it’s time to tackle colostrum
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been seeing a lot of advertisements on social media for colostrum supplements with claims for its benefits for gut health, dental health, the immune system, hair (re)growth, sleep, skin, and even preventing heat stroke. I’m as easily taken by an aesthetically pleasing ad campaign as the next guy, and am also super guilty of FOMO sometimes when it comes to simple daily additions that just might make feeling good/better easy. But is anything easy? Is there really a silver bullet in the form of a powder you just take daily? Does easy have to cost over $100/month?
Disclaimer: if you have bought and use colostrum and you are happy with how you feel and it does not put a strain on your budget, that’s awesome, keep doing it. I think. I’m about to explore if there are any negatives also, so as long as we come up with this supplement being at the very least not detrimental, then keep doing it. Most of the time, I am just looking for whether we really need to take things in as supplements, or if we could sneakily get them through things we already enjoy eating and routines we already have in place, rather than adding another $100/month subscription to our existing stupid list of autopays.
So colostrum, in case you didn’t know, refers to the ‘first milk’ that us mammary gland having animals provide to our offspring. It is incredibly important in establishing a good immune system, providing nutrients and other factors to ensure proper growth and development of the freshly squeezed baby (of whatever species). In terms of supplemental use, it is produced by the milk industry, and used in both human and veterinary supplemental capacity.
One of the primary interesting uses of colostrum in human nutrition is for disorders of the gastrointestinal system such as IBD (irritable bowel disease) and damage due to things such as chronic use of NSAIDs. The term “leaky gut” has become basically mainstream in the wellness space, and it refers to defects in the integrity of the mucosal lining of the intestinal tract. In a healthy gut, this layer helps prevent communication between the contents of the intestinal tract and the rest of the body. Although cell turnover in these layers (there is more than one) is high—meaning that repair is fast out of necessity—disease or repeat injury can compete with the speed of repair and sometimes win. So do you, a regular-ass person, need to be taking colostrum?
The good news is that it so far appears to have a very wide margin of safety. In other words, it falls into my favorite group of supplements—those that either help or do nothing, meaning your risk in taking it is low even if whether or not you’ll truly see benefits (vs placebo effect) is pretty much unknown.
Although randomized control trial studies have been conducted and are being conducted on the application of bovine colostrum to human health/wellness, this research has only just begun. This makes it difficult to assert that taking bovine colostrum in the absence of a diagnosed condition for which it has been studied as a treatment truly has any benefit.
That being said, research so far has shown promising results for colostrum and maintaining or improving the health of the gut lining—taking us back to that ol leaky gut. To circle back around to what I said in my disclaimer about the cost vs necessity of different supplements, it’s hard to say with certainty that colostrum is a supplement that you absolutely should be taking and you’re missing out on a golden ticket to gleaming skin, flowing hair, and better sleep by not taking it. IF you suspect that you may have IBD or another functional GI disorder, I would strongly suggest talking to your doctor first, then exploring diet changes with your nutritionist (or RD) to see if there are things in your present routine that are increasing your risk of GI lining damage. After all, if you’re taking colostrum, but still using NSAIDs daily, it’s sort of like running in a circle but expecting to get somewhere.
tl;dr: So far, it seems pretty safe, so if you want to and it is not detrimental to your budget, sure, take colostrum. Is it necessary for people without GI lining disruption, probably not. Is it worth watching the research to see what else it uncovers, 100%! New information is great, being able to change your mind is even better! In the meantime, don’t let marketing strategies influence your decisions, but also I can’t fault you for wanting to have an aesthetically pleasing routine here and there. ;)
#colostrum #supplements #guthealth #leakygut #healthyeating #healthyliving
Chandwe K, Kelly P. Colostrum Therapy for Human Gastrointestinal Health and Disease. Nutrients. 2021;13(6):1956. Published 2021 Jun 7. doi:10.3390/nu13061956
Hajihashemi P, Haghighatdoost F, Kassaian N, et al. Bovine Colostrum in Increased Intestinal Permeability in Healthy Athletes and Patients: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Dig Dis Sci. 2024;69(4):1345-1360. doi:10.1007/s10620-023-08219-2
Menchetti L, Traina G, Tomasello G, et al. Potential benefits of colostrum in gastrointestinal diseases. Front Biosci (Schol Ed). 2016;8(2):331-351. Published 2016 Jun 1. doi:10.2741/s467
Playford RJ, Weiser MJ. Bovine Colostrum: Its Constituents and Uses. Nutrients. 2021;13(1):265. Published 2021 Jan 18. doi:10.3390/nu13010265
