What is colostrum?
Colostrum (kuh-loss-trum) is the first milk your body produces during pregnancy. It forms in your mammary glands (breasts) and plays an important role in building your baby's immune system. If you plan on breastfeeding (nursing or chestfeeding), it's the first milk your baby will get from your breasts. If you don't want to breastfeed or if your baby is struggling to breastfeed, you can hand express colostrum. It's high in protein, vitamins, minerals and immunoglobulins (antibodies) that help build your baby's immune system. It's often called "liquid gold" because of its rich, golden color and valuable benefits.
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What is colostrum made of?
Colostrum is high in protein and low in fat and sugar. It's filled with white blood cells that produce antibodies. These antibodies strengthen your baby's immune system, protecting him or her from infection. Colostrum is highly concentrated and nutrient-dense even in tiny doses, so your baby's tummy doesn't need a lot to reap its benefits.
What kind of nutrients are in colostrum?
Colostrum is rich in nutrients that protect and nourish your baby unlike anything else. It's made up of things like:
- Immunoglobulin A (an antibody).
- Lactoferrin (a protein that helps prevent infection).
- Leukocytes (white blood cells).
- Epidermal growth factor (a protein that stimulates cell growth).
It gets its color from carotenoids (an antioxidant) and vitamin A. Vitamin A plays a vital role in your baby's vision, skin and immune system. Colostrum is rich in magnesium, which supports your baby’s heart and bones, and copper and zinc, which also support immunity.
What's the difference between colostrum and breast milk?
Colostrum is a nutrient-rich first milk produced by your breasts during pregnancy. It changes to transitional breast milk a few days after your baby is born. However, small amounts of colostrum remain in your breast milk for several weeks.
There are distinct differences between colostrum and breast milk:
- Colostrum is filled with immunoglobins to boost your baby's immune system and protect it from illness.
- Colostrum has two times as much protein.
- Colostrum has four times as much zinc.
- Colostrum is lower in fat and sugar so it's easier to digest.
- Colostrum is thicker and more yellow.
What are the stages of breast milk?
There are three different stages of breast milk: colostrum, transitional milk and mature milk.
- Colostrum: Your first milk that lasts between two and four days after birth.
- Transitional milk: Begins approximately four days after birth and lasts about two weeks.
- Mature milk: Milk that lasts from approximately 14 days after birth until you are done producing milk.
When does colostrum turn to milk?
After approximately three or four days, colostrum will turn to transitional milk. This is often referred to as someone's milk "coming in." Your breasts will feel firm, tender and full. It means your milk supply has ramped up. By this time your baby's stomach has expanded and they can drink more milk each feeding. Once your milk supply is established and your body has stabilized, transitional milk changes to mature milk.
What makes colostrum turn to breast milk?
The pregnancy hormones created by the placenta help you create colostrum. The hormone progesterone drops significantly when the placenta separates from your uterus (after your baby is born). This drop in progesterone triggers your breasts to create milk.
FAQs
Colostrum is the first form of breastmilk that is released by the mammary glands after giving birth. It's nutrient-dense and high in antibodies and antioxidants to build a newborn baby's immune system. It changes to breast milk within two to four days after your baby is born.
What happens when you start taking colostrum? ›
There is some evidence from small human and animal studies to suggest that bovine colostrum supplements may enhance gut health by reducing inflammation and lowering gut permeability. Several trials have shown that hyperimmune bovine colostrum may help prevent or shorten the duration of diarrhea in children and adults.
What to expect when getting colostrum? ›
Your breasts produce their first milk, known as colostrum, from around 16 weeks of pregnancy until the first few days after birth. Colostrum is a thick, sticky, yellowish liquid. It can leak from your breasts onto the nipples and form yellow crusts. If this happens, you may feel the need to wear absorbent nursing pads.
What are the disadvantages of colostrum? ›
Some reported side effects of bovine colostrum supplementation include gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, increased flatulence, and abnormal liver function tests. These gastrointestinal symptoms have been reported to be more common in people infected with HIV.
