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There is ONLY ONE EpiCor™ - and we have
it first!
Beware of imitations and pretenders -
EpiCor™ is the One-a-Day pill that protects against ALL forms of
disease.
Here's how - and why.
Immunity is one of our body’s most
important resources. Yet, some of the most devastating diseases
can affect this aspect of our health including HIV, cancer, and
autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and
multiple sclerosis. Even if we’re not subject to any of these
chronic conditions, we can become vulnerable to a host of
influenza viruses or bacterial infections. It’s therefore
integrally important to reinforce our immune systems.
Over the last three years some of the top laboratories in the
nation have been researching a substance that appears to
modulate the immune system in such a way as to make it resistant
to pathogenic organisms. After personally communicating with the
director of the research team responsible for investigating this
new substance, I have concluded that it is one of the most
promising agents I’ve seen. However, before I describe its
discovery and how it supports the immune system, I must describe
several key aspects of our bodies’ immune defenses.
One of the ways we can nurture this aspect of health is to
enhance the activity of natural killer cells, key players in
immunity. Natural killer cells are lymphocytes, cells present in
the blood and lymphatic tissue that are integral to immunity.
Natural killer cells bond to viral-invaded cells and release
cytotoxins that kill the infected cells. They act similarly on
many types of tumor cells.
While natural killer cells are an important aspect of immunity,
they are not the only aspect. The immune system is a complex
tapestry that also relies upon the proper functioning of
T-cells. These cells emerge from the bone marrow in an immature
state and must migrate to the thymus gland, where they are
programmed to transform into:
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CD4 helper
cells, which orchestrate the immune response by activating
other immune cells and stimulating the production of
antibodies by the B- cells.
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CD8 suppressor cells, which
suppress killer cells by signaling the termination of an
attack.
Therefore, if we could find a natural
substance that decreases the number of CD8 suppressor cells in
relation to the number of CD4 helper cells, we would improve the
CD4/CD8 ratio, strengthening the immune system’s ability to
defend against viral, bacterial, and parasitical invaders.
A third aspect of immunity involves immunoglobulin A (IgA). IgA
is the principal immunoglobulin in exocrine secretions. It is
important in protecting mucosal surfaces from invasion by
pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Its presence in colostrum is
thought to be the main reason behind colostrum’s anti-infective
properties in newborns.
While the aforementioned aspects of immunity are important, they
are, in a sense, oversimplifying how the immune system works, as
it is a complex interplay of many different factors. However,
understanding each of the factors I mention above will help
explain how the new discovery discussed below has a novel and
fascinating effect on the immune system.
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Accidental Discovery
The discovery of a unique yeast-derived product called EpiCor™
began when insurance adjusters noticed that employees of a
leading manufacturer of animal nutrition products, experienced
unusually low sick leave rates and filed significantly fewer
claims than employees of similarly sized companies. In fact,
while 2004 annual insurance premiums increased an average of
11.2 percent nationally, this company’s 2004 premiums didn’t
increase at all.
The owners suspected this low illness rate was due to a
fermented yeast culture the company manufactured for production
animals since the workers who came in contact with this
fermented yeast culture experienced an unusual lack of
illnesses.
Consequently, the company commissioned a research group to
perform a series of studies investigating EpiCor’s effects, its
safety and whether it was the agent responsible for the enhanced
immunity at the company’s production facility plant.
Prior to conducting these studies, the research group visited
the manufacturing facility and interviewed the employees. They
began with the plant manager, who had previously worked at
another company for more than 20 years. His wife was an
emergency room nurse and often caught viral infections while on
the job. While working at the other company, the plant manager
and his children contracted 3 to 5 colds or flus per year.
However, he had now worked with the fermented yeast product for
9 years and had not had a cold or flu for at least the last 7
years. His wife and children continued to contract a number of
illnesses every year.
After hearing similar stories from other members of the
production facility staff, the researchers were intrigued. Among
the production facility workers, there had been no admissions
for any emergency room visits, no incidence of any chronic
diseases. In the administrative building, where employees rarely
came in contact with the fermented yeast product, there was a
greater incidence of colds and flu.
There definitely seemed to be a reason to investigate this
product.
Background on EpiCor
The ingredient to be investigated was an end product of
fermentation of baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). The
company has produced this product for 63 years as an additive to
animal feed products and they distribute it worldwide.
The process used to manufacture the product, while not patented,
is a trade secret that other large companies have failed to
replicate. Consequently, EpiCor’s producer has dominated in the
feed marketplace for many years, especially since it wasn’t
uncommon for animals consuming the animal feed version of EpiCor
to have an increased litter size compared to what would normally
be expected.
