Colostrum Helpful for Athletes

We can all use a little extra help when it comes to building energy – and that goes double for athletes. One supplement that could help is bovine colostrum.

Colostrum Benefits
Colostrum is the early milk that a mammal produces for a few days after delivering a baby. In cows, it’s called bovine colostrum. A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine reports that bovine colostrum helped male cyclists have more energy during a bout of intense training.

Cecelia Shing, at the University of Queensland in Australia, followed 29 male distance cyclists. Her research team first took baseline measurements of the men’s performance on a 40-kilometer time trial. They then randomly assigned the cyclists to drink either a supplement containing 10 grams of bovine colostrum protein or a whey protein supplement every day for eight weeks. During week eight, the men underwent five consecutive days of high-intensity training. There were no clear differences between the two groups during normal training. However, volunteers who used bovine colostrum performed at a higher level, with fewer signs of fatigue, during tests taken after the five-day run of intense training.

There are certain foods that I would consider superfoods in that they have a high concentration of substances useful for well-being and overall health. Colostrum falls into this category. It  is rich in immunoglobulins – proteins involved in promoting the immune system and fighting germs. It has other beneficial compounds, too – such as growth factors and nucleosides – that are not found in regular milk.

You can find bovine colostrum in the dairy section of any health food store. It is also available as a supplement in capsule form.

[Ed. Note: Ray Sahelian, MD, the author of Mind Boosters, ETRhealthconcerns is internationally recognized as a moderate voice in the evaluation of natural supplements. Visit Dr. Sahelian’s website at www.RaySahelian.com]