How long does it take to see the benefits of colostrum? ›
Regardless of how colostrum is consumed, it should be taken approximately 20 minutes before a person eats to achieve the best-possible results. Meanwhile, people sometimes notice the benefits of colostrum within about four to six weeks of initial use.
Who shouldn't take colostrum? ›
Since it is the product of a cow, you may want to avoid it if you follow a strict vegan diet. Dairy allergies. If you have an allergy to cow's milk, bovine colostrum is no exception to that allergy. A dairy allergy means that you have sensitivity to the protein found in cow's milk.
Can colostrum cause weight gain? ›
Colostrum supplementation for 3 weeks after surgery can increase appetite, improve hemoglobin and serum albumin levels, and accelerate weight gain and physical performance more rapidly in peri-trochanteric femoral fractures.
Is it safe to take colostrum every day? ›
Bovine colostrum has most often been used by adults in doses of 10-60 grams by mouth daily for up to 8 weeks. In children, bovine colostrum has been given in doses based on age and weight. Speak with a healthcare provider to find out what type of product and dose might be best for a specific condition.
Should adults take colostrum? ›
Research shows that colostrum supplements may be particularly effective in boosting immunity in elite athletes. One 12-week study in 35 adult distance runners found that taking a daily bovine colostrum supplement increased the amount of saliva IgA antibodies by 79%, compared to baseline levels ( 8 ).
How much colostrum should I get first time? ›
At first, only a few drops will come out at each session, but with practice and time, you should get more. Every drop counts so do not lose heart if you feel you have not collected much colostrum. This does not mean your baby will find it difficult to breastfeed.
World Anti-Doping Agency advises athletes against taking colostrum for fear of causing increased plasma IGF-1. There are also concerns that colostrum may theoretically stimulate malignancy in organs which express IGF-1 receptors.
What are the 3 benefits of colostrum? ›
What are the benefits of colostrum?
- Helps strengthen your baby's immune system.
- Helps to establish a healthy gut by coating the intestines. ...
- Offers ideal nutrition for a newborn.
- Has a laxative effect that helps your baby clear meconium (your baby's first poop) and lessens the chance of jaundice.
- Easy to digest.
Colostrum has proven to be a promising nutritional supplement to boost metabolism and support weight loss. Its ability to increase muscle mass, control appetite, reduce inflammation, and influence key metabolic hormones makes it an exciting subject of research in the field of weight loss.
Is colostrum anti-aging? ›
Colostrum has antimicrobial properties that can help reduce the appearance of skin redness and irritation. Colostrum is perfect for individuals who are just starting to experience the signs of aging. With regular use, colostrum products may help lessen the appearance of wrinkles.
Is colostrum good for wrinkles? ›
Colostrum contains growth factors that stimulate collagen production and skin elasticity. This may decrease the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. There is some preliminary research to support topical treatment of the liposomal bovine colostrum for the skin.
Does colostrum help hair growth? ›
Colostrum's Benefits for Hair
Colostrum supplements may offer potential benefits for hair, including: Promoting hair growth: Contains growth factors that may stimulate hair follicle growth. Reducing hair loss: May help to reduce hair loss by reducing inflammation and protecting the scalp from damage.
What are the benefits of taking colostrum as an adult? ›
These supplements come in both powder and pill form, and are touted to improve immune health, soothe gastrointestinal distress, reduce inflammation, and facilitate muscle recovery, among other benefits in adults.
Does taking colostrum really work? ›
In addition to bovine colostrum's benefits on the health of the calves, it also improves human health in that it enhances the immune defense and gastrointestinal health of humans by its bioactive components (Arslan et al., 2021).
What are the symptoms of colostrum detox? ›
Most people feel better right away, yet about one in five first-time users experience a detox event or "healing crisis," consisting of flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, headache coughing up phlegm, skin rashes and low-grade fever.
