COLOSTRUM

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 COLOSTRUM

We are all doing what we can to stay healthy and well during these precarious and trying times. The following information on colostrum is intended to be a help to those that are searching for natural ways to maintain and increase our immune system and response.

Colostrum is very nutritious and contains high levels of antibodies, which are proteins that fight infections and bacteria.

Colostrum promotes growth and health in infants and newborn animals, but research shows that taking bovine colostrum supplements may promote immunity, help fight infections, and improve gut health throughout life.

What Is Colostrum?

Colostrum is a milky fluid that’s released by mammals that have recently given birth before breast milk production begins.

It’s an important source of nutrients that promotes growth and fights disease in infants, but it can also be consumed during other phases of life — typically in supplement form.

Even though all mammals produce colostrum, supplements are usually made from the colostrum of cows. This supplement is known as bovine colostrum.

Bovine colostrum is similar to human colostrum — rich in vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates, disease-fighting proteins, growth hormones, and digestive enzymes.

Bovine colostrum supplements have become popular in recent years, as they may promote immunity, fight infection, and improve gut health.

For these supplements colostrum from cows is pasteurized and dried into pills or into powders that can be mixed with liquids. Bovine colostrum typically has a light yellow color and a subtle taste and smell that resembles buttermilk.

Summary

Colostrum is a milk-like fluid released from the breasts of mammals after they have given birth. It’s high in nutrients that promote infant growth but may also provide other benefits.

COLOSTRUM

Supplements are typically made from bovine colostrum.

Highly Nutritious Bovine colostrum is extremely nutritious and contains more nutrients than regular milk.

In particular, it’s higher in protein, fat, carbs, magnesium, B vitamins, and vitamins A, C, and E than cow’s milk.

While colostrum is rich in macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals, its claimed health benefits are mostly linked to specific protein compounds, which include:

Lactoferrin. Lactoferrin is a protein involved in your body’s immune response to infections, including those caused by bacteria and viruses. Growth factors. Growth factors are hormones that stimulate growth. Bovine colostrum is especially high in two protein-based hormones, insulin-like growth factors 1 and 2, or IGF-1 and IGF-2.

Antibodies. Antibodies are proteins, also known as immunoglobulins, used by your immune system to fight bacteria and viruses. Bovine colostrum is rich in the antibodies IgA, IgG, and IgM.

Since bovine colostrum is loaded with nutrients that fight disease and promote growth, it may be able to boost immunity, treat infections, and offer more related benefits in humans throughout life.

Summary

Bovine colostrum contains macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals. It’s especially high in protein compounds that regulate immune responses and promote growth, including lactoferrin, growth factors, and antibodies.

May Provide Health Benefits

Research suggests that bovine colostrum may strengthen your immune system, fight infections that cause diarrhea, and promote gut health. May Boost Immunity

Bovine colostrum may strengthen your immune system and help your body fight disease-causing agents.

The immune-boosting effects of colostrum are mostly due to its high concentration of the antibodies IgA and IgG. Antibodies are proteins that fight viruses and bacteria.

Research shows that colostrum supplements may be particularly effective in boosting immunity in elite athletes.

 One 12-week study in 35 adult distance runners found that taking a daily bovine colostrum supplement increased the amount of saliva IgA antibodies by 79%, compared to baseline levels.

The researchers suggested that higher saliva levels of IgA may strengthen immunity and enhance the body’s ability to fight upper respiratory tract infections.

Another study in 29 male cyclists observed that taking 10 grams of bovine colostrum a day for 5 weeks prevented a post-exercise decrease in immune cells and reduced the risk of upper respiratory infection symptoms compared to a placebo.

Other studies have similarly linked bovine colostrum supplements with enhanced immune response, but more extensive research is needed .

May Prevent and Treat Diarrhea

The compounds in bovine colostrum — especially the variety of antibodies and the protein lactoferrin — may help prevent diarrhea associated with bacterial and viral infections.

A study in 87 adults experiencing diarrhea associated with HIV found that taking 100 grams of bovine colostrum a day along with traditional anti-diarrheal medications significantly decreased stool frequency by 21% more than traditional medications alone.

What’s more, cows can be given immunizations against specific strains of bacteria to produce colostrum high in antibodies that can fight specific infections.

These types of bovine colostrum are considered hyperimmune and could be an effective way to treat certain infections in humans, such as those caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Shigella dysenteriae bacteria.

For example, studies show that hyperimmune colostrum may prevent a type of diarrhea known as traveler’s diarrhea, which is typically caused by E. coli bacteria.

One study in 30 healthy adults found that those who took a daily dose of 1,200 mg of hyperimmune bovine colostrum containing antibodies that fight E. coli bacteria were 90% less likely to develop traveler’s diarrhea than those taking a placebo.

COLOSTRUM

May Benefit Gut Health

Bovine colostrum may strengthen your gut and fight infections in the digestive tract.

Both animal and human studies show that bovine colostrum can stimulate the growth of intestinal cells, strengthen the gut wall, and prevent intestinal permeability, a condition that causes particles from your gut to leak to the rest of your body.

These beneficial effects are likely due to the lactoferrin and gro' factors it contains.

One study in 12 athletes who were susceptible to intestinal permeability due to heavy exercise found that taking 20 grams of bovine colostrum a day prevented 80% of the increase in intestinal permeability experieenced by those who took a placebo.

