Colostrum: The Wonder Milk & Immune Defender

By Bea Recuerdo (BSc)
2 Jun 2022

A natural wonder of a woman's body is when the first milk it produces after giving birth. This milk is color yellow or sometimes runny and clear and plays a vital role in the baby's first days on earth. This milk is called colostrum.

The importance of a mother's colostrum

For the first three days of lactation, the colostrum, or a mother's first milk, contains concentrated and high amounts of healthy fat, protein, nutrients, and minerals to help the body's development and growth. But most importantly, it contains high amounts of immunoglobulins. Immunoglobulins are what we call "antibodies." The mother passes its antibodies to the baby through the colostrum which is the process of passive immunity (Source: NCBI).

The First Immune Defender of a baby

The process of passive immunity is essential to babies because the body's set of fighters don't know who they're up against, leaving them clueless and having no idea how to fight off diseases. Without the antibodies from the colostrum, the baby's body will struggle to fight diseases and have a high risk of infection.

Take this process as a natural vaccination of the baby's body, but without needles or injections. The antibodies from the colostrum help the body recognize different types of bacteria and viruses and create an immune response or a set of fighters to battle these villains (Source: NCBI).

Fun fact about colostrum:

Interestingly, before developing artificial antibiotics, colostrum was used to fight bacterial infections and was prescribed by physicians for many health conditions (Source: Nutrition&FoodScience).

Are humans the only creatures who can produce colostrum?

Human beings do not solely produce colostrum. In fact, any mammal during the first few days of lactation can produce it. These mammals can be cows, cats, dogs, elephants, whales, and many more!

Some institutions are actually looking into using colostrum from cows for colostrum substitutes for human babies. But this doesn't mean that we can freely rely on cow's colostrum for our babies! Human colostrum is still preferred over other colostrum substitutes. On the other hand, researchers are looking into using it as medicine and supplements for adults because of its benefits (Source: Nutrition&FoodScience).

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How can colostrum help adults?

Nowadays, researchers are looking into different ways to use colostrum and help combat diseases not only for babies but for adults too! Bovine Colostrum, or colostrum from cow's milk, is currently being sold in the market as supplements. It's being used as a supplement for years and is considered safe for consumption (Source: ColostrumResearch). Here are some of the benefits that are making Bovine colostrum popular:

1. Colostrum and how it helps in muscle building

Many professional and amateur athletes and bodybuilders search for natural ways to improve muscle building and physical activity performance. Colostrum contains amino acids & growth factors that can help them achieve that goal. However, note that colostrum can only improve muscle building and physical activity performance if regular training and exercise are being done (Source: ResearchGate).

2. Colostrum and its wonders to our immune system

Aside from immunoglobulins or antibodies, colostrum contains a protein called "Lactoferrin." This helps improve the body's immune function (Source: ColostrumResearch). It is being taken by many health-conscious individuals to help naturally improve their immune function.

3. Colostrum and its wonders to our gut

As we grow older, we eat different kinds of food items and drugs that may have an effect on how the immune process of our gut works. Colostrum has been studied to reduce gastrointestinal discomfort (Source: EFSA). It also contains oligosaccharides that promote the growth of bifidobacteria. Bifidobacteria then helps improve gut microbiome health (Source: NCBI).

A few studies suggest that it can help soften stools for those who have constipation (Source: ImmuneTree). Although, it would still be wise to seek professional advice from a doctor if we have problems with our gut.

Not all Colostrum are alike

With the surge of colostrum supplements in the market, it is essential that we know what characteristics to look for when buying colostrum supplements.

Most colostrum products today are processed to remove the natural fat content. When the fat is removed, the product cannot turn rancid. However, removing the fat removes part of the natural bioactive substances and nutrients bound in the fat matrix, also known as MFGM (milk fat globule membrane). This changes the natural composition of colostrum. In other words, the best colostrum contains the entire 'milk matrix'.

Good to know: A nutritional composition of colostrum with less than 20% fat indicates that the fat has been removed.

Here at Plent, we offer unique bovine colostrum sourced from Scandinavian grass-fed cows. It's created carefully to preserve the natural fat content and the natural bioactive compounds and nutrients of the Colostrum. See our 100% Whole Colostrum product.

Takeaway

Colostrum has been used to introduce antibodies, bioactive substances, and nutrients to all mammals throughout different generations. It's been used by humans to help strengthen babies and allow their bodies to develop and become healthy.

Thanks to science, we're able to benefit from Colostrum even if we're adults. However, it is essential to still have a balanced diet and an active lifestyle when taking supplements. We shouldn't rely on them alone to improve our body's immunity, gut health, and ability to enhance muscle building and physical activity performance.