Colostrum and Diabetes
About Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic condition causing the levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood to become very high. In the healthy body the blood sugar levels are closely controlled by insulin- a hormone, which is secreted by the pancreas. The role of insulin is to control the elevated sugar levels, especially after eating food and to keep them in the normal range. Patients with diabetes mellitus have a lower level of insulin production and this causes hyperglycaemia (abnormal sugar levels), when the excess of sugar is eliminated from the body in urine. The level of insulin is lower because the pancreatic cells producing insulin are destroyed. Insulin is a hormone which helps glucose to penetrate the cells and without it they become starved of energy. Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition and can last a lifetime.
Symptoms
There are two types of diabetes: in diabetes Type 1 the insulin is missing, in diabetes Type 2, the insulin regulation is defective and insufficient.
Type 1 diabetes is also called insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), or juvenile onset diabetes mellitus.
The pancreas does not release any insulin at all and the patient relies on injected insulin for survival.
Abnormal antibodies have been found in patients with IDDM. Normally, they are functioning as a protection against foreign invaders and infections. In diabetes Type 1 the body is mistakenly creating antibodies destroying pancreatic cells. It is believed that the information to develop these abnormal antibodies is genetically inherited.
Diabetes mellitus is a serious condition, which over time can lead to blindness, kidney failure and nerve damage. It can also cause damage by hardening and narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis), which can lead to strokes, coronary heart diseases and other blood vessel diseases.
How holvita™ colostrum can help people with diabetes
Colostrum contains the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1); research has shown that plasma levels of IGF 1 are decreased in diabetic patients. The lowered levels of IGF-1 promote cellular and tissue sensitivity. These levels are also associated with many complications of diabetes, especially diabetes type Type II, such as kidney problems, weight gain and obesity, diabetic retinopathy, injury and slow healing of wounds and possible vascular complications and cardiovascular disease.
Research has found [Depart.of Medicine, University of Miami School of Medicine, Florida],that IGF-1 decreases collagen degradation and therefore, IGF may have beneficial implications for diabetes complications.
Another study showed (Dept.of Paediatrics, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK), that if IGF-1 is added to treatment with insulin in adolescents with IDDM, it can restore circulating IGF-1 levels, improve insulin sensitivity and glycemic control, and decrease the requirements for insulin.
The above studies show, that IGF-1 levels could be raised by ingestion of colostrum supplements.
holvita™ Colostrum and lactoferrin
Diabetics suffer from more bacterial infections than the healthy population. This symptom is associated with the advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), which are found in diabetics in abnormally high levels. AGEs are associated with inhibition of anti-bacterial proteins such as lactoferrin and lysosyme; low levels of both proteins makes the individual prone to bacterial infections.
AGEs are very damaging to collagen, which is needed for healthy skin, blood vessels and connective tissue. AGEs are responsible for accelerated ageing of collagen and myelin in diabetics.
Lactoferrin binds to glucose-modified proteins bearing AGEs, and because exposure to AGE-modified proteins inhibits lactoferrin abilities to kill bacteria and enzymatic activities of lysozome, diabetics more often catch infections. The research conducted (Picower Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, New York) shows that it may be possible by supplementation of lactoferrin to help to reduce antibacterial activity and decrease the level of risk of infections . Further studies have to be conducted to prove this.
Lactoferrin in diabetics is nearly at the same level as in non-diabetics, but effectiveness of lactoferrin is significantly decreased in the first group.
Our holvita™ colostrum contains lactoferrin, IgF-I and other which components can be of great benefit to people suffering with diabetes.
References:
Pennisi, Jan 15, 1995, Science News, Vol 145, p37(1) lmmune therapy stems diabetes progress: 'Researchers report that mice treated with the anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody have been able to resume normal regulation of their blood sugar. The results of treatment are the first known to induce remission of the development of diabetes and have kept the mice free of the disease.
Dohm, Elton, Raju, Mooney, Pories, Flicklinger, Atkinson, 1990, Diabetes 39: 1028-32, Reported that: A. IGF-1 Stimulates glucose utilization. 6. IGF-I receptors in muscle tissue is normally occurring in humans. C. IGF-1 effective treatment for Hyperglycemia