Liquid bovine colostrum in a measuring glass, and colostrum powder in a tray

Marguerita Briana Cattell · CC BY-SA 4.0

Strong evidence22 studies

How we rate

“Strong” = several concordant meta-analyses or systematic reviews. “Moderate” = one synthesis, or several controlled trials. “Limited” = early trials only. The rating is about the quality of the studies, not about how useful the supplement is.

Bovine colostrum

The cow's first milk: slightly fewer colds in athletes (−44% of days with symptoms across 5 trials), but no extra strength or endurance in most trials.

Immunity

Benefits

ENT infections in athletes: 44% fewer days with symptom episodes and 38% fewer episodes over 8 to 12 weeks, in a meta-analysis of 5 trials (152 training adults).
Colds: 32% of men on colostrum had symptoms over 7 weeks, compared to 48% on whey protein (174 men).
Preschool children: 31% fewer ENT symptom days and 37% less severe symptoms, an effect still visible 20 weeks after stopping (57 children).
Gut: lower intestinal permeability (lactulose/rhamnose and lactulose/mannitol ratios) across ten trials in athletes and patients.
Exercise in the heat: fewer intestinal cell lesions after 14 days at 20 g per day (12 men).
Recovery: at 3.2 g per day for 6 weeks, jumping, creatine kinase and CRP returned to normal faster in football players after an intense running test.
Power: peak power in jumping and cycling improved more with colostrum (60 g per day, 8 weeks, 51 men), with no gain in maximal strength.
Sprint: better 5 × 10 meter times in 35 elite field hockey players (60 g per day, 8 weeks).

Precautions

Tolerance: well tolerated in the trial with 57 children; in adults, it did not increase blood IGF-1, over 1 day, 4 weeks or 12 weeks. However, a 2-week trial found higher IGF-1 in athletes (20 g per day); other trials do not see it change. Limits: performance: nothing on endurance or maximal strength in active adults, nothing on the performance of elite female rowers, and nothing in the heat after 7 days. Immune defenses: null or very weak impact on antibodies and white blood cells in a meta-analysis of 10 trials (239 athletes), and no effect after an intense 10-day effort in 9 athletes. Muscle: lean mass increased by an average of 1.49 kg in one trial, but in another the arm grew mostly through skin and subcutaneous fat, with no extra strength. Study quality: a review of 51 studies judges the work to be very heterogeneous and often of mediocre quality; in children the results contradict each other, and the evidence is thin in the elderly.

Recommended dosage

20 to 60 g/day in most sports trials, over 2 to 9 weeks; 3.2 g/day in the football player recovery trial.

How to take it

For whom: mainly studied in athletes and active adults; one trial in healthy young children, and patients in reviews.
Against colds: 60 g per day of concentrated colostrum protein for 8 weeks in the trial on 174 men; the trials in the meta-analysis lasted 8 to 12 weeks.
For the gut: 20 g per day for 14 days before exercise in the heat; 500 mg per day for 20 days in athletes with a too-permeable gut.
For recovery: 3.2 g per day for 6 weeks in football players; 60 g per day for 8 weeks in runners.
What does not work: maximal strength did not improve more than with another protein in the 2 to 8 week trials.

Did you know?

Colostrum contains IGF-1, a growth hormone; yet, in healthy adults, taking it for a day, four weeks or twelve weeks did not increase blood IGF-1.

What the studies say

This meta-analysis of ten randomized controlled trials investigated the impact of bovine colostrum on intestinal permeability in healthy athletes and patients. The results showed a significant reduction in the urinary lactulose/rhamnose ratio and the lactulose/mannitol ratio after bovine colostrum consumption, indicating a decrease in intestinal permeability. No significant difference was observed for intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP). The conclusion is that bovine colostrum can reduce intestinal permeability, but further studies are needed to confirm these results taking into account variations in quality, dose, and duration.
Hajihashemi P, Haghighatdoost F, Kassaian N, Hoveida L, Tamizifar B, Nili H, Rahim Khorasani M, Adibi P. — Digestive diseases and sciences (2024) — View the source study

For information only: not a substitute for medical advice. Dietary supplements are not a replacement for a varied, balanced diet. Learn more