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Antioxidant Powerhouse
First, the team of researchers broke down EpiCor’s composition
to help determine why it might have an immunomodulating effect.
In doing this, it was noted that EpiCor had an excellent profile
of mono unsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids and a small
amount of saturated fat. In addition, all of the essential
vitamins and minerals were in the product as well as trace
elements. Interestingly, they also found it contained compounds
known to exert free radical fighting activity such as
phytosterols and phenolics including catechins and trans
resveratrol. The researchers were surprised to find compounds
such as squalene, which is found in sharks and only a very few
plant species. Given this profile of substances known to exert
antioxidant activity, they decided to subject EpiCor to studies
investigating its antioxidant potential.
The first study conducted was designed to determine whether
EpiCor could inhibit the formation of radical oxygen species (ROS)
in freshly purified human neutrophil cells. They exposed the
cells to hydrogen peroxide to induce severe oxidative stress
then compared the EpiCor-treated cells to the cells left
untreated. They discovered significant reduction of all ROS
formation at EpiCor concentrations as low as 1 part per trillion
compared to control cells challenged with only hydrogen
peroxide. They continued to observe inhibition of ROS formation
at concentrations even lower than one part per trillion. This
effect didn’t stop until they reached a concentration of 0.01
part per trillion. The antioxidant activity of EpiCor (or ORAC
activity, as its called in the industry) was actually
significantly greater than that of blueberries.
Microbial Studies
Next, the researchers found that EpiCor dramatically reduced the
growth of E. Coli bacteria and Candida Tropicalis. At
concentrations that continued all the way down to 1 part per
billion they noted total inhibition of E. Coli and Candida
Tropicalis. It did not, however, inhibit Staphylococcus aureus.
After conducting this study, they concluded that EpiCor may
provide protection against infection with coliform bacteria (a
common cause of food poisoning) and candida. The study also
indicated that EpiCor may support the growth of desirable
mucosal flora in the intestinal tract.
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Stability and Toxicity Studies
The research team also decided to conduct a study to determine
if EpiCor had a sufficient shelf life, an important
consideration if it were to be consumed by humans. They first
determined that when the product sat at 77 degrees Fahrenheit
for 28 days, levels of mold, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus
aureus stayed below the acceptable limit. Other tests have shown
that it is extremely stable for at least 22 months.
In another study, they asked a leading lab to check for 139
different pesticides. EpiCor was found free of all 139 compounds
tested for at the detection limits.
They also performed oral toxicity studies in rats. They gave
2,000 mg of EpiCor per kg of body weight to 20 rats—the
equivalent to 140 grams administered orally in humans. After 14
days, the animals treated with EpiCor had normal body weights
and no deaths occurred during the treatment period. In addition,
no gross pathological changes were observed.
In a 90-day toxicity study, they treated 4 groups of rats (40
animals per group) with either 30, 200 or 1,500 mg of EpiCor per
kg of body weight. A fourth group served as the control. EpiCor-treated
rats did not have an increased rate of mortality, there were no
treatment-related clinical symptoms, no significant differences
in body weight, nor any pathological changes in any areas
examined. In addition, there were no gross pathological lesions
found in any organs.
The researchers concluded that EpiCor was well tolerated in
daily oral doses up to 1,500 mg for 90 days. (A 90-day rodent
study is equivalent to 1.5 years of human consumption in a 70 kg
adult male or a 50 kg adult female).
Other tests have shown that EpiCor is not mutagenic and does not
have the potential to cause gene mutation.
Before delving into human studies they also investigated whether
EpiCor is contraindicated in people taking any type of
pharmaceutical drug. So they looked at whether it would affect
drug-metabolizing enzymes such as Cytochrome P450. They
conducted a test called the immortalized human hepatocyte assay,
considered the gold standard for inducing drug-metabolizing
enzymes. Through this test, they found that EpiCor is not toxic,
does not induce the expression or enzymatic activity of
cytochrome P450 or other drug metabolizing enzymes and therefore
does not interfere in drug metabolism.
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Human Studies
They were almost ready to conduct human studies on EpiCor’s
immunomodulating potential. However, first, they wanted to
ensure its safety. For one month, 15 men and women ages 15 – 40
consumed 500 mg of EpiCor in a single daily dose. They measured
baseline values 3 days preceding the study’s start. Multiple
blood samples were taken on day 2 and 28 and additional blood
and saliva samples on days 0, 14, 21, 28. EpiCor was well
tolerated with no evidence of adverse effects on the immune
system nor any clinically relevant changes to any vital signs.
