Bovine Colostrum
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Digestive Support
Diarrhea
Colostrum appears to be useful in treating certain types of infectious diarrhea. In one study, it significantly reduced diarrhea and the amount of oral rehydration required.DiarrheaColostrum might be useful for certain types of infectious diarrhea. In a double-blind trial, children with diarrhea caused by a rotavirus were treated with immunoglobulins extracted from colostrum derived from cows immunized with rotavirus. Compared with the placebo, colostrum extract significantly reduced the amount of diarrhea and the amount of oral rehydration solution required. The rotavirus was eliminated from the stool significantly more rapidly in the colostrum group than in the placebo group (1.5 days, vs. 2.9 days).1
In addition to a positive effect against acute rotavirus diarrhea,2 there is also evidence that specific forms of colostrum (derived from specially immunized cows or those with confirmed presence of specific antibodies) are effective against diarrhea caused by Cryptosporidium parvum,Helicobacter pylori,Escherichia coli, and Clostridium difficile.3,4,5,6,7 However, it is not known whether commercially-available colostrum provides significant amounts of the specific immunoglobulins that are active against these organisms. Furthermore, unless the immunoglobulins are present in high enough concentrations, the preparation is not likely to be effective.8