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LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM. Colostrum has long been advocated as a perfect supplement by the
healthfood industry. It is touted as supporting the immune system, assisting in healing, and being of
particular value for people with inflammatory bowel disease. Colostrum is the first milk produced after birth
and is particularly rich in growth factors, immunoglobulins, and antimicrobial peptides. Researchers at the
Imperial College School of Medicine have just released an excellent review of the current knowledge
regarding colostrum. Colostrum contains peptides which are essential to the welfare of the intestinal tract
and help heal injuries caused by aspirin, alcohol, excessive stomach acid, and high-dose chemotherapy. It
also contains many hormones affecting the thyroid and sexual glands and is rich in cytokines which help
combat inflammation.
The researchers conclude that defatted bovine colostrum preparations may be useful in the treatment of
short bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, gut injuries caused by aspirin or other NSAIDs
(nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), and prevention and treatment of infective diarrhea. They note that
several clinical trials are underway to further define the benefits of colostrum and conclude their report with
"Early results are encouraging and we envisage the standard use of these products (colostrum and
derivatives) in the clinical management of gastrointestinal diseases within the next decade." [104
references]
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