If you’re looking for the best colostrum supplements to buy this year, then you’ve come to the right place.
You can also get more info by jumping to our Colostrum Supplements Guide.
Top 10 Colostrum Supplements
#1 | NOW Foods Colostrum | More Info | |
#2 | Jarrow Formulas Colostrum Prime Life | More Info | |
#3 | Naturade Symbiotics Colostrum Plus Capsules | More Info | |
#4 | Source Naturals Colostrum Powder | More Info | |
#5 | NutriWorth Colostrum | More Info | |
#6 | Manna Pro Colostrum Supplement | More Info | |
#7 | Pure Science Supplements Bovine Colostrum | More Info | |
#8 | Progressive Labs Colostrum | More Info | |
#9 | Naturetition Supplements Colostrum | More Info | |
#10 | Serene Dew Supplements Colostrum | More Info |
Colostrum Supplements Guide
Although its benefits for humans generate debate in some scientific circles, many consumers today take bovine colostrum supplements. It has become an especially popular dietary supplement among bodybuilders and other athletes. This product has also reportedly been used with some success as a supplement for racehorses.
Although consumed as a food item in many parts of the world, colostrum did not receive extensive attention in the United States until recent decades. Today bovine colostrum has become a popular dietary supplement.
What is Colostrum?
The breast milk produced immediately after pregnancy in most mammals contains a special substance called “colostrum“. Rich in antibodies, it helps protect newborns from a variety of diseases by conferring passive immunity.
Although studies suggest human infants don’t require colostrum in order to survive, drinking this milk proves absolutely essential for most livestock, including cows and horses and, to a lesser extent, domestic pets. In many species, the antibodies in colostrum protect newborns from potentially life-threatening illnesses until they develop well-functioning immune systems capable of mounting an effective defense against diseases.
Livestock deprived of colostrum during the first few days of life will become sickly and fail to thrive. Since newborns do not possess fully developed immune systems, the antibodies in colostrum play a vital role in alerting a neonate’s body to the presence of pathogens. In order to mount an effective immune response during the first few weeks of life, young livestock need to consume maternal colostrum. This special substance helps prepare them for diseases in their immediate environment. Foals or calves prevented from nursing during the critical hours following birth won’t survive because they lack access to maternal colostrum.
During the 1980s and 1990s, some nutritional supplement providers began marketing bovine (i.e. cow) colostrum for human consumption. In some cases, they vaccinated the cows against certain diseases, allowing them to develop antibodies to pathogens. The animals subsequently transmitted proteins called “immunoglobulins” through colostrum to help protect their offspring from these illnesses. Today, some nutritional supplement producers have developed proprietary formulations concentrating proteins derived from bovine colostrum.
Benefits of Colostrum
Although some scientists have disputed the effectiveness of bovine colostrum dietary supplements in assisting human immune systems, anecdotal reports exist from many people reporting a greater sense of well being and general good health from consuming these products. Both individuals with impaired immune systems, such as HIV patients and bone marrow transplant recipients, and athletes interested in optimizing physical performance, have in the past alleged health benefits from supplementation with bovine colostrum products.
Researchers from the University of Illinois and Aarhus University in Denmark published an influential study in 2011 entitled “Immunoglobulins in Colostrum and Milk“. It suggested proteins in bovine colostrum might potentially offer immunological benefits for other species and humans. This research has helped fuel interest in bovine colostrum supplements.
Possible beneficial uses of these products include assisting patients with severe diarrhea. People with weakened immune systems sometimes face a higher-than-normal risk of suffering infection from some types of pathogens. While a healthy immune system will recognize and destroy these “opportunistic” bacteria or viruses quickly, a weakened immune system may not respond so effectively. Supplementation with hyperimmune bovine colostrum has helped some youngsters and adult bone marrow transplant recipients with weakened immune systems overcome opportunistic contagious diarrheal diseases, for instance. Today hospitals sometimes use this nutritional supplement to assist patients.
