Why This ‘Liquid Gold’ Supplement from Cows Is Trending

• Bovine colostrum supplements, also known as “liquid gold,” have become increasingly popular, thanks in part to being promoted by wellness influencers on social media platforms such as TikTok.
• Bovine colostrum is the first milk a cow produces in the first few days after giving birth.
• Proponents of bovine colostrum claim that the supplement offers a variety of health benefits, including improved gut health, athletic performance, and recovery.
• Experts say there is limited high-quality research to support these claims and recommend proceeding with caution and keeping expectations managed, especially if you have certain conditions.

Wellness influencers, celebrities, and social media content creators are touting the benefits of bovine colostrum supplements.

Nicknamed “liquid gold,” these supplements are made from the first milk a cow produces after giving birth.

“It’s rich in antibodies, protein, carbohydrates and fats, which help strengthen the newborn calf’s immune system and help it grow and stay healthy,” he explains. Maddie Pasquariello, MS, RDN.

Humans also secrete colostrum after birth, the first thick milk produced by the mother that contains nutrients and antibodies. Nurture and protect Protects newborns from infections.

However, cow colostrum and human colostrum are not the same.

“Simply put, human colostrum evolved to benefit the human infant, and cow colostrum evolved to benefit the cow,” Pasquariello says. “Bovine colostrum contains IgG as the predominant immunoglobulin, whereas human colostrum contains IgA as the predominant immunoglobulin. Bovine colostrum contains IgG as the predominant immunoglobulin, whereas cow colostrum contains IgA as the predominant immunoglobulin. Overall high Immunoglobulin, lactoferrin and total protein content were improved.”

Nevertheless, bovine colostrum supplements are growing in popularity, as the substance is said to offer a range of health benefits, including boosting immunity, improving gut health, enhancing athletic performance and aiding recovery.

But unlike the benefits of human colostrum for human newborns, the data and evolutionary evidence supporting the benefits of cow colostrum for adult humans is mixed, limited or nonexistent, nutritionists and researchers say.

Here’s what we know about the evidence supporting the most commonly cited health benefits of bovine colostrum.

They explain that cow colostrum contains immune-activating compounds. Lacey Pathak, MS, RDNPuttuck, a registered dietitian at Top Nutrition Coaching, recommends:

• enzyme
• Cytokines
• Immunoglobulins

Pathak said, Narrative Review from 2024 The study included data ranging from newborns to 69-year-old adults and suggested that supplementing with cow’s colostrum may improve the body’s ability to fight respiratory and gastrointestinal infections.

Much older the study A study of 35 male long-distance runners from 2006 suggested that participants who supplemented with bovine colostrum had higher immune biomarkers and fewer upper respiratory tract symptoms.

However, this study was small, included one population and gender, and relied on self-reported symptom data.

Additionally, improvements in biomarkers (collected using saliva samples) do not necessarily mean fewer sick days.

“Bovine colostrum is rich in immune-boosting compounds such as IgG, but its effects on human immunity require further research to see if it boosts immunity in adults,” he said. Chris Mohr, PhD, RDFitness and Nutrition Advisor at Fortune Recommended Health.

“This is different from saying that human mother’s colostrum enhances the immune response of human infants, which is true, but as a supplement, there is no actual evidence,” Pasquariello said.

Pasquariello added that the frequently cited studies did not randomize populations or take into account other factors that affect immune health, making them difficult to apply to the general population.

Pathak explains that the rationale for this theory comes from the fact that cow colostrum contains insulin-like growth factors (IgF-1 and IgF-2) that may improve muscle recovery, performance and growth.

But more research is needed to substantiate this claim, Sheri Gow, RDN, CDCESa registered dietitian and spokesperson for Dietitian Insights.

Gau points out 6 weeks in 2018 study A study in soccer players showed that taking 3.5 grams of bovine colostrum daily reduced muscle soreness and improved performance.

Recently, Narrative Review 2021 Some studies suggest that bovine colostrum may benefit body composition and recovery, however the studies are limited and the study designs did not take into account other variables.

Improved gut health is thought to be a benefit of breastfeeding newborns in the first few days of life, but cow’s colostrum is also promoted as a gut health booster.

a 2021 in review He noted that research into the effectiveness of bovine colostrum in treating and preventing gastrointestinal diseases is “ongoing.”

but, 2022 Systematic Review Bovine colostrum may be useful in reducing intestinal permeability in high-performance athletes, but more and better designed studies are needed to evaluate its safety and effectiveness, the study suggests.

Moore and Pasquariello say there’s currently insufficient evidence to support the claims that gut health improves.