Oo, Baby! Five Benefits of Colostrum

Colostrum is a yellowish, thin milky substance produced by new mothers of every mammalian species in the first days after they give birth, before their breast milk comes in. It is enormously rich in immune factors and growth factors, and packed with nutrients. We don’t need to stalk new mothers in hospital and replace their babies with ourselves, however -- sources from goats and cows are almost as effective as human colostrum. Today we are looking at five of colostrum nutritional supplement's most significant benefits.

Warding off colds, flus, irritable bowel syndrome and diabetes

Research by Immuron, an Australian company, is showing promising early results that suggest that hyper-immunized colostrum nutritional supplements (which are available when the cow has been immunized against certain pathogens), could help prevent diseases like irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes and even the gastrointestinal consequences of AIDS.

Athletic ability

Double blind studies at the Australian Institute of Sport by trainers (as reported on science program Catalyst) have shown that athletes who take colostrum increase their muscle strength by 5-10% over those taking a placebo, recover faster, and also miss fewer days of training due to minor illnesses like influenza.

Gastric diseases

Colostrum has been found by some studies to be especially effective against gastric diseases, especially bugs like Escherichia coli, salmonella, helicobacter pylori, and others such as clostridium and staphylococcus.

Potential stress effects

Some studies have suggested that colostrum can also have an effect on the brain for natural treatment of depression and low moods -- lambs that were tube fed colostrum as compared to saline (directly into their stomach, so taste was not a factor) reduced their distress bleating. The effects of colostrum can be seen in the hypothalamus, the insular cortex and amygdale.

Proteins and Vitamin A

Vitamin A is a powerful antioxidant, and this natural source is one of the best ways to ensure you have enough of it. Protein is one of the most useful ingredients in milk itself (the fat we can live without!), meaning that colostrum nutritional supplements has a high concentration of what we want from milk, but not what we don't.