Does Colostrum Improve Gut Health?
Written by Jodie Lyons, Dietetic Intern at The University of Illinois-Chicago
If you haven’t yet seen an influencer come across your feed dry-scooping a $110 bovine colostrum powder supplement straight into their mouth, then I want to know how to get on your corner of the internet.
It seems that colostrum is the new it-girl of the supplement world, promising that it can heal your acne, reduce your bloat, stop colds in their tracks and cure all of your hot girl tummy problems. But is she really all that she seems?
What is colostrum?
Let’s back up. What is colostrum anyway? All lactating mammals make colostrum, including humans. Colostrum is the first milk produced and secreted after birth. Some people refer to colostrum as liquid gold because of its rich golden color thanks to its high carotenoid and vitamin A content (think carrots) and all of the other properties it naturally contains. In addition to vitamin A, colostrum is rich in immunoglobulin A to help build a baby’s immune system, milk oligosaccharides to help a baby’s gut mature, and multifunctional proteins like lactoferrin, which can help protect against infection, inflammation and support iron absorption. Sounds pretty great, right? It is! And the supplement companies have caught on.
The colostrum powder supplements that we’re seeing online are typically bovine colostrum, meaning that it’s made from a cow’s colostrum. Human and bovine colostrum both contain similar properties, but they’re not identical.
Lactoferrin - human colostrum has much higher lactoferrin content compared to cow’s milk
Immunoglobulins - human colostrum has much more IgA (an antiviral immunoglobulin), compared to cow’s colostrum, which has more IgG (an immunoglobulin that neutralizes microbes and toxins)
Growth factors - human colostrum is higher in insulin-like growth factor and growth hormones compared to cow’s colostrum
What is colostrum good for?
Because of colostrum’s rich concentration of immune properties, proteins, minerals and vitamins, it has been studied for its potential benefits in treating a wide variety of conditions. The colostrum benefits we often hear about include aiding with bloating, heartburn, skin and hair appearance, immune health, athletic performance and recovery.
Like many treatments, much of the research on colostrum began with in vitro and animal-based models. This means that research looked at the impact that colostrum could have by studying what happens on a cellular level in a petri dish, or the effect that it could have in mice or piglets. While these forms of studies are important in establishing whether or not a particular treatment might be beneficial, it doesn’t promise that the same results can be achieved in people.
But there is some current research examining potential bovine colostrum benefits in humans. Some studies have demonstrated improved exercise performance with use of bovine colostrum compared to whey protein (as seen here, here, and here), but it’s worth noting that many of these studies used 20-60 grams of colostrum (a typical serving of popular brands provides 1 gram of colostrum). Research has also explored potential immune system benefits of colostrum in athletes, but the results have been mixed and inconsistent. Studies have also been conducted to consider the use of colostrum for gut health - let’s talk more about that below.
How does colostrum improve gut health?
It is not well-understood how colostrum improves gut health. And backing up, the research also isn’t clear on whether or not using colostrum for gut health really works.
There are some studies that have explored whether or not using colostrum for gut health can be effective, and overall show mixed, inconclusive results. Many of these studies have focused on using colostrum to improve GI conditions like ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, necrotizing enterocolitis in infants and diarrhea associated with HIV, E. coli and other infections (as seen here and here), which isn’t really how these colostrum supplements are being marketed.
One systematic review considered the use of bovine colostrum to improve intestinal impermeability in athletes (you may have heard this described as ‘leaky gut’). Of the nine studies it reviewed, six studies showed potential improvements in gut permeability. But it’s worth considering that all of these studies were incredibly small, with the largest study including 30 participants. The studies were also almost exclusively conducted on males. And like many other studies looking at colostrum benefits, most used 20-60g of colostrum.
Does colostrum help with bloating?
A big selling point that brands pitch is to use colostrum for bloating relief. One study considered the use of colostrum in patients with IBS and did not find any significant reduction in symptoms, including bloating.
Is colostrum worth it?
It’s important to remember that the supplement industry isn’t regulated by the FDA, which means you really don’t know what you’re getting from the supplements you buy and if they will provide you with any benefit. A popular brand of colostrum charges a whopping $110 for a canister and uses sexy marketing terms like “clinically-backed” and “proven superfood”, citing third-party clinical research vouching for the benefits of their product on their website. And yet, no such human-based study is published anywhere online, so there’s no way to evaluate the legitimacy of their findings.
While colostrum supplements are deemed generally safe, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get $110 worth of benefit from taking it. The few studies that have been conducted in humans have shown mixed results using much larger doses than what is recommended you take by popular supplement brands.
So TLDR - save your money. The research ain’t there yet.
How to improve gut health.
I understand wanting to learn how to fix gut health issues, and supplements feel like such a quick and easy solution so it’s not hard to see why the industry is booming. But unfortunately there is no one-size-fits-all approach to learning how to improve gut health.
Gut health can mean a lot of different things to different people. Maybe you’re struggling with diarrhea. Or on the complete other end, chronic constipation. Maybe you’re having heartburn on a near-daily basis. Perhaps you’re constantly nauseous and don’t have much of an appetite. Or maybe you’re bloated, gassy and crampy with seemingly everything you eat.
With such a large range of symptoms comes a large range of potential root causes to digestive issues. And the advice to tackle one gut health problem might be completely contradictory to approaching another one. For example, one person may need to double their fiber intake to improve their GI symptoms. But for another person, fiber might make their problems doubly troublesome.
To make a long story short, the real solution to your gut health concerns is to seek out individualized support through a gastroenterologist or registered dietitian specializing in GI health.
thank you so much to jodie for sharing your research and expertise on this subject!
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Note: All information in this and all The Real Good Blog posts is for educational purposes only. This information is not intended to diagnose or treat any health-related condition. Please check with your healthcare provider before making changes to your health plan.