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5 Ultimate Colostrum Powders to Enhance Gut Health & Immunity
What to look for in an effective colostrum supplement + 2024’s highly rated picks for immune & gut support.
“Superfoods” are all the rage these days, but there’s one in this category that’s been a reliable nutritional source for thousands of years.
Bovine colostrum contains a rich and diverse concentration of rare nutrients that have become widely popular in high-quality colostrum powder supplements, with the potential to bolster gut and immune health, help reduce oxidative stress, enhance skin radiance, and improve mental health and mood.
Key Benefits of Effective Colostrum Powders
Stronger & Healthier Gut
Colostrum powder promotes gut health by strengthening the gut wall. This is due to lactoferrin, a powerful protein found in bovine colostrum that’s essential to supporting intestinal health.
Robust & Stable Immune Health
Due to a higher protein, fat, carbohydrate, magnesium, and vitamin content than cow’s milk, colostrum benefits your immune system by fortifying the gut lining with added protection.
Combats Oxidative Stress
Long-term supplementation of colostrum for adults supports a reduction in oxidative stress, exercise-related inflammation, and the maintenance of lean muscle. Research has revealed a decrease in oxidative stress among highly trained female athletes after taking colostrum supplements.
Enhances Skin Health
According to studies, colostrum’s chemical properties, specifically its diverse amino acid profile, have demonstrated an ability to help maintain healthy skin cells.
Promotes Brain Health
Colostrinin, a polypeptide derived from colostrum, enhances cognitive markers and helps reduce age-related cognitive decline, according to new research.
But, with so many empty promises in the supplement industry, how do you know which colostrum powder delivers on its claims?
When purchasing a colostrum powder, we recommend sticking with naturally derived formulas that have been third-party tested to ensure high standards and quality control. Here are some additional things to consider:
Key Ingredients in a High-Quality Colostrum Powder
Pure Grass-Fed Bovine Colostrum
A rare and rich source of macro and micronutrients, as well as essential vitamins and minerals. Bovine colostrum powder provides strong support for your immune system, digestive tract, muscle maintenance, skin health, and helps reduce everyday oxidative stress. For best results, we recommend choosing a product with at least 2,000 mg per 2-gram serving.
Protein
Potent colostrum powders will contain protein in their formulas for optimal results. We recommend choosing a product with at least 2 grams of protein per 2-gram serving.
Watch Out For
Colostrum that isn’t pasteurized
It’s important to ensure the bovine colostrum supplement you purchase is properly pasteurized. Unpasteurized colostrum may contain bacteria, such as Salmonella, E.coli, or Listeria.
Fillers & extra ingredients
An effective colostrum dietary supplement won’t use fillers or additives. A naturally derived formula will deliver consistent and healthy results you can rely on everyday for immunity and gut support.
Now that you know what to look for and avoid in colostrum powder, it's time to shop! Check out our Brilliant recommendations below, including our own Live Conscious® Colostrum.
*Per 2 gram serving size
2024’s Must-Have Colostrum Supplements
What We Like:
Room To Improve:
Final Thoughts
Product Specs
What We Like:
Room To Improve:
Final Thoughts
Product Specs
What We Like:
Room To Improve:
Final Thoughts
Product Specs
What We Like:
Room To Improve:
Final Thoughts
Product Specs
What We Like:
Room To Improve:
Final Thoughts
Product Specs
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the key benefits of a high-quality colostrum supplement?
A naturally derived formula provides immune and gut support, helps reduce oxidative stress, and enhances skin health and cognitive function. Along with a balanced diet, incorporating colostrum into your daily regimen can improve your overall well-being.
Can colostrum aid athletic performance?
Research shows that athletes who take colostrum supplements may experience a reduction in oxidative stress. Colostrum features bioactive proteins that can also aid in maintaining lean muscle tissue, which can support strength and recovery.
How long will it take for colostrum to start working?
