Having the guts to grow

Food science expert Eric McEntyre believes the more food we eat, the more strain we place on the digestive system, making supplementation with colostrum essential.

 

Well known for its benefits to growth and recovery, a recent study supports colostrum's role in promoting gut integrity, showing it reduced the increase in gut permeability following the use of anti-inflammatory drugs, which commonly led to gastrointestinal damage.

 

"It's a widely held belief that to gain muscle efficiently one must put on mass by consuming frequent nutritious meals. These meals may comprise a daily intake of up to 4000-5000 kcal (sometimes more) and are consumed in 6-8 sessions throughout the day," Eric says.

 

"The consumption of this amount of food is a chore for many bodybuilders and athletes and may lead to increased stress on the digestive system. Therefore if we put the effort into consuming these meals we want them to be digested efficiently to support recovery and new lean tissue growth. That's where colostrum comes into the picture.

 

"Colostrum is a protein comprised of numerous growth and immune factors.

The most important components of colostrum can be broken down into two main groupings: growth factors and immunoglobulins, that include interferon, gamma globulin 7, growth hormone, Igf-1, lactoferrin, cytokines, and protease inhibitors.

 

"Colostrum is in the first milk from mammals, including women and cows. Aussie Bodies colostrum has been extracted from the first milk of cows using state of the art technologies that do not destroy the growth and immune factors. This technology has provided us with a clinically proven, potent nutritional source for not only muscle growth and immunological support, but also intestinal tissue repair.

 

"The intestinal walls require regeneration as damage occurs due to illness, medicines or medical treatment, fasting and especially increased food consumption. This particularly applies to the increased food consumption of bodybuilders that generally consists of high protein foods.

 

"Research has demonstrated that growth factors from colostrum, such as GLP-2 or EGF, target the cells of the intestinal wall assisting in their regeneration/growth. This is suggested to occur in those who have illnesses such as Crohn's, colitis or 'leaky gut syndrome' that increase the permeability of the intestinal walls.

 

"There is extensive research that indicates the IgG's in colostrum work at reducing viral diseases by acting directly on the gastro-intestinal tract and sealing the intestinal mucosa.

 

"Colostrum also improves the consistency of the mucosal lining that protects us from digestive fluids. It also supports the health, condition and performance of the gut by improving absorption and extraction of nutrients from foods, with an enhanced uptake of amino acids in the small intestine where the nutrients from those 5000kcal you just ate are absorbed.

 

"Besides being an agent that improves gut health, Colostrum has been shown to improve athletic performance and increase muscle growth. There are also immunological factors that may be attained from supplementation of colostrum to our diets. This is important for the bodybuilder/athlete because of the physical stress placed on our bodies due to intense training."

 

Eric warns that not all colostrum supplements are the same.

 

"Colostrum quality can vary with its extraction and handling procedures. The purest and most effective Colostrum is derived from the first milking after birth, typically within the first 12 hours. All other colostrum is undergoing a transition to normal milk. Milk does not provide the benefits of Colostrum and is a much cheaper product.

 

"The cheapest way of processing Colostrum is by spray drying. This exposes the Colostrum to temperatures of 60-75oC, which reduces the activity of the growth and immune factors. Tablet or lozenge form Colostrum reduces biological activity due to the high temperatures and physical pressures created by the tablet formation process. Furthermore, forming the tablet requires the addition of synthetic binders and polymers, which decrease the colostrum concentration.

 

"The most effective way of processing Colostrum to retain these important factors intact is freeze-drying. Freeze-drying is the same process used in the drying of biologically active pharmaceuticals and sensitive supplements like bifidus and acidophilus.

 

"Aussie Bodies is the only manufacturer and distributor of freeze-dried Colostrum in Australia. Gel encapsulation, as used by Aussie Bodies, does not subject the Colostrum to heat or pressure and facilitates the delivery of the Colostrum to the small intestine for speedy uptake of the beneficial factors.

 

"So eat for mass, gain the size, but keep your gut happy and efficient."