Another study observed that colostrum enemas may be helpful in treating colitis, a condition characterized by inflammation of the inner lining of the colon.

A study in 14 adults with colitis who were taking traditional medical found that taking bovine colostrum enemas in addition to regular medications reduced symptoms more than medication alone.

The potential for bovine colostrum to reduce symptoms of colitis is supported by animal studies. However, more extensive research in humans is needed.

Summary

Both human and animal studies suggest that bovine colostrum enhances immunity, fight infections, and benefit gut health. However, more research is needed to better understand the effects of this supplement on human health.

The Bottom Line

Bovine colostrum is a supplement made from a milky fluid that’s released from the udders of cows shortly after they’ve given birth.

Rich in disease-fighting compounds, it may increase immunity against infections that may cause diarrhea, and improve gut health. Still research is needed.

While bovine colostrum appears to be safe for most people, some r concerned about how it’s sourced and processed. It can also be exp

However, bovine colostrum may be helpful if you have a specific condition, infection, or gut inflammation.

Benefits of Colostrum, Including Immune Health

Human and bovine breast milk is packed with powerful compounds that enhance immunity. You’ll find oligosaccharides, antimicrobial proteins, lactoferrin, immunomodulatory cytokines, and immunoglobulins in them. All of these factors help the immune system mount the appropriate attack on allergens, bacteria, viruses, and other antigens. But not all breast milk has the same amount of these important immune compounds. Enter colostrum.

What it is colostrum

Just prior to giving birth and shortly after delivery, the mammary glands produce colostrum, a special form of milk that is only available within days of the birth. Often called “first milk,” colostrum is packed with more antibodies than regular breast milk. For example, research shows that regular human breast milk contains around 1 mg/ml of IgA, an important class of immunoglobulins, compared to a whopping 5 to 12 mg/ml found in colostrum.

Another important immunoglobulin, IgG, is also much higher in colostrum. By shoring up immunoglobulin activity in the immune system, colostrum provides protection against a wide range of illnesses including infectious diseases and gastrointestinal issues.

Colostrum or “first milk”— a special form of milk that is only available within days of the birth — is packed with more antibodies than regular breast milk.

Colostrum health benefits

Now that we understand what colostrum is, it’s important to know what colostrum is good for. Because the immune system is so intimately involved in health and illness, it makes sense that colostrum would have a whole host of health benefits that spring from its ability to enhance immunity, reduce inflammation and protect and heal the gut. Colostrum for immune support

Active immunity is when the immune system is in the process of fighting an infection; whereas passive immunity is when the body naturally gains antibodies in preparation for a future fight.

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COLOSTRUM

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( Colostrum works by improving passive immunity which gets the body ready to fight once it comes into contact with a foreign cell.

I’liagocytes are immune cells that eat those foreign invaders. A 2012 placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized cross-over trial showed that a single dose of bovine colostrum significantly increased phagocytic activity.

That same study showed a short-term increase in natural killer cell activity within one to two hours after consuming the colostrum, which is another indication that colostrum prepares the immune system to fight the good fight.

Colostrum can be especially beneficial during cold and flu season. Research demonstrates that prophylactic colostrum can help reduce the number and severity of upper respiratory tract infections in children. The same is true for adults. A 2003 study featuring adult males showed that bovine colostrum significantly reduced the risk of upper respiratory tract infection compared to placebo. A 2010 study involving prolonged exercise as a physical stressor, showed that four weeks of bovine colostrum supplementation helped prevent decreases in innate immunity parameters and also enhanced neutrophil function recovery.

Colostrum and inflammation

Immunity and inflammation go hand in hand so it’s not surprising that colostrum would have an anti-inflammatory effect. As it turns out colostrum is also a great source of antioxidants and growth factors that can help create a healthy inflammatory response in the body. Bovine colostrum also reduces nuclear factor (NF)kB activation, which is a key proinflammatory pathway.

Colostrum and gut health

Many issues associated with gut health also have an inflammatory component, so it makes sense that colostrum would be good for gut health as well. Bovine colostrum has been shown to offer significant protection to the intestinal lining. A 2017 double-blind, placebo- controlled study showed that 500 mg of colostrum a day for 20 days resulted in decreased intestinal permeability compared to placebo.

This study featured 16 athletes during peak training season with 75% of the colostrum group having increased intestinal permeability prior to the start of the study.

Colostrum keeps your immune system strong while also helping to control inflammation and support gut health.

Ulcers are also an inflammatory gut condition. The two leading causes of peptic ulcers in the United States are the presence of Heliobacter pylori (H. pylori) and NSAID use. A 2015 randomized, double-blind clinical trial showed that bovine colostrum supplementation was able to eradicate H. pylori. And early in vivo research showed that bovine colostrum helped prevent NSAID-induced gut damage.

Bovine colostrum has also been shown to relieve childhood infectious diarrhea. According to a 2019 meta-analysis featuring five randomized clinical trials, researchers found that “bovine colostrum significantly reduced stool frequency, occurrence of diarrhea and pathogen detection.”

Conclusion

There are many ways to keep your immune system strong, naturally.

A colostrum supplement is definitely worth considering. As research clearly indicates, colostrum will enhance immune defenses while also helping to control inflammation and support gut health.

Available in capsules or powder form. See the inside front cover for details

From the Scriptures for America Dragon Slayer newsletter 2022, Vol. 4.