Colostrum

steve007 said:

Amazing supplement IMO. Found more energy and faster recovery.

Just wondered what anyone else thought.

If you are taking it, what has it done for you?

Um, I thought Colostrum was the rich milk that women lactated in the first few days after birth. Where are you getting yours? The local maternity hospital???

It's usually animal - derived; ie sheep or cow.

I'm fairly skeptical; what's good for the neonatal and therefore immature digestive tract isn't likely to survive adult digestion intact, making for a rather expensive protein supplement.

Johnny O-R said:

It's usually animal - derived; ie sheep or cow.

I'm fairly skeptical; what's good for the neonatal and therefore immature digestive tract isn't likely to survive adult digestion intact, making for a rather expensive protein supplement.

Colostrum is intended to kick start a new borns immune system.

davidbod said:

Colostrum is intended to kick start a new borns immune system.

True, but those elements responsible - immunoglobulins - are essentially proteins and glucose, like a ham sandwich. They end up the same way too in an adult.

There seems to be quite a bit of research on this now.....

Anyway i buy it from http://www.osgc.co.uk

Not from a hospital!!

http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20041119_RRN_Colostrum.html

RST input...as requested:
Colostrum: interesting supplement, but the research is mixed and quality control is a big issue. If you can afford the stuff and find some assurance that the quality is good, it's fairly safe to say that colostrum is not useless. In general, the studies on colostrum have sometimes found increases in buffering capacity, but not always, and not necessarily with an improvement in performance; sometimes improvements in recovery but not performance; sometimes increases in IGF-1 and sometimes not; and sometimes actual significant improvements in performance. There are non-performance related studies that show some benefit from colostrum as well, which one could argue may be a positive for "general" health. One of the problems is that we/I don't really know why the research is mixed, and without being an expert on the subject, I believe it's due to not fully understanding the effects/actions of colostrum on a metabolic level (i.e.: what actually happens once it's in the human body for a while).

Smartt/RST said:

RST input...as requested:
Colostrum: interesting supplement, but the research is mixed and quality control is a big issue. If you can afford the stuff and find some assurance that the quality is good, it's fairly safe to say that colostrum is not useless. In general, the studies on colostrum have sometimes found increases in buffering capacity, but not always, and not necessarily with an improvement in performance; sometimes improvements in recovery but not performance; sometimes increases in IGF-1 and sometimes not; and sometimes actual significant improvements in performance. There are non-performance related studies that show some benefit from colostrum as well, which one could argue may be a positive for "general" health. One of the problems is that we/I don't really know why the research is mixed, and without being an expert on the subject, I believe it's due to not fully understanding the effects/actions of colostrum on a metabolic level (i.e.: what actually happens once it's in the human body for a while).

Thanks for that. Its good to have some input from a pro trainer.

I think there are key areas that i feel the colostrum has given me improvements:

1) Greater stamina/ride at much much higher itensity
2) Faster recovery
3) More power

No change in VO2 though...

Overall I'm really pleased - It costs me £35 a month, but I've ditched alot of the other supplements i was taking in favour of this, so its worked out about the same regarding cost. The supplier i have has given me various assurances via email that its NZ and from pasture fed cattle etc etc, so i am confident of the quality.

I hear there are alot of pro's taking it also. Although i read an article in Cycling Weekly (forget riders name) who doesnt take *anything*, not even multivits! So who knows, but it works for me. 🙂

steve007 said:

Thanks for that. Its good to have some input from a pro trainer.

I think there are key areas that i feel the colostrum has given me improvements:

1) Greater stamina/ride at much much higher itensity
2) Faster recovery
3) More power

No change in VO2 though...

Overall I'm really pleased - It costs me £35 a month, but I've ditched alot of the other supplements i was taking in favour of this, so its worked out about the same regarding cost. The supplier i have has given me various assurances via email that its NZ and from pasture fed cattle etc etc, so i am confident of the quality.

I hear there are alot of pro's taking it also. Although i read an article in Cycling Weekly (forget riders name) who doesnt take *anything*, not even multivits! So who knows, but it works for me. 🙂

There is a multi-vitamin thread out there that I responded to. check it out.

New Zealand dairy farmers get paid more for more potent colostrum.
These days a cow produces more than the calf needs so it is either stored for later feeding, discarded or sold to people wanting that extra edge.
At the end of the day its just another supplement, not easy to interpret results and big factors like "placebo effect and similar theories"
New Zealand dairy is pretty much 100% grass fed and therefore better quality milk & colostrum. Colostrum is growing market.

steve007 said:

Thanks for that. Its good to have some input from a pro trainer.

I think there are key areas that i feel the colostrum has given me improvements:

1) Greater stamina/ride at much much higher itensity
2) Faster recovery
3) More power

No change in VO2 though...

Overall I'm really pleased - It costs me £35 a month, but I've ditched alot of the other supplements i was taking in favour of this, so its worked out about the same regarding cost. The supplier i have has given me various assurances via email that its NZ and from pasture fed cattle etc etc, so i am confident of the quality.

I hear there are alot of pro's taking it also. Although i read an article in Cycling Weekly (forget riders name) who doesnt take *anything*, not even multivits! So who knows, but it works for me. 🙂

simonbroekhuize said:

New Zealand dairy farmers get paid more for more potent colostrum.
These days a cow produces more than the calf needs so it is either stored for later feeding, discarded or sold to people wanting that extra edge.
At the end of the day its just another supplement, not easy to interpret results and big factors like "placebo effect and similar theories"
New Zealand dairy is pretty much 100% grass fed and therefore better quality milk & colostrum. Colostrum is growing market.

Colostrum is the "first milk" produced by the mother right after birth and is rich in antibodies. It is produced in the first 24 to 48 hours and helps the babies immune system. The babies have to consume it in this time period while their intestinal tract is capable of absorbing whole proteins. Colostrum consumed later than 48 hours is still rich in proteins but the antibodies can no longer pass through into to blood without being broked down first.

I'm about as far from an expert as it's possible to get but I've just done a reasonably hard 40 miles this morning (20 miles into a headwind). I took the Zipvit chocoalte recovery drink wich contains protein with colostrum. I have to say that I haven't had my usual post hard ride slump or nap on the sofa. It's always hard to judge how much benefit these things give you over whatever your lifestyle has been in the last couple of days i.e. enough sleep/ work stress/ booze/ fried foods or just plain run down. I've a 4 month old baby and have been exhausted for most of that time so I'm surprised at how good I feel today. I'll stick with it for a month or so and then maybe compare with a recovery drink without colostrum. Hardly scientific I know but then again it's not my career, just a hobby.