The question of what is the difference in colostrum and Transfer Factor™ often comes up.  I'm glad to see more companies producing a colostral product because it validates what we've been saying for the past year - that nature has provided in the first maternal milk, the ability to positively influence the immune system. 

The analogy between the two products is similar to the analogy between crude oil and jet fuel.  You don't put crude oil in a jet plane's tank.  You refine or extract out what you wish from the crude oil and put the finished product into the tank.

You can go to the dairy section of your grocery store and buy milk and get 1) through 5).  We don't want these in our product.  6) Antibodies provide short-term or passive protection, but the trouble is that the antibodies that a cow produces are specific to a cow.  The antibodies a human would produce are specific to a human.  When something is specific to a species (a cow) then another species, over a period of time, will develop antibodies to the antibodies because in this example, a human would recognize a cow's antibodies as foreign, as non-self, and would develop an immune response, which can make us ill.  So we remove the antibodies.  People speak positively about (7, HGA, but it is not a real factor due to its minuscule amount. 

What is important is 8) and 1) - transfer factors, and here is why Transfer Factor ™ is superior:  

The New Zealand Dairy Board recommends that one receive 45 grams of colostrum daily in order to receive immune system benefits.  Colostrum usually comes at 500 mg capsules and the recommended daily consumption is 500 mg, three times a day, or 1.5 grams a day.  The average bottle comes in a 90 count, so that if you do the math you have:  

500 mg 3x daily = 1.5 grams daily x 30 days = 45 grams in 30 days consumption (remember that one gram is 1000 mg, 1/2 gram is 500 mg).

Colostrum does contain a small amount of transfer factors.  However, to get the same amount of transfer factors for a daily maintenance dosage, you will need to ingest 90  500mg capsules of colostrum to equal the same amount in 3 200mg capsules of Transfer Factor™ from 4Life.

We never speak against colostrum.  It's the mother load of Transfer Factor™.  It's just that we've found a way to take nature’s beneficial gift to the newborn and to concentrate the transfer factors into a capsule.  And this allows a much broader protective pattern to be ingested each day.  

One other thing - Lactose intolerance (milk allergy) is a fact of life.  Colostrum contains lactose.  Transfer Factor™ does not.  We can therefore use Transfer Factor™ in people who are lactose intolerant.  

And - Lactoferrin is often mentioned regarding colostrum.  In fact, lactoferrin is almost non-existent in bovine colostrum.  It is high in human and other bi-pedal animals' colostrum, and in porcine (pig) colostrum, but not an issue in cow's colostrum.

                                                                        Rob Robertson, MD