Table 2.
Clinical applications of colostrum on athletes.
| Target group | Dose & duration | Study Design | Effect | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athletes | 20 g BC/day Total: 8 weeks |
Randomized controlled and double-blind, placebo-controlled study design. Placebo: Whey protein (20g/day in powder form) |
Achieved a lean mass gain of +1.49 kg, indicating the potential for increased lean mass in active individuals. | (10) |
| Sprinters and jumpers | 125ml BC/day, 8 days of strength and speed training, 13 days apart. | Randomized, double-blind, crossover study design. Placebo: Whey protein (125 ml/day in liquid form) |
Increased IGF-I levels in athletes (≈ +5 nmol/l in BC group, ≈ -4 nmol/l in placebo), promoting muscle growth and anabolic effects. | (33) |
| 35 elite field hockey players | 60 g BC/day Total: 8 weeks |
Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study design. Placebo: Whey protein (60g/day in powder form) |
Enhanced elite field hockey players’ sprint and jump performance. Colostrum supplementation may enhance sprint performance by 2.3% more than whey supplementation. | (34) |
| 51 athletes | 60 g BC/day Total: 8 weeks |
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel study design. Placebo: Whey protein (60g/day in powder form) |
Vertical jump (7370 to 7237 W) and cycle power (1400 to 1311 W) was higher in the BC by 1.5% and 2.3% respectively | (35) |
| 42 cyclists | 20g BC + 40g whey protein, or 60g BC or WPC (placebo). 8 weeks. | Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study design. Placebo: Whey protein concentration (60g/day in powder form) |
The cyclists improved their performance ride time by 134 (20g) and 158 (60g) seconds, when compared to the placebo group which is 37 seconds. | (36) |
| 29 highly trained road cyclists | 60 g/day Total: 8 week |
Double-blind and placebo-controlled study design. Placebo: Whey protein (10g/day in powder form) |
Enhanced recovery, potentially increasing performance by up to 5.2% after 8 weeks. | (37) |
| 13 elite rowers | 60 g BC/day Total: 9 weeks |
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study design. Placebo: Whey protein (10g/day in powder form) |
Improved blood buffer capacity (BC group ≈ 40, compared to placebo ≈ 33, in slykes unit), but did not enhance performance significantly. | (38) |
| 16 athletes | 500 mg BC/day Total: 20 days |
Double-blind and placebo-controlled study design. Placebo: Whey protein (500mg/day in powder form) |
%75 of the BC group (6) showed reduced intestinal permeability. Meanwhile 62.5% of the placebo group (5) experienced infections. | (39) |
| 25 soccer players | 3.2 g BC/day Total: 6 weeks |
Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study design. Placebo: Whey protein (3.2g/day in capsule form) |
Enhanced recovery after intense exercise, affecting biochemical parameters. | (40) |
| 12 individuals | 20 g BC/day Total: 14 days |
Double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study design. Placebo: Isoenergetic and isomacronutrient milk protein concentrate (20g/day in powder form) |
Placebo group showed higher increase in cell damage marker (I-FABP) than BC group, 194% to 134%. | (41) |
| 12 athletes | 20 g BC/day Total: 14 days |
Double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study design. Placebo: Isoenergetic and isomacronutrient milk protein concentrate (20g/day in powder form) |
Placebo group showed higher Intestinal permeability increase (2.5-fold) when compared to BC group 80%) Reduced exercise-induced intestinal permeability and enhanced performance while preventing heat stroke. |
(42) |
| 20 athletes | 20 g BC/day Total: 4 weeks |
Randomized, double-blind, parallel study design. Placebo: Isoenergetic and isomacronutrient milk protein concentrate (20g/day in powder form) |
BC supplementation demonstrated significant effects on exercise-induced changes in innate immunity compared to the placebo group. Four-week BC supplementation countered exercise-induced immunosuppression, enhancing host defense. | (43) |
| 35 distance runners | 10 g BC/day Total: 12 weeks |
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study design. Placebo: Maltodextrin blend with skim milk (250ml/day in liquid form) |
Increased s-IgA levels (79%) , potentially reducing infections in athletes. | (44) |
| 8 healthy individuals | 60 microgram/kg Total: 2-4h (Has repeated 6 months later) |
Crossover, randomized, double-blind study design. | Improved heart function, increased stroke volume (14%), and cardiac output (18%) while minimally affecting heart rate and blood pressure. | (45) |
