Side Effects of the Transfer Factor

Preventive health has become a popular concern in the face of rising health care costs. Strengthening your immune system is one way to combat potential illness and disease. Transfer factor is a dietary supplement designed to work with the body's immune system. As with any supplement, it can have side effects.

Identification

• The human body has a natural germ-fighting system that includes a memory of past germs and how to eliminate them. Each successful encounter with an invading organism is stored in your body's immune system. These memory capabilities are called transfer factors. Transfer factors are present in breast milk, and transfer immune knowledge from a mother's body to the baby's system. As a dietary supplement, this substance is formulated from cow's milk or chicken. Side effects associated with the supplement vary depending on individual body chemistry.

Function

• Transfer factors are manufactured by the body's T cells, also known as thymus cells. T cells are a type of white blood cell within the immune system. T cells are leukocyte cells designed to mediate immune system responses to possible threats, or pathogens. They work as the catalysts for immune system responses to bacteria, viruses and fungi.

  Though the dietary supplement forms of transfer factor contain animal versions of these T cell molecules, transfer factors have certain universal qualities that transcend species lines. The potential for side effects depends on a person's own immune system biochemistry and health status.

Allergies

• Transfer factor supplements are derived from chicken or bovine sources, depending on how a particular brand is formulated. If you have milk allergies, or are lactose intolerant, you may experience adverse side effects from taking milk-based transfer factor supplements. Possible side effects include stomach pain, nausea and diarrhea. Some supplement products--particularly the ones that come in capsule form--may be derived from chicken egg yolks. If you are sensitive to poultry products, you may experience allergic reactions, some of which include eczema, hives and rashes.

Immune System Effects

• Transfer factor can be administered in pill or injection form. Both methods affect the immune system in much the same way as the T cell carriers. As a result, initial doses of the drug may cause side effects that resemble flu-like symptoms. Individuals may experience fever, fatigue and body aches. These symptoms may indicate that the drug is activating a person's immune system in the same way the body responds to a suspected pathogen. Initial effects will vary depending on individual body chemistries.

Discomfort

• Individuals who opt to receive transfer factor injections may experience certain effects at the injection site. Possible side effects include pain, swelling and tenderness for several days. This is especially true when colostrum transfer factor is used in the injection. As colostrum formulas are derived from cow's milk, some concern exists as to whether "mad cow disease" can be transferred through injection or supplement doses. There are no reports that this is likely, but products made from animals from countries known to harbor this disease may pose an increased risk.