Researchers have discovered preliminary indications bovine colostrum holds benefits in stimulating the immune system. Although not verified by the weight of an extensive body of scientific literature, healthy young adult men who took bovine colostrum regularly during an eight-week period displayed a reduced susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections.
Some athletes have also claimed enhanced athletic performance as a result of taking this supplement. Research into these claims involving human test subjects has produced varying results. Additionally, at least one study indicated regular colostrum supplementation might benefit the performance of racehorses.
Are There Any Side Effects?
Pasteurized bovine colostrum dietary supplements produce no greater documented adverse side effects than other milk products. People with lactose intolerance may not wish to consume these products. Additionally, a possibility exists bovine colostrum in some forms might contribute to flatulence. Anyone with allergies to milk products should probably refrain from taking bovine colostrum supplements.
In the past, some dairies offered raw bovine colostrum for sale to the public. However, this practice ended in the United States after concerns arose that unpasteurized colostrum might contribute to the spread of harmful bacterial diseases, such as E. coli or Salmonella. These pathogens frequently cause food poisoning and they sometimes grow in unpasteurized milk.
Very little information exists concerning potential interactions, if any, between colostrum and prescription medications. As a form of milk, colostrum potentially might interact with any drugs impacted by regular milk. If you have any concerns about this issue, consult with your physician before using this supplement.
How to Take Colostrum
Producers currently pasteurize colostrum, which conceivably might potentially destroy some antibodies in this special milk. They also frequently offer the supplement in an easily stored freeze-dried form. Powdered bovine colostrum has become a popular dietary supplement.
Consumers can select bovine colostrum supplements today in a variety of forms: as a pasteurized beverage, a powdered milkshake additive, or in tablets or gelatinized capsules. In some parts of the word, vendors sell cheeses produced from colostrum, such as the Ukrainian dish Molozyvo. The selection of supplement largely depends upon the preferences of an individual consumer.
Most clinical studies have used “hyperimmune bovine colostrum“, a special form of this supplement classified by the Food and Drug Administration as a drug. It contains documented high titers of immunoglobulins and meets specific collection requirements. While off-the-shelf bovine colostrum supplements potentially vary widely in terms of antibody content from one producer to another, hyperimmune bovine colostrum offers the advantage of maintaining a more consistent formulation.
What to Look For in a Good Colostrum Supplement
One important consideration for anyone taking bovine colostrum supplements relates to obtaining colostrum from healthy, well-maintained cows. The spread of “Mad Cow Disease” in some locations poses a potential risk for consumers of cow products, since cows can transmit this fatal condition to humans.
The disease can spread through the consumption of certain body tissues and fluids, and infected milk products potentially transmit dreaded Mad Cow Disease. Today most nations regulate agricultural producers in order to minimize the risk of Mad Cow Disease exposure.
An additional consideration when consuming a colostrum supplement concerns the variability of colostrum from one geographic area to another. Since colostrum offers passive immunity to newborn livestock, the composition of this substance varies slightly from cow to cow. For instance, herds lacking any exposure to some diseases won’t produce antibodies to those conditions. For this reasons, it makes sense to seek out a bovine colostrum supplement provider who makes an effort to obtain colostrum with demonstrated titers of immunoglobulins.
For instance, companies with proprietary bovine colostrum products frequently conduct extensive research and exercise great care in the preparation of their supplements. They have often invested heavily in product development. Some possess patented formulations.
You’ll want to select a supplement provider with an excellent reputation for maintaining safe, hygienic production facilities. If you have questions about the preparation and the effects of a particular bovine colostrum product, the company marketing the product should respond to your inquiries in order to receive consideration.
With considerable competition in the bovine colostrum supplement marketplace, a variety of providers offer variations of this popular supplement. By purchasing from reputable firms, you increase your chance of finding suitable products. At a minimum, a provider should test its colostrum periodically to accurately indicate titers of different immunoglobulins in the product.
The post 10 Best Colostrum Supplements – Reviewed & Ranked for 2017 appeared first on Supplement Hound - Supplement Reviews for 2016.
from Supplement Hound – Supplement Reviews for 2016 http://supplementhound.com/best-colostrum-supplements/
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