Called "nature's first food" because female mammals produce it just before they give birth. The yellow fluid is excreted in the milk for approximately three days following birth. After this, it is no longer produced in the mammal.
It supplies immune and growth factors and a perfect combination of vitamins and minerals to the newborn. It helps support the immune system and provides growth factors to stimulate growth of muscle, skin, cartilage, nerve and bone tissue. •
It is usually taken from the first four milkings after calf birth from pasture-fed, non-immunised cows.
In Studies: Research has shown that colostrum may fight bacteria and viruses. It is also thought to stimulate tissue repair and cellular reproduction and as an anti-ageing component.
It is the pre-milk liquid produced from the mammary glands of cows during the first 24 to 48 hours after giving birth.
It is rich in immunoglobulins (antibodies), growth factors, various proteins, and enzymes. The question is whether these factors, which are meant for the calf, exert any effects in humans. It may turn out to be an important nutritional supplement, but for now there are no conclusive data to support manufacturers’ claims. Although various components of it theoretically may produce some benefits, there are no studies where it—in the forms that are commercially available—has been given to humans and shown benefits.
It is claimed that it can help fight certain infections. However, the research studies used to support that claim used it derived from cows immunized in a way that caused them to produce unusually large amounts of a specific antibody in their it. For example, in a double-blind study, children with diarrhea caused by a rotavirus were treated with immunoglobulins extracted from it derived from cows immunized with rotavirus. Compared with the placebo, administration of the immunoglobulins significantly reduced the amount of diarrhea and the amount of oral rehydration solution required. In addition, the rotavirus was eliminated from the stool significantly more rapidly in the immunoglobulin group than in the placebo group (1.5 days vs. 2.9 days).
It had a positive effect against acute rotavirus diarrhea, there is evidence that specific forms of it (derived from specially immunized cows or those with confirmed presence of specific antibodies) are effective against diarrhea caused by Cryptosporidium parvum, Helicobacter pylori, Escherichia coli, and Clostridium difficile. It is not known whether commercially available it provides significant amounts of the specific immunoglobulins that are active against these organisms. Unless the immunoglobulins are present in high enough concentrations, the preparation is may not be effective. There is evidence that the majority of the antimicrobial effect of both it and one of its chief antibiotic components (lactoferrin) are destroyed by gastric secretions and by the digestive enzyme, trypsin.
It contains bovine versions of many human growth factors, including insulin-like growth factor, transforming growth factor, epithelial growth factor, and even growth hormone, that are capable of stimulating muscle growth. The concentration of bovine insulin-like growth factor I (ILGF-I) in it ranges from 200 to 2,000 mcg/L, compared with less than mcg/L in normal cow’s milk. Thus, in theory, it might be able to stimulate muscle growth in humans. However, although bovine ILGF-I has been shown to be identical to human ILGF-I in some analytical studies and to be absorbed and transported into the circulation in calves, the effects of bovine ILGF-I and other bovine growth substances in humans after oral administration, has not been determined in clinical trials.
In a preliminary study of male athletes, supplementation with 125 ml of it per day for eight days produced a statistically significant increase in the serum concentration of insulin-like growth factor. However, the magnitude of the increase was small, and the clinical significance of that change is not clear. Thus, claims that it can help burn fat and promote muscle growth by raising the level of ILGF-I or other molecules must be considered premature.
It may be helpful in protecting against peptic ulcer formation caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and indomethacin. In a study in rats, pretreatment with 0.5 or 1.0 ml of a it preparation reduced indomethacin-induced gastric injury by 30% and 60%, respectively. Whether it exerts this effect in humans has not been determined.
Claims that it elevates mood, that "it is a natural and healthy means of stimulating the brain to release serotonin and dopamine and prolong their re-uptake," or that "it activates the release of other chemicals in the brain that affect alertness and concentration" have not been substantiated.
Certain types of infectious diarrhea
Signs or Symptoms of a Deficiency: As bovine colostrum is not an essential nutrient, no deficiency state exists
Excess maybe seen in: None are known
Recommended Use: Most manufacturers recommend 1,000 to 4,000 mg per day of freeze-dried colostrum
1. Sarker SA, Casswall TH, Mahalanabis D, et al. Successful treatment of rotavirus diarrhea in children with immunoglobulin from immunized bovine colostrum. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1998;17:1149-54.
2. Sarker SA, Casswall TH, Mahalanabis D, et al. Successful treatment of rotavirus diarrhea in children with immunoglobulin from immunized bovine colostrum. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1998;17:1149-54.
3. Mitra AK, Mahalanabis D, Ashraf H, et al. Hyperimmune cow colostrum reduces diarrhoea due to rotavirus: a double-blind, controlled clinical trial. Acta Paediatr 1995;84:996-1001.
4. Okhuysen PC, Chappell CL, Crabb J, et al. Prophylactic effect of bovine anti-Cryptosporidium hyperimmune colostrum immunoglobulin in healthy volunteers challenged with Cryptosporidium parvum. Clin Infect Dis 1998;26:1324-9.
5. Greenberg PD, Cello JP. Treatment of severe diarrhea caused by Cryptosporidium parvum with oral bovine immunoglobulin concentrate in patients with AIDS. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirol 1996;13:348-54.
6. Casswall TH, Sarker SA, Albert MJ, et al. Treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection in infants in rural Bangladesh with oral immunoglobulins from hyperimmune bovine colostrum. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 1998;12:563-8.
7. Huppertz HI, Rutkowski S, Busch DH, et al. Bovine colostrum ameliorates diarrhea in infection with diarrheagenic Escherichia coli, shiga toxin-producing E. Coli, and E. coli expressing intimin and hemolysin. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 1999;29:452-6.
8. Warny M, Fatimi A, Bostwick EF, et al. Bovine immunoglobulin concentrate-clostridium difficile retains C difficile toxin neutralising activity after passage through the human stomach and small intestine. Gut 1999;44:212-7.
9. Brines RD, Brock JH. The effect of trypsin and chymotrypsin on the in vitro antimicrobial and iron-binding properties of lactoferrin in human milk and bovine colostrum. Unusual resistance of human apolactoferrin to proteolytic digestion. Biochim Biophys Acta 1983;759:229-35.
10. Skaar TC, Vega JR, Pyke SN, Baumrucker CR. Changes in insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins in bovine mammary secretions associated with pregnancy and parturition. J Endocrinol 1991;131:127-33.
11. Marcotty C, Frankenne F, Van Beeumen J, et al. Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) from cow colostrum: purification and characterization. Growth Regul 1991;1:56-61.
12. Ronge H, Blum JW. Somatomedin C and other hormones in dairy cows around parturition, in newborn calves and in milk. J Animal Physiol Animal Nutr 1988;60:168-74.
13. Mero A, Miikkulainen H, Riski J, et al. Effects of bovine colostrum supplementation on serum IGF-I, IgG, hormone, and saliva IgA during training. J Appl Physiol 1997;83:1144-51.
14. Playford RJ, Floyd DN, Macdonald CE, et al. Bovine colostrum is a health food supplement which prevents NSAID induced gut damage. Gut 1999;44:653-8.
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