In this week’s podcast, we discuss colostrum. Your first question may be, what is colostrum and why should I care about it?
Colostrum is a milk like substance made from mammals before actual milk production. The amount produced varies from species to species but it’s usually produced for the first three days after giving birth.
What makes it different than milk? It contains a very high amount of antibodies. While also being high in vitamins, minerals, fats, growth hormones and digestive enzymes. Basically, colostrum has everything needed to support a newborn life.
In particular, it’s higher in protein, fat, carbs, magnesium, B vitamins, and vitamins A, C, and E than cow’s milk.
The biggest source of protein from colostrum comes in the form of antibodies or immunoglobulins. They make up 70-80% of the protein in colostrum.
IgG makes up the biggest portion of about 75% of total antibodies in colostrum.
What are antibodies? Proteins our body makes that recognizes an antigen on the outside of a foreign invader like a virus or bacteria. An antibody binds to an antigen and invokes an immune response telling our body to get that bacteria/virus out of our body.
Since colostrum is high in antibodies, it’s been shown to increase protection from bacteria and viruses.
To learn more about how and why colostrum can help prevent infections from viruses and bacteria listen to this week’s podcast.
Links To Studies Mentioned
