Colostrum is a breast fluid produced by humans, cows, and other mammals before breast milk is released.
It’s very nutritious and contains high levels of antibodies, which are proteins that fight infections and bacteria.
Colostrum promotes growth and health in infants and newborn animals, but research shows that taking bovine colostrum supplements may promote immunity, help fight infections, and improve gut health throughout life.
Colostrum is a milky fluid that’s released by mammals that have recently given birth before breast milk production begins.
It’s an important source of nutrients that promotes growth and fights disease in infants, but it can also be consumed during other phases of life — typically in supplement form.
Even though all mammals produce colostrum, supplements are usually made from the colostrum of cows. This supplement is known as bovine colostrum.
Bovine colostrum is similar to human colostrum — rich in vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates, disease-fighting proteins, growth hormones, and digestive enzymes (1).
Bovine colostrum supplements have become popular in recent years, as they may promote immunity, fight infection, and improve gut health (2, 3).
For these supplements colostrum from cows is pasteurized and dried into pills or into powders that can be mixed with liquids. Bovine colostrum typically has a light yellow color and a subtle taste and smell that resembles buttermilk.