Since everyone’s body is different, some may experience a change in their gut and immune health, energy levels, and overall wellness within days. For others, it may take several weeks. We recommend 4-6 weeks of consistent and daily usage to feel colostrum's full benefits.
What does colostrum powder taste like?
Most colostrum powder is unflavored and can be added to your favorite beverages like smoothies and coffee. It can also be used in food recipes such as oatmeal, pudding, soups, and more.
How We Choose Products
Like you, we’re picky about products — and serious about quality.
Whether we’re featuring an award-winning product from one of our five beauty and wellness brands — or somebody else’s — a Brilliant recommendation doesn’t see the light of day until it has been medically reviewed for accuracy and has fulfilled our Brilliant Criteria.
At Brilliant, although we often feature products that we sell, we’re not afraid to highlight and celebrate other brands who are doing things right.
Brilliant Criteria
We take great care in handpicking high-quality products to feature on Brilliant. Here’s how we choose them:
- Research-Based Ingredients: We dig deep into the latest research and look for products that contain science-based ingredients for optimal impact.
- Pure, Holistic Formulas: We prioritize products that contain clean, wholesome ingredients shown to be effective. A product should only contain what it needs and nothing else — period.
- Brand Credibility: Each product on our list is produced by a company with trusted credibility. We've also verified that each brand adheres to labeling requirements set forth under current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP).
- Value: We evaluate products based on industry averages and price per serving or application. We also consider quantity and return policy.
Why Trust Us?
As veteran leaders in the wellness space with an award-winning brand portfolio of 100+ health and beauty products, we are committed to honesty and transparency, providing unbiased insights into the benefits and limitations of the information and products we evaluate — including our own. Every Brilliant Buying Guide is thoroughly vetted for medical accuracy prior to publication.
With our discerning selection process, you can feel confident that the products we recommend meet the highest benchmarks of quality, transparency, and efficacy. If we wouldn’t use a product ourselves, it’s not Brilliant.
Citations
- Halasa, Maciej, et al. Nutrients, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2017 April; 9(4): 370, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5409709/.
- Arslan, Ayşenur, et al. Frontiers, Frontiers, 27 May 2021, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2021.651721/full#:~:text=IgG%20is%20the%20dominant%20immunoglobulin%20in%20bovine%20colostrum.
- Conesa C; Bellés A; Grasa L; Sánchez, L. Pharmaceutics, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37376017/. Accessed 9 Nov. 2023.
- Cieślicka, Mirosława, et al. Nutrients, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 30 Dec. 2022, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9824210
- Vollmer, David L, et al. International Journal of Molecular Science, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2018 Oct; 19(10): 3059, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6213755/
- Banasiak-Cieślar, Hanna et al. “Proline-rich polypeptides (Colostrinin®/COLOCO®) modulate BDNF concentration in blood affecting cognitive function in adults: A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study.” Food science & nutrition vol. 11,3 1477-1485. 11 Jan. 2023, doi:10.1002/fsn3.3187
- Baśkiewicz-Hałasa, Magdalena, et al. “Moderate Dose Bovine Colostrum Supplementation in Prevention of Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Medical University Students: A Randomized, Triple Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.” Nutrients, vol. 15, no. 8, 16 Apr. 2023, pp. 1925–1925, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10146600/, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15081925. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.
- Siqueiros-Cendón, Tania, et al. Acta Pharmacologica Sinica, vol. 35, no. 5, 2014, pp. 557–566, https://doi.org/10.1038/aps.2013.200.
- Superti, Fabiana. MDPI, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 24 Aug. 2020, www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/9/2562.
- Banasiak-Cieślar H, Wiener D, Kuszczyk M, Dobrzyńska K, Polanowski A. Proline-rich polypeptides (Colostrinin®/COLOCO®) modulate BDNF concentration in blood affecting cognitive function in adults: A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study. Food Sci Nutr. 2023 Jan 11;11(3):1477-1485. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.3187. PMID: 36911821; PMCID: PMC10002942
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