Efficacy of Transfer Factor to Prevent Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Healthy Adults

March 20, 2025 updated by: University of Utah

A Double Blind Study on the Efficacy of a Colostrum and Egg Yolk Supplement vs. Placebo to Reduce Frequency and Duration of Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Healthy Adults

The goals of our study are to critically evaluate if a healthy population supplemented with Transfer factor experiences fewer incidences of colds and flu, or experience shorter duration of illness compared to an identical population taking placebo. In this study we will give either Transfer factor or a placebo to two groups of healthy adult men and women for a period of 7 weeks in a double-blind experimental design. The frequency and duration of colds and flu-like symptoms will be recorded during the course of the study. Saliva samples will be collected weekly and assessed for salivary IgA secretion rate. Data from this study will establish the efficacy of Transfer Factor to support a healthy immune system.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

49

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Utah
      • Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, 84112
        • University of Utah

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 40 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Males and females (18 - 40) who are in good health

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Subjects who are allergic to eggs (on which the supplement is based). If a volunteer is not sure if they are allergic to eggs or milk. Those who are currently smoking, have cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, liver disease, renal insufficiency, any chronic disease that might interfere with study participation, BMI above 40 kg/m2, consumption of >12 alcoholic drinks weekly, or unwillingness to stop current supplement intake. Women who are pregnant or lactating will also be excluded from the study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Sugar pill
Dietary supplement: Placebo
cornstarch, 2 capsules per day by mouth.
Active Comparator: Transfer Factor
Transfer factor supplement; 2 capsules per day
Dietary supplement: transfer factor
capsules, 2 per day by mouth for 7 weeks.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Utah

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

January 1, 2010

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2010

Study Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 15, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 15, 2010

First Posted (Estimated)

April 19, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 20, 2025

Last Verified

November 1, 2011

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 38766 4Life-Transfer Factor

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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