Proline-Rich Polypeptides (video)

Proline-Rich Polypeptides or PRP's have been studied extensively and have been used for many years to help with a variety of health concerns including gut and brain maintenance, immune regulation and general digestive health. We are currently using NuMedica ImmunoG PRP.

Health indeed is a life-long quest. Living in the information age like we do, means that we have a constant stream of health-related information available to us. I try to select topics that I think will be relevant. One of those topics relates to PRP's, a supplement that we have been taking here for nearly a decade.

PRP stands for proline-rich polypeptides and is available in a wide variety of forms. A quick glance at the published literature shows about 30,000 articles related to PRP research. The quick conclusion is that this is fairly mainstream topic in the research community.

PRP's (aka colostrum) comes from colostrum the early milk that is food for new-born mammals. PRP's are not species-specific meaning that PRP's from one mammal will be beneficial for others too.

PRP's show important antiviral, anti-tumor and immunoregulation properties. Not only do they show tremendous benefit for the infant but also for people of any age, even the elderly. They can help with cell and tissue regulation and can improve the cognitive activity and behavior of elderly critters such as rats, chickens and humans. The findings in chickens are interesting since they are obviously not mammals but still respond favorably.

One great benefit would be worth mentioning but PRPs can boast about 10 significant physiological activities. Let's march through these 10 benefits and you can see which one means the most to you.

We are also using NuMedica ImmunoG Powder. We haven't seen a formula that is so effective at helping to manage leaky gut syndrome. We have also noticed that as it heals the digestive tract, we find far fewer incidents of acid indigestion and those episodes are far milder and easily managed by our routine of digestive enzymes like BetterGenix EnzymeGenix, DGL Ultra by Enzymatic and Berberine HCL by Biotics.

1.PRPs Help Regulate the Immune System. Your white blood cells are a cornerstone of your immune response and PRPs encourage growth of white cells. PRPs help your body fight infections while helping protect healthy cells i.e. calming autoimmune reactions.

2.PRPs Help Regulate Inflammation. Inflammation at the right time and place can help the healing process but chronic inflammation is one of the major effects of chronic and debilitating disease. PRPs can help your body reduce that chronic inflammatory response while improving the inflammatory response for acute issues when you need it. Pretty good trick.

3.PRPs can help with cognition and mood. Studies are beginning to come in to suggest that PRPs can be a help to help improve brain health in both lab animals and people too. PRPs (along with other measures) can help you achieve better focus and alertness during the day and better sleep at night, that is better brain health. This is not a surprise because gut health and brain health have been shown in study after study to intimately linked. You can't damage the gut without having some effect on the brain and it stands to reason that anything you do to improve gut health will have a positive effect on brain health too.

4.PRPs have been shown to have antiviral properties. PRPs help your body fight Herpes, Epstein-Barr, HIV, Measles and Vesicular Stomatitis viruses. Some have reported an improvement in chronic fatigue syndrome and these anti-viral properties could very well be the reason.

5.PRPs can help your body fight tumor growth. They do this by way of activation of natural killer cells that attack and kill pathogens and cancer cells and help stimulate production of TNF-a (tumor necrosis factor alpha) that help the body prevent the formation of tumors.

6.PRPs can aid in age-related brain function decline. Age-related brain decline has many contributing factors and anyone searching for the ONE antidote will find themselves very frustrated. But one helping factor on top of diet for blood sugar control and other similar factors is the supplementation with PRPs. Again, helping keep your gut healthy will pay generous dividends in brain health.

7. PRPs can slow cellular damage and help slow aging. Studies support the concept that PRPs help reduce random mutations, prevent mitochondrial damage, slow cellular aging and lower reactive oxygen species (ROS) that contribute to cellular stress and damage.

8. PRPs seem to lower allergic reactions improving airways, decreasing mucous production, overreaction by the immune system (remember the talk of immune regulation earlier?) and decrease hypersensitivity to things like pollen and dust mites.

9.PRPs help protect against tannins. Tannins are found in many plants' foods and like lectins, can contribute to autoimmunity in some people. PRPs add a layer of protection when you are exposed to tannins which are common enough in our food supply.

10.Studies are preliminary, but it appears that PRPs might have neuroprotective properties when exposed to things like aluminum and other toxins.

In our experience, we find using the NuMedica ImmunoG PRP powder we experience some important health benefits. First thing we noticed was a dramatically reduced incidence of heart burn and indigestion. Personally, I find that taking the PRP powder in the late afternoon works best. It helps control appetite for my daily fast from 4 or 5 p.m. until 7 a.m. or so the next day and of course makes getting good sleep easier with its beneficial effects on the gut probably by increasing serotonin in both the intestines and brain as well as general improvements in gut-brain health and communication.

I haven't been taking the powder long enough to comment on anti-viral properties. I will do an update in a year or two if I find a decrease in colds, for example.

Mood in our house seems to have improved with no obvious improvement in lifestyle factors.

As far as aging and tumors, any help is always appreciated.

Anyone suffering from chronic health issues of any age is a potential candidate for PRP supplementation. PRP is available as ImmunoG PRP from NuMedica in powder and capsule form. My personal favorite is a scoop of the PRP powder with a half a scoop of NuMedica Total Vegan Vanilla with almond milk in my mini blender. The ImmunoG doesn't dissolve that well by itself in cold water but is OK in warm water and dissolves great with the protein powder and almond milk in the blender.