Colostrum Research Summary

There have been over 2000 papers published on bovine colostrum.  Most of these papers deal with investigational issues related to the composition of colostrum, immunoglobulin activity, and the mechanism of immune transfer from mother to offspring.  The majority of these are animal studies and are devoted to veterinary applications or uses in the dairy industry.  Recent studies have begun to focus on the clinical advantages of bovine colostrum supplementation for humans, including gastrointestinal and immune applications, investigating both safety and effectiveness.

Bovine colostrum is known to mimic the composition of human colostrum, providing immunoglobulins (IgG, sIgA, IgM), growth factors, peptides, lactoferrin, vitamins, and minerals.  However, bovine colostrum has a higher concentration of immune factors than human colostrum, including as much as 40 times the IgG found in human colostrum as a percentage of total protein.  An abundance of research shows that the immune and growth factors in colostrum are transferable between mammal species, meaning that the IgG and other antibodies in bovine colostrum are available to humans.  The effectiveness of bovine colostrum supplementation is dependent on manufacturing processes, because the immune factors are highly sensitive to heat.  While much of the research conducted on colostrum employs fresh-pooled, unprocessed bovine colostrum, the literature also supports the use of properly dried colostrum powders.

Immune factors from bovine colostrum supplementation are not digested and absorbed, but remain intact and active in the intestinal tract.  As such, colostrum participates in gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) activity, and therefore plays a role in both immune health and gastrointestinal function:

Stephan W, Dichtelmuller H, Lissner R. Antibodies from colostrum in oral immunotherapy. J Clin Chem Clin Biochem. 1990;28:19-23.

The casein and fat were removed and the liquid colostrum was spray-dried, resulting in a stable colostrum powder with high Ig concentation (30.4% IgG) and high antibacterial antibody titres (compared to human plasma).  Antibody titres decreased slightly in the dry powder after 4 weeks at 37°C, and 2-8°C was recommended for prolonged storage.  10g of the colostrum administered orally in solution was well tolerated by humans and was found to be highly effective in the treatment of severe diarrhea in AIDS patients.

Playford RJ, Floyd DN, Macdonald CE, et al. Bovine colostrum is a health food supplement which prevents NSAID induced gut damage. Gut. 1999;44:653-8.

Fat, casein, and lactose were removed from bovine colostrum liquid to concentrate immune and growth factors.  Oral pretreatment with 0.5 or 1.0mL liquid colostrum reduced indomethacin-induced gut injury by 30 and 60% respectively in rats.

Playfod RJ, Madonald CE, Johnson WS. Co-administration of the health food supplement, bovine colostrum, reduces non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced increase in intestinal permeability. Clin Sci Lond. 2001;100(6):627-33.

De-fatted, spray-dried bovine colostrum administered orally as a liquid at 125mL TID before and after 5 days of 50mg of indomethacin TID in healthy males.  Indomethacin caused a 3-fold increase in intestinal permeability as assessed by lactulose:rhamnose ratios in contol patients, while co-administration of colostrum prevented any significant increase in intestinal permeability.  Patients on long-term NSAID treatment did not show elevated intestinal permeability at baseline and were not influenced by colostrum supplementation in this model.

Additional selection of citations related to immune and gastrointestinal health in humans:

Playford RJ, Macdonald CE, Johnson WS. Colostrum and milk-derived peptide growth   factors for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders (review). Am J Clin Nutr. 2000;72:5-14.

Mero A, Miikkulainen H, Tiski J, et al. Effects of bovine colostrum supplementation on serum IGF-I, IgG, hormone, and saliva IgA during training. J Appl Physiol. 1997;83(4):1144-51.

Davidson, et al. Passive immunization of children with bovine colostrum containing antibodies to human rotavirus. Lancet, 1989.

Fernandez, et al. Lyophilized bovine colostrum in the treatment of prolonged infantile diarrhea. Am J Clin Nutr, 1973.

Sarker, et al. Successful treatment of rotavirus diarrhea in children with immunoglobulin from immunized bovine colostrum. Ped Infectious Dis J, 1998.

Mitra, et al. Hyperimmune cow colostrum reduces diarrhea due to rotavirus: a double-blind, controlled clinical trial. Acta Paediatrica Supplement, Olso 1992.

Pahud, et al. Bovine milk antibodies in the treatment of enteric infections and their ability to eliminate virulence factors from pathogenic E. coli. Adv Exp Med Biol, 1981.

Casswall, et al. Treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection in infants in rural Bangladesh with oral immunoglobulins from hyperimmune bovine colostrum. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 1998.

Rump, et al. Treatment of diarrhea in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with immunoglobulins from bovine colostrum. Clin Investigator, 1992.

Please note that some of these studies used specialized colostrum from cows immunized to produce specific antibodies.