Now that they had determined that EpiCor is safe, non-toxic,
non-mutagenic, is not harmful to cells, and is pesticide free,
they were ready to begin studying if and how it affects immunity
in humans. They compared one group of 10 production employees
who are exposed to EpiCor on the job at the facility with
another group of 10 gender and aged matched non-production
facility employees not exposed to EpiCor.
They analyzed blood samples and what they found was fascinating.
The group exposed to EpiCor showed a significant decrease in CD8
suppressor cells, resulting in an improvement in the CD4/CD8
ratio. The CD4/CD8 ratio suggested that these EpiCor-exposed
individuals had at least 2 to 3 times the natural killing
activity against viruses, bacteria and cancer cells than would
normally be expected!
This was quite striking to the laboratory. The director called
one of the researchers and said, “I’ve never seen anything like
these results before. These people seem virtually immune from
contracting almost anything.”
The researcher then asked him to go through the results and
highlight the ones he thought were significant while the
researcher did the same. They did not hold the code as to whose
blood samples they were observing. The code was still kept by a
scientist at the facility. But when they broke the code they had
both 100 percent successfully separated the production from the
non-production employees based on their immune profile.
One of the other interesting aspects is that natural killer
cells in EpiCor-exposed subjects had a much higher killing
efficiency of pathogen-infected and abnormal cells despite a
significant decrease in the natural killer cells’ number. To use
an analogy, if we sent out soldiers, we could send out less
soldiers because they had become more efficient at doing battle.
At the same time, EpiCor-exposed subjects experienced a
significant inhibition of interferon gamma production, which
indicates that EpiCor has anti-inflammatory abilities.
They also found significantly higher levels of total salivary
secretory IgA in the EpiCor subjects. The IgA levels were
surprisingly high—more than 300 mg per ml. This indicated that
the EpiCor subjects had the equivalent of an immunological
envelope protecting all the membranes in the eyes, nasal
passages, and all the places where pathogenic organisms enter
into the system.
They also found significantly lower levels of immune complexes
and higher levels of glutathione in erythrocytes (red blood
cells). Higher levels of immune complexes are responsible for
inflammation, and lowering their levels would result in less
inflammation and tissue damage.
These same immune-modulating effects were seen in the study
mentioned earlier in this article, in the 15 subjects treated
with EpiCor for 28 days.
Calcium Signaling
Another aspect of the EpiCor studies worth mentioning is known
as calcium signaling. Calcium signaling between cells is pivotal
to the coordinated response of cells in tissues and organs
within the whole body. It is now well established that cells do
not behave as selfish entities but rather tend to form
"micro-societies" whose proper functioning requires a precise
coordination of signals that the cells emit and receive. When
these signals are not working properly, this can result in
pathological situations that can range from abnormal cell
proliferation to cell death. The research has shown that EpiCor
can influence calcium signaling, thereby offering a potential
explanation for how EpiCor supports immunity and defends against
invading pathogens.
Additionally, it was determined that EpiCor affects the activity
of Nuclear Factor Kappa B (NFK-B). NFK-B plays an important role
in inflammation, immunity, autoimmune responses, cell adhesion,
cell proliferation, cell development and cell death (apoptosis)
because it regulates the expression of genes involved in all
these processes.
GRAS Status
After conducting these studies, an expert panel of toxicologists
was assembled to review the data. The panel was chaired by the
former director of the division of drugs and environmental
toxicology and the human food safety program at the FDA. Other
panelists included EPA scientists and the editor of the journal
Food and Chemical Toxicology. As a result of the panel review,
EpiCor has now received FDA’s Generally Recognized as Safe
(GRAS) classification.
Conclusion
For far
less than the cost of a Starbuck coffee a day, you can live
disease-free from now on.
Wow! Give it a try - you have nothing to lose but aches and
pains, and all forms of ill health.
I have never
been so impressed by the effects of a compound as I have been
with EpiCor. At this writing, there is one published study
depicting the immune modulating aspects of EpiCor (Schauss AG,
Vodjani A. Discovery of an edible fermentation product with
unusual immune enhancing properties in humans. FASEB J.
2006;20(4):A143). Because this information is so new, a majority
of studies mentioned in this article are still unpublished. The
researchers expect to submit 5 manuscripts to peer reviewed
journals within the next six months. Meanwhile, the confirmed
safety of EpiCor and its effects on various immune parameters
indicate that it is an immune modulating substance par
excellence.
To place an order for
EpiCor™,
click here.
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