Colostrum is a popular health food in the past 100 years. It is the first milk secreted by mammals after production. The main source is cows or sheep. Some evidence indicates that the strength of its components is hundreds of times that of human colostrum. It is therefore believed to bring health benefits.
Do you know colostrum benefits and side effect?
Table of Contents
- What is bovine colostrum?
- What are the benefits recommended for colostrum?
- Are there any side effects of colostrum?
- Safety precautions
- Where to buy the most recommended colostrum?
What is bovine colostrum?
Colostrum refers to the milk secreted by cows within 24 to 48 hours after production. Because it is rich in protein, micronutrients, enzymes, oligosaccharides, immunoregulatory factors, and growth factors, it can promote the growth and development of offspring and also protect Free from the threat of disease infection, it is the biggest difference from ordinary dairy products (such as whey protein).
What are the benefits recommended for colostrum?
1. Beneficial upper respiratory tract infections (cold)
Upper respiratory tract infections are a series of diseases composed of common colds, pharyngitis, epiglottis, and laryngitis, which can be caused by viruses, bacteria, mycoplasma, and fungi, especially rhinovirus and coronavirus are the most common, accounting for about the total cases 35%.
A meta-analysis of literature (including 5 randomized controlled trials, a total of 152 regular exercise training adults) pointed out that compared with placebo, the intake of bovine colostrum can reduce the upper respiratory tract infection-related events and the number of days ( The decrease was 44% and 38% respectively).
*Conclusion: For those who have exercise training habits, oral bovine colostrum may reduce the incidence of upper respiratory tract infection and the number of days of onset, but due to the insufficient number of samples and duration of the included study, it still needs to be confirmed.
2. Improve AIDS-related diarrhea
Chronic diarrhea is a common complication of AIDS patients, with an incidence of more than 50%. It causes inconvenience in life and treatment obstacles. The causes are related to infections, intestinal dysfunction, and antiretroviral treatment.
A randomized, single-blind controlled trial (a 9-week, 87 AIDS-related diarrhea patients) pointed out that the use of bovine colostrum combined with antidiarrheal therapy has a more significant effect of improving diarrhea compared to the control group using antidiarrheal therapy alone ( Relevant indicators such as the number of bowel movements, fatigue, weight, body mass index, and CD4+ receptor count bacteria have varying degrees of improvement).
3. Improve athletic performance
Protein supplements are the most popular health products for athletes. They can help repair and rebuild muscle fibers damaged during intense exercise. In addition, they can improve recovery and promote protein synthesis, which is very important for improving muscle strength and size.
A double-blind controlled experiment (9-week, 29 male road cyclists) pointed out that bovine colostrum has improved TT40 (bicycle 40 km time) performance, reduced fatigue, and maintained ventilation compared to whey protein The effect of the threshold (ventilatory threshold).
A double-blind controlled experiment (8 weeks, 35 hockey players) pointed out that the use of bovine colostrum to improve the sprint performance is more significant than the control group using whey protein (but endurance, body composition, and jumping ability are not Obvious difference).
*Conclusion: Bovine colostrum may have the effect of improving sports performance, but it is still subject to confirmation because it is too small.
4. Prevent travelers’ diarrhea
Traveler’s diarrhea is one of the most feared situations when traveling, especially when visiting a less developed country or an area with poor sanitation, about 20% to 70% of travelers have ever experienced it.
Unclean water or food is the cause of traveler’s diarrhea. About 50% of cases are related to enterotoxin E. coli, but as of now, most prevention methods have limited effect.
Two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials (including 30 participants) pointed out that consumption of highly immune-boosted bovine colostrum products can enhance the resistance to Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and reduce The incidence of diarrhea in travelers.
*Conclusion: Oral colostrum preparations that have been specially fortified can reduce travelers’ diarrhea.
5. Benefits of Irritable Bowel
Irritable bowel disease is a functional gastrointestinal disease that cannot be diagnosed by specific biomarkers. The prevalence of adults is between 10% and 20%. The symptoms may be abdominal pain or changes in bowel habits (mainly diarrhea, constipation, or combined Person), although not a fatal disease, but seriously reduces the quality of life.
A randomized, double-blind controlled study (for 8 weeks, targeting 18 patients with irritable bowel disease) pointed out that compared with placebo, oral bovine colostrum has no significant effect on relieving symptoms and improving intestinal mucosal immune function.
*Conclusion: For patients with intestinal irritability, the improvement effect of bovine colostrum is limited, and a large-scale trial has further confirmed it.
Are there any side effects of colostrum?
For most ethnic groups in good health, proper use of bovine colostrum is very safe and has no side effects.
However, for patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), side effects may include nausea, vomiting, abnormal liver function, and decreased red blood cells.
In addition, regarding the question of whether colostrum has mad cow disease, as of now, there is no evidence to indicate that mad cow disease can be transmitted by dairy products, but to be conservative, it is best to avoid the relevant epidemic areas when buying.
Safety Precautions
Do not use it for pregnant women or nursing mothers (because the relevant safety is still unknown).
Do not use if you have been allergic to dairy products, it may induce allergic reactions.
Do not use for infants and children under 5 years old (because the nutritional composition of bovine colostrum is different from breast milk and formula milk, it may increase the allergic chance and the burden of the digestive system).
Where to buy the most recommended colostrum?
In recent years, food safety problems in various countries have exploded, and it is not healthy but black-hearted products that everyone spends on. Therefore, European and American products with relatively strict quality control have become popular products.
And iHerb.com is a large-scale medical cosmetics e-commerce company in the United States. It has a high satisfaction rate of 97% in the evaluation of Google customers. It provides global home delivery so that you can buy it without risking buying fakes through purchasing high-quality health products.
