The benefits of colostrum aren’t obvious, health experts say

But like other supposed milk health hacks, experts say evidence is limited for many of colostrum’s purported health benefits.

Colostrum, which you can buy in pill or powder form, appears in the milk of mammals after they give birth. In addition to a host of nutrients, it contains antibodies, white blood cells, and other compounds that are meant to give puppies a boost as they begin life. Colostrum that you can buy as a supplement usually comes from cow’s milk.

The substance has gained popularity among consumers for everything from reducing intestinal inflammation to improving athletic performance.

One TikTok user, for example, claimed in an August post that the supplement reduced her swelling after eating:

In the video, the TikTok user shows two photos of herself: one a month earlier without using colostrum, and a second where she looks less bloated. “And this picture was me after eating Korean barbecue,” she says in the video.

But health experts say the research is much more ambiguous about what exactly colostrum can do as a supplement.

Research is ongoing into the purported health benefits of colostrum

In the US, supplements are not regulated like drugs, which must undergo testing before they can be sold or prescribed. Conversely, many supplement manufacturers make claims about the effectiveness of their products without the same rigorous testing.

Those dubious claims often accompany colostrum supplements, Caroline Thomason, a Virginia-based dietitian, told CNN last month.

While social media posts claim that colostrum can promote skin health, help you recover from exercise, lose weight or reverse the signs of aging, there isn’t enough scientific evidence to support these claims, Thomason said. .

Some studies show that colostrum can help people who have compromised immune systems or gastrointestinal diseases, Thomason said, although those findings are preliminary, she added.

“It’s important to note that while these benefits sound exciting, the research on colostrum is still relatively new and not entirely conclusive,” Thomason told CNN.

Lindsey Wohlford, a dietitian at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, doesn’t recommend taking colostrum supplements.

“Further studies, and more robust data collected, are needed before a clear recommendation on use can be made,” she said in a March post by the Center.