| 35 healthy individuals | 60 g BC/day Total: 8 weeks |
Double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel study design. Placebo: Whey protein (60g/day in powder form) |
The BC group has experienced a significant increase in arm circumference (2.3%) and cross-sectional area (4.2%) compared to whey protein (WP), primarily due to a 5.5% increase in skin and subcutaneous fat (SSF). | (46) |
| 28 soccer players | 3.2 g BC/day Total: 6 months |
Double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study design. Placebo: Milk (3.2g/day in powder form) |
BC supplementation significantly increased immunoglobulin G (IgG) by up to 94% and reduced inflammatory markers (IL-10, TNF-α) after exercise compared to placebo. | (47) |
| 27 basketball players | 3.2 g BC/day Total: 24 weeks |
Randomized, parallel, placebo-controlled study design. Placebo: Milk (3.2g/day in capsule form) |
There were no notable impacts on the dynamics of immune system function indicators. | (48) |
| 9 athletes | No dose information Total: 10 days |
Crossover, double-blind and placebo-controlled study design. Placebo: Skim milk(25g/day in powder form) |
When compared to skim milk powder, it did not alter any post-exercise immune variables. | (49) |
| 20 trained athletes | 3.2 g BC/day Total: 6 months |
Randomized, parallel, placebo-controlled study design. Placebo: Milk (3.2g/day in capsule form) |
BC supplementation significantly reduced oxidative stress markers (TBARS) compared to placebo (p<0.01). | (50) |
| 8 healthy individuals | 10 g placebo +37.5 g Zinc 10 g placebo + 10 g BC 37.5 g Zinc + 10 g BC 10 g placebo + 10 g placebo Total: 14 days |
Double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study design. Placebo: Isoenergetic and isomacronutrient milk-protein Concentrate (10g/day + 10g/day in capsule form) |
Zinc carnosine (ZnC) and colostrum supplementation effectively mitigated the exercise-induced 3-fold increase in gut permeability by 70%. | (51) |
| 10 healthy individuals | 20 g BC/day Total: 14 days |
Randomized, counterbalanced, placebo-controlled study design. Placebo: Isocaloric and isomacronutrient 63% skim milk, 37% milk protein (20g/day in powder form) |
Protected enterocytes in moderate temperatures but not in extreme heat. | (52) |
| 18 healthy individuals | 20 g BC/day Total: 14 days |
Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover study design. Placebo: Isoenergetic and isomacronutrient milk protein concentrate (20g/day in powder form) |
Reduced markers of exercise-induced intestinal damage compared to a placebo (191% Placebo to 101% BC). Lactulose/rhamnose ratio were significantly lower in BC group, as representing the intestinal barrier integrity/permeability (148% to 243%) |
(2) |
| 7 trained individuals | 1.7 g BC/day Total: 7 days |
Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study design. Placebo: Corn flour (1.7g/day in powder form) |
BC supplementation has no effect on highly trained endurance athletes or untrained individuals | (53) |
| Adult individuals | 20 g BC/day Total: 14 days |
First study: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study design. Second study: Cohort and observational. Placebo: Maltodextrin (20g/day in powder form) |
Significant increase in serum IGF-1 (17%) and saliva IgA (33%) | (1) |
| 10 highly-trained cyclists | 10 g BC/day Total: 8 weeks |
Randomized and controlled study design. Placebo: Whey protein (10g/day in powder form) |
Improved cycling performance through the maintenance of testosterone levels and modulation of autonomic activity. | (3) |
| Healthy individuals | 5 different trials | Retrospective study design. | Reduction in upper respiratory tract symptoms (URS) in exercising adults (URS days 44%, URS episodes 38%) | (4) |
| 31 Healthy individuals | 20 g BC/day Total: 58 days |
Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study design. Placebo: isoenergetic/isomacronutrient skimmed milk powder and milk protein concentrate (20g/day in powder form) |
Enhanced immunity and greater skinfold thickness response in BC group (0.22-0.42 to 0.06-0.16) | (54) |
| 40 Healthy individuals | 60 g BC/day Total: 8 weeks |
Randomized, double-blind, parallel study design. | The colostrum group increased leg press strength from 121 kg to 145 kg (a 19.8% increase), while the whey protein group increased from 143 kg to 151 kg (a 5.6% increase). This represents a 2.8% greater increase for the colostrum group compared to the whey protein group (p = .026). | (55) |