Colostrum – The Superfood For Your Newborn. Colostrum is the earliest breastmilk produced, beginning in mid-pregnancy (12-18 weeks) and is continually produced for the first few days after baby's birth.
Colostrum is a nutrient- and antibody-rich supplement that may offer significant health benefits. Studies show it may help boost your immune system, improve gut health, and help with signs of aging. Though it's considered safe to consume, potential side effects include diarrhea, bloating, or gas.
Vitamins/Minerals Found in Colostrum
Vitamin E, in the form of tocopherols and tocotrienols (~ mean 77.17 mg/kg) are found in low density lipoproteins in colostrum (4, 30). Vitamin K is also found in greater concentration in colostrum compared to mature milk in two forms, phylloquinone, and menaquinones (71).
Allergy to cow's milk: If you are allergic to cow's milk or milk products, you may also be allergic to bovine colostrum. In that case, it is best to avoid it.
Takeaways: Colostrum vs Collagen
Both have unique benefits. Collagen is best for skin and joints. Colostrum is the better option for immunity and digestive health.
However, the world anti-doping agency (WADA) advises athletes against taking colostrum for fear of causing a rise in levels of IGF-1 in the circulation with resulting doping penalties (https://www.wada-ama.org).
Oral administration of immunoglobulin G-enhanced colostrum alleviates insulin resistance and liver injury and is associated with alterations in natural killer T cells.
Cow colostrum contains specific nutrients and antibodies to fend off bacteria that are harmful to cows, so may be irrelevant to humans. Secondly, in adults the intestines breakdown any beneficial compounds before they can be absorbed into the bloodstream.
Here we provide evidence that milk exosomes from colostrum (Milk-exo), induce impressive hair regeneration with minimal adverse effects (Figure 1) We found that Milk-exo induced the proliferation of DP cells that plays a pivotal role in controlling the growth and cycling of hair follicles.
Bovine colostrum contains trace amounts of naturally occurring estrogen (20) (21).
Since bovine colostrum is designed to provide protection for a newborn calf's gut, it can do the same for human adults. If you suffer from autoimmune disorders that cause inflammation, bovine colostrum may ease your symptoms and allow your gut to heal.
Colostrum replacements are more expensive because they are more concentrated with antibodies and nutrients but may be worth the investment if you have to completely replace maternal colostrum. Several products are available that provide antibodies against only specific organisms.
An effective detoxification agent, lactoferrin contained in colostrum prevents invasive agents found in our everyday environment such as water and food supply from being pushed into lymph nodes. As a result, colostrum may decrease the duration of a cold.
One study looked at the effects of supplementing workouts with whey protein vs colostrum during an 8 week training period. Unlike whey protein, which increased total body weight, taking colostrum significantly increased lean body mass [39].
Colostrum is also reportedly effective at reducing intestinal inflammation in a preterm piglet model of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) (Moller et al., 2011).
Promotes Skin Elasticity
When it comes to maintaining healthy skin, look no further than colostrum. It can help stimulate the production of collagen, elastin, and other proteins that are essential for skin health.
Colostrum contains several other bioactive components that influence the inflammatory process as well as maintain intestinal immune balance, such as vitamins (Table 2), macro- and microelements (Table 3), hormones, nucleotides, and gangliosides.
Leptin helps keep your metabolic rate up and hunger down. Research on the effect of colostrum in athletes shows it can help increase muscle mass and strength, as well as prevent fatigue, by buffering levels of acidity that rise during exercise.
These results suggest that colostrum may have a beneficial role in recovering brain function following hemorrhagic stroke by suppressing apoptotic cell death. (1) In vitro experiment results confirmed that bovine colostrum can inhibit N-methyl-D-aspartic acid-induced neuronal cell death in the rat hippocampus.
Athletes take colostrum to help their stomach during peak athletic activity and to help the body with lean muscle growth. It can be easy to just concentrate on the globulin proteins found in colostrum but there are many factors in colostrum which help boost immune support and athletic performance.
Colostrum has antimicrobial properties that can help reduce the appearance of skin redness and irritation. Colostrum is perfect for individuals who are just starting to experience the signs of aging. With regular use, colostrum products may help lessen the appearance of wrinkles.
“Colostrum is rich in complete prebiotics, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds and regenerative peptides that can help reverse skin aging and wrinkles by modulating elastin expression.” Additionally, the research shows that colostrum bioactives can improve skin elasticity and hydration and enhance collagen ...
Why Colostrum is a Powerful Prebiotic. While colostrum doesn't fit into the exact same definition of a prebiotic offered above, it contains many health-promoting compounds that are essential for allowing probiotics to carry out their role in the body.