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1. What is the definition of Colostrum?
Colostrum (in English, Colostrum) is a liquid substance, yellow in color, typically secreted in humans, mother cows, and other mammals within 48 – 72 hours after giving birth. Many experts also refer to colostrum as the first milk. After this period, the subsequent milk produced will be white, known as mature milk.
Compared to the white mature milk, yellow colostrum is evaluated as thicker, creamier, and richer in nutrients, especially high in protein and antibodies. This enhances the immune system of infants, newborn animals, protecting them against the risk of diseases, and infections caused by bacteria, viruses in their environment.
2. What are the benefits of Colostrum for humans, especially infants?
Most newborns are fortunate to enjoy their mother's colostrum. However, some mothers may be unaware of this yellowish fluid or skip the initial milk phase, offering mature milk to their infants. Later on, they regret not supplementing it for their child. In many cases, premature or underweight infants, insufficient maternal milk, or mothers undergoing high-dose antibiotic treatments cannot breastfeed, depriving their infants of this valuable source of nutrition.
In modern society, many formula milk manufacturers and dairy product producers use colostrum from animals (cows, goats, sheep, etc.) to create products with colostrum components, also known as supplements. The target audience for these colostrum supplement products is diverse, ranging from infants to adults, seniors, and individuals with health conditions. Hence, it is not surprising that the market is flooded with various colostrum products for infants, pregnant women, and adults.
For humans in general and infants in particular, the benefits of colostrum include providing essential energy and vital nutrients to promote growth and combat diseases during the developmental stages of life. Additionally, notable effects of colostrum include:
– Enhancing the immune system, strengthening the user's gut health, and resisting infections in the digestive tract due to antibodies IgA and IgG.
– Particularly effective in boosting immune capabilities in elite athletes by increasing IgA antibody levels in saliva by 79% compared to the baseline without colostrum use.
– Preventing the decline of immune cells after exercise and reducing the risk of respiratory infection symptoms compared to a placebo.
– Can prevent and treat diarrhea related to bacterial and viral infections due to high levels of antibodies and lactoferrin protein.
– Reduces symptoms in treating conditions such as colitis, inflammation of the inner lining of the colon, memory loss, and diseases related to the prostate gland. Additionally, bovine colostrum is a supportive product aiding in the recovery and healing of nerve injuries, post-surgical pain,...
3. Is bovine colostrum genuinely beneficial to the extent that everyone needs to supplement bovine colostrum?
Based on detailed analyses of the definition of bovine colostrum and its functions mentioned above, we can see that fundamentally, colostrum in humans or in animals such as cows, goats, sheep,... is very beneficial. However, colostrum from animals itself has many noteworthy drawbacks, such as:
– Bovine colostrum is very expensive.
– Various bovine colostrum products supplement various strains, forms, and packaging formats such as sterilized colostrum, colostrum in powder form, in tablet form, in granules that can be consumed directly or mixed with liquids for use. Due to the numerous types, it is also challenging to control the actual functional efficacy of bovine colostrum products because the component ratio is very minimal and insignificant, so there is a possibility that the desired effects may not be achieved as expected by users.
– Most non-dairy products on the market are derived from bovine colostrum, potentially causing allergies. Individuals with a history or signs of cow milk allergy should avoid consumption.
– Depending on how cows are raised and cared for, bovine colostrum may contain harmful substances such as antibiotics, pesticides, or synthetic hormones. These substances are generally not beneficial for the human body.
– In a study conducted by NCBI Literature Resources, 8 out of 55 samples of bovine colostrum were found to contain Salmonella bacteria, a type of bacteria that can be harmful to humans if bovine colostrum is not properly pasteurized.
– Furthermore, it is unclear whether the added supplements from bovine colostrum are genuinely safe for pregnant or breastfeeding women.
– Finally, many consumers raise ethical concerns when using non-dairy cow milk. The large-scale production of non-dairy cow milk implies that many newborn calves are deprived of valuable nutrients from their mothers, leading to health issues, malnutrition, weakness, and increased mortality in calves.
Therefore, exercise careful consideration before deciding to use this supplement. While non-dairy milk is inherently good, it may not be suitable for everyone. If you genuinely need to use non-dairy milk, Mytour.vn advises purchasing products with clear origins, reputable manufacturing brands, and contacting the manufacturer directly to address specific concerns related to the supply of raw materials and processing procedures.
