What is Colostrum and why is it important (Even for Human Adults!)

Dubbed as nature’s “first food,” Colostrum is a yellowish, sticky fluid. Mammals produce shortly after giving birth. Packed with nutrients and antibodies, it’s exactly what babies need for a healthy transition to their new life outside the womb.

Colostrum is known for boosting the immune system, promoting growth, and even toughening up the stomach and intestines. No wonder the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends immediate breastfeeding!

It’s been far too long since you were a cute pooping machine, but what if we tell you that you can still reap the benefits of Colostrum even as an adult?

Bodyweight Heaven has been a go-to website for those looking for foolproof routes towards their body goals. Today, we’ll walk you through the fundamentals of Colostrum and why it’s a recommended supplement for adults. 

Be sure to read ‘til the end so you’d know BWH’s top pick among all Colostrum supplements out in the market!

Why is Colostrum the superfood for babies?

With a stomach the size of a marble and an ultra vulnerable immune system, the first few days of life can be really tough for babies. Thankfully, this is also the period when mothers produce colostrum as a nutrition-rich superfood that’s easy to digest. 

Every drop is rich in nutritional, immunity, and growth factors. No formula milk can ever replicate these benefits:

• Prevents jaundice and aids in excreting bodily wastes
• Provides the best nutrients for the heart, brain, and eye development
• Complete nutrition powered by proteins, vitamins, salts, and fats
• Strengthens the digestive system against sickness-causing germs

Now that’s another compelling reason to wish we were a baby again, isn’t it? But hey, you don’t have to travel back to the past just to ingest mothers’ natural nutrients! Hop on to the next section get your colostrum know-how on.

Can adults take Colostrum too?

Human mommas aren’t the only ones who produce this superfood. All mammals do. Science has found a way to turn cows’ colostrum into rave-worthy supplements that’s safe and rewarding for us adults – often dubbed bovine colostrum.

Supplements for human consumption are harvested from cows within the first few hours of birthing. This process strictly follows FDA standards, often demanding heavy supervision to ensure the dairy animal’s hygiene and environment. After being pasteurized, it’s also dried up and processed, after that is is ready for consumption, usually via pills or powder.

Curious about what it looks and tastes like? When buying from a reputable source it is usually cream-colored and is similar to the flavor of buttermilk. Most people find the taste very pleasant and mild.

These supplements may have gained popularity only recently, but this substance has actually played a huge role in the history of medicine:

• It has been used by Indians since ancient times for both medicinal and spiritual treatments.
• In the late 18th century, Western medicine began to look into the potential health benefits of colostrum and eventually prescribed it as an immune system enhancement.
• Before penicillin and other modern antibiotics were developed in the 20th century, colostrum was widely used to cure bacterial infections.
• The immunoglobulin used for the first oral vaccine against polio was harvested from colostrum.

What are the benefits of Colostrum for adults?

Thanks to being a nutritional powerhouse, it can do wonders for your immune system and wellness, and even performance:

• Antibiotic Alternative: It can be used as an alternative to antibiotics against E. coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, and other illness-causing bacteria
• Immunity Booster: It boosts immunity and can help ease autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis
• Gut Health: It improves gut health by enhancing your body’s use of probiotics
• Athletic Performance: It amplifies athletic performance by lessening the occurrence of gas, diarrhea, cramps, and nausea

Are Colostrum supplements as nutritious as the human form?

A study claimed that the composition and benefits of bovine colostrum are almost identical to human colostrum. In addition, it can be harvested in large volumes, this makes cows the “universal donor of colostrum to humans.”

Let’s take a look at the comparison between the nutritional, immunity, and growth factors of human and bovine colostrum:

Composition	Human Colsotrum	Bovine Colostrum
Energy	58 kcal per 100mL	~130 kcal per 100mL
Protein	3.7 g per 100mL	~14.9 g per 100mL
Fat	2.9 g per 100mL	~6.7 g per 100mL
Lactoferrin	700 mg/mL	100 mg/mL
Immunoglobin A (IgA)	17.36 mg/mL	3.9 mg/mL
Immunoglobin G (IgG)	0.43 mg/mL	47.6 mg/mL
Immunoglobin G2 (IgG2)	none	2.9 mg/mL
Transforming Growth Factor	2.2 to 7.2 mcg/L	2.2 to 7.2 mcg/L
Insulin-like Growth Factor	18 mg/L	10 mg/L
Epidermal Growth Factor	200 mcg/L	30 to 50 mcg/L

Our best Colostrum supplement choice:

My Conclusion

I began using colostrum as a supplement shortly after hearing about it from Niraj Naik from Soma Breath. This was about 2 years ago. I had issues that seemed to center around inflammation from a permeable gut lining due to years of bad food and drink habits, antibiotics, and intense exercise. Within about a month of steady usage, my inflammation was noticeably less, both subjectively and objectively from CRP lab tests.

Over time, this has become the one supplement I keep in my cupboard and is in regular use. I don’t use it daily as I did for the first months but I use it regularly if I know I may consume gut disrupting food or drink, after hard exercise or any type of disruptive gut issues that arise.

In conclusion we can only make colostrum one of the highest recommended supplement for your arsenal today!