increased levels of Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (e.g. colds and flu) for athletes and people suffering high levels of stress.

In conclusion, the body needs nucleotides to help support a healthy immune response. The body can normally take these from food, but in times of stress, illness, poor diet or rapid growth, dietary nucleotides become conditionally essential; supplementing all five nucleotides has been shown to preserve a strong immunity, and reduce the severity of infections.

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