Have you heard of “liquid gold“?
Coming from a grown man, this will sound strange. In fact, it made a friend of mine the laughing stock of our circle.
But he was onto something.
Colostrum is a legal and effective natural precursor to HGH, IGF-1. It's the perfect all-in-one recovery booster. Share on XAs it turns out, a special form of breast milk is a powerful athletic performance enhancer. And a tool to heal the gut, promote growth and repair, and provide natural immunity against all kinds of pathogens. This post will be your guide to supplementing goat and bovine colostrum, a well-studied form of upgraded milk.
Colostrum Explained (Like You’re a Baby)
Colostrum is a highly nutritious fluid excreted just before milk meant to protect and nourish babies. Colostrum is packed with all the substrates needed to fuel their rapid growth. You’re no baby.
But don’t fear. Adults have consumed colostrum for millennia.
India’s Ayurvedic physicians prescribed colostrum for medicinal and spiritual healing ever since the domestication of cows. Ancient Chinese medicine recognized it as a health staple. Various tribes use it as a natural remedy.
As of 2020, 9,300+ scientific articles have investigated the safety, efficacy, and benefits of colostrum.
How does colostrum compare to milk?
It wins hands-down. Science has discovered special active ingredients in colostrum:
- Lactoferrin
- miRNA
- Growth factors
- Antibodies
Some practitioners even add colostrum to enemas for greater absorption and immune stimulation. You’ll benefit from taking it normally too.
Uses & Benefits of Colostrum
Visual learners will appreciate this breakdown of colostrum:
All mammals initially rely on colostrum for nutrition, immunity, and growth. If you can get over the oddity of consuming pre-breastmilk, this supplement packs a punch.
Here’s what researchers said about colostrum (emphasis mine):
“Colostrum is the only natural source of two major growth factors namely, transforming growth factors alpha and beta, and insulin-like growth factors 1 and 2. These growth factors have significant muscle and cartilage repair characteristics. They promote wound healing with practical implications for trauma and surgical patients. Colostral growth factors have multiple regenerative effects that extend to all structural body cells, such as the gut.“
While primarily used to heal the gut and enhance immunity, colostrum has other uses too.
1. Healing & Repairing the Gut
The gut is a fragile structure. At certain places the lining is just one cell thick. Most of the focus on colostrum has centered around its overwhelmingly positive effects on the gut.
- A trial found that colostrum attenuated damage and protected the gut from damage.
- Another study showed it prevents gut damage caused by common NSAID drugs.
- If you’ve had leaky gut, mold or mycotoxin exposure, run a course of antibiotics, or consumed food laden with the pesticide glyphosate, colostrum helps restore the gut microbiome.
2. Athletic Recovery Super Fuel
Colostrum burns fat, builds muscle, and improves athletic performance. But it shines in another arena.
Recovery is the overlooked pillar of sports performance. Multi-million dollar careers hinge on it.
Anything that improves recovery deserves consideration by serious athletes. But colostrum does even more:
“Colostrum could be the most important natural substance to help athletes (from weekend warriors to professional athletes) achieves their desired results. Research shows that colostrum can help to increase strength and endurance, build lean muscle mass, burn body fat, boost immune function, which typically dips after strenuous exercise, shorten recovery time and accelerate healing of injuries.”
Food and Nutrition Journal
The above quote makes a compelling case for its place in every athlete’s regimen.
Additionally, it mitigates two primary dangers of heavy exercise:
- Increased gut permeability. Colostrum can protect the gut against typical damage and also upregulate longevity boosting heat shock proteins.
- Reduced immune function. One study of distance runners found that bovine colostrum increased salivary IgA antibodies by 79%. Another in cyclists observed a decreased risk of infection.
3. Nutrition
Colostrum is like a meal replacement shake for babies.
Abundant research has confirmed colostrum’s rich nutritional content:
In addition to the above, it even acts as an antioxidant.
4. Nature’s Antibiotic
Colostrum contains appreciable quantities of every immunoglobulin in it.
- IgA
- IgD
- IgE
- IgG
- IgM
It’s broad infection-fighting powers have earned it the nickname “nature’s flu shot” (in addition to “liquid gold”). Colostrum is an anti-infective, including for diarrhea prevention and treatment.
5. General Wellness
Like any good multi-purpose supplement, colostrum supports wellbeing.
It’s been studied to potentially prevent disease, to improve recovery, and stack nicely with other foods:
- Speeds up post-surgery recovery
- One study of colostrum and whey found improved strength, muscle thickness, lean tissue mass, and cognitive function.
- Increases stem-cells
- Improves Alzheimer’s by protecting brain cells
- Anti-cancer
- Anti-inflammatory
How to Choose The Best Bovine Colostrum Supplement
After you decide to take it, you’ll quickly face decisions.
- Which is the best bovine or goat colostrum brand to buy?
- When’s the best time to take it?
- Should you consume colostrum with any other foods?
Finding the Right Colostrum Product
Navigating the colostrum market is more difficult than I expected. To start, there aren’t many brands. There’s also the debate of pills versus powder versus liquid.
Look for grass-fed products. At the very least, if you can’t buy organic, I’d skip colostrum. Ethics aside, the last thing you want is to consume concentrated hormones, pesticides, chemicals, and antibiotics from animals raised in miserable conditions.
Check the colostrum for purity by looking up third-party testing results:
- U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP)
- NSF International
- ConsumerLab
I’ve used this cheaper and hypoallergenic bovine colostrum.
But if you’re looking for the purest colostrum, this is the best product.
Using Colostrum
To maximally absorb colostrum you’ll need to take it on an empty stomach, at least 30 minutes before food. Especially important with powders. Let it dissolve in your mouth for several minutes. With capsules, do the same and let them sit on your tongue. Salivary enzymes “activate” the colostrum.
Most people benefit from taking colostrum in the morning and evening. Athletes, however, should take colostrum an hour before exercise and before bedtime for the greatest protective effects.
Folks generally start noticing benefits after a few weeks. For bodybuilding and building lean mass, studies show that it takes at least eight weeks.
Bovine & Goat Colostrum For Overall Wellbeing
Remember the old milk commercials? It turns out they were partially right.
Colostrum is the closest thing animals have to super milk. Share on XBabies wouldn’t grow into strong, resilient, and regenerative humans without colostrum. Dubbed liquid gold, colostrum has all the necessary growth and repair factors missing from everyday life.
While it’s only recently regaining popularity, India’s Ayurvedic physicians have prescribed colostrum for thousands of years. Today, nearly 10,000 studies have investigated the broad benefits of bovine, human, and goat colostrum.
Of the many uses, it’s most known for:
- Repairing and healing the gut
- Enhancing athletic performance
- Acting as a natural antibiotic
- Improving overall wellbeing
- Providing a dense source of nutrition
But don’t just rush out to your local Walmart. Cheap, conventional colostrum is loaded with toxins. You’re better off skipping it altogether than buy low-quality stuff.
Good luck explaining colostrum to curious friends. You’ll get a laugh or two. But eight weeks of supplementation later, they’ll be back for your advice.
Sit back, bask, and enjoy the I told you so moment.
