The use of transfer factor represents one of the most exciting advances in immune system health. Transfer factor is based on the theory that key immune information can be transferred from cell to cell. These cells then teach our immune system to recognize specific viruses or bacteria. This is particularly exciting given the therapeutic role transfer factors may play in activating and enhancing immunity to individuals suffering from chronic illness. This theory has been the subject of intense research for more than fifty years, producing a wide body of knowledge about transfer factor's contribution to immune health.

The immune system's job is to recognize potentially harmful invaders (pathogens) and then destroy or neutralize them before they make you ill. Transfer factors are tiny protein molecules which are naturally produced by immune cells called T-cells. Transfer factors are the key to the immune system's memory of previous pathogen exposure, and thus, are an integral component for maintaining immune system integrity and effectiveness against future exposures to those pathogens.

Transfer factors allow the immune system to remember conditions for which immunity has already been established. When a person has been infected with chickenpox in childhood, for example, the body develops a “memory” of that illness which prevents the person from becoming re-infected later in life. In the future, the specific immune transfer factor molecule for chickenpox will endow the immune system with the exact 'blueprint' of what chickenpox looks like, and the body will be able to quickly recognize and respond to any possible re-infection before it can cause disease.

There are several million naturally occurring transfer factors circulating in the human body. However, a healthy body can still function even though it may be missing about 50,000 different transfer factors.

Many of these 'immune memory molecules' were introduced to us from our mother's colostrum. This 'first milk' as it is called, is the richest source of concentrated transfer factors known to scientists. Transfer factor in colostrum has the sole purpose of transferring immunity from the mother to the baby's immature immune system. This imparts the mother's immunity to the baby to help ensure survival while the baby's immune system matures.

For individuals challenged by specific pathogens, whether known or unknown, supplementation with the appropriate transfer factor molecule may provide the 'missing link,' thereby allowing the immune system to recognize, target and destroy the offending pathogen.

All mammals produce transfer factor, however scientists prefer to work with healthy chicken and bovine (cow) colostrum. A healthy cow already produces millions of different transfer factors; when the cow comes into contact with a pathogen such as a virus, it produces a new transfer factor for that specific virus.

Transfer factor is able to pass through the stomach unharmed by digestive enzymes and stomach acids. The calf is able to easily absorb this immune memory molecule, which gives it immunity to all the same pathogens as its mother. This inherited immunity will protect the baby from the same disease-causing organisms the mother was protected against.

Transfer factor crosses mammalian species lines. When a person absorbs transfer factor from bovine colostrum, the person develops resistance to the same pathogen the cow was exposed to.

Colostrum from healthy, organically fed cows is filtered and purified to provide a mixture of pure transfer factor molecules. In the case of chicken sourced transfer factor, specific transfer factors are derived from healthy chickens and combined with specific growth factors derived from colostrum. Numerous rigorous techniques including further purification and isolation result in pure transfer factor. Every lot produced undergoes rigorous testing, to ensure that the appropriate and effective levels of each transfer factor are present, before it is encapsulated and bottled.

Also, people who are lactose intolerant or who have allergies need not be concerned about a reaction since all traces of milk proteins and lactose are removed during the extraction and concentration process.

How will a person know if transfer factor will be beneficial for him/her? Non-specific transfer factor products are formulated for general immune system support, and are considered to be appropriate for everyone as part of a daily nutritional immune support program.

Certain health problems may be triggered by a variety of pathogens. For example, research has indicated that several viruses may play a causative role in people who suffer with moderate to severe fatigue. Regarding specific transfer factor formulas, it is recommended that one is tested for a variety of different, specific pathogens, to determine potential causative factors of any health problems experienced – such as excessive fatigue. If a test comes back positive, one should discuss the use of specific transfer factor formulas with his/her physician as part of an overall treatment program.

Please note that transfer factor will not remove or 'cure' the root problem; rather, transfer factor works to assist and support normal immune system functioning. At the onset of transfer factor supplementation, individuals typically begin with a high dose and then eventually taper down to a minimum maintenance dose.

There may be an initial reaction to transfer factor, as the immune system begins to recognize and respond to pathogens that it was formerly unable to recognize. This will cause immune system activation that can result in an increase in body temperature and flu-like symptoms. Clinicians experienced in transfer factor therapy recognize this as a normal reaction that is characteristic of other products that can impact the immune system, such as whey protein.

Over fifty years of research, producing more than 3,000 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals, confirms transfer factor's ability to support immune response to invading pathogens.

Transfer factor's reputed significance in immune system support is underscored by the fact that an independent committee of researchers, scientists and doctors formed a professional organization dedicated exclusively to the study of transfer factor. The International Transfer Factor Society (ITFS) is comprised of world-renowned medical experts including Giancarlo Pizza, M.D., of Italy, Dimitri Viza, M.D., of France, and Paul H. Levine, M.D., of the United States.