Health
Colostrum supplements are all the rage, but are the potential benefits worth the risks?
Colostrum might not be just for babies anymore. It’s also available in pill or powder form as a nutrient-boosting supplement that’s generating buzz on social media.
New mothers produce colostrum in liquid form after giving birth.
The fluid is packed with protein, nutrients and antioxidants to help boost babies’ immunity.
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The supplement version — called bovine colostrum — is derived from the milk produced by cows in the initial days after giving birth.
Fox News Digital spoke with nutrition experts to find out whether colostrum supplements live up to the hype — and whether they pose any risks.
Nutrition experts spoke with Fox News Digital about the risks and benefits of colostrum supplements. (iStock)
Potential benefits and limitations
Some studies have shown potential benefits of using bovine colostrum supplements, according to Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based registered dietitian.
Those include preventing and shortening the duration of diarrhea, helping to prevent upper airway infections, and supporting a healthy immune system.
Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based registered dietitian, said colostrum supplements could have some benefits, but the evidence is “not definitive.” (Erin Palinski-Wade)
“These studies are small, however, and the evidence is not definitive,” Palinski-Wade told Fox News Digital.
“More research is needed to fully understand the health effects of bovine colostrum supplements.”
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Sherry Coleman Collins, a food allergy dietician and expert in the Atlanta metropolitan area, agreed that the evidence for human supplementation with bovine colostrum is “extremely limited.”
Collins told Fox News Digital, “There is not enough evidence for me to recommend it for anyone for any reason.”
Bovine colostrum supplements are derived from the milk produced by cows in the initial days after they give birth. (iStock)
“We know that human colostrum is very beneficial for babies, providing specific nutritional value and immunological benefit through transferring some of mother’s immunity to baby,” she told Fox News Digital.
“However, we do not have enough evidence about bovine colostrum in humans to make any real statements about its impact on human health,” said Collins.
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The dietitian also noted that the processing of milk impacts its nutrition and would likely reduce some immunity benefits.
Michelle Routhenstein, a New York City-based registered dietitian nutritionist who specializes in heart disease, said she does not recommend bovine colostrum supplements, “due to limited scientific evidence on their efficacy and potential variability in product quality.”
Risks involved with bovine colostrum
“These supplements are generally considered safe for healthy adults using them for a short duration, but there are still risks to consider,” said Palinski-Wade.
Individuals with dairy allergies or lactose intolerance should avoid bovine colostrum supplements, the dietitian said.
“Bovine colostrum contains estrogen, which may negatively impact individuals at risk for certain cancers, such as breast, ovarian or prostate cancer,” she said.
Colostrum supplements are available in pill or powder form. (iStock)
People with a history or risk of these cancers should speak to a doctor before taking these supplements, Palinski-Wade advised.
“These supplements also have not been tested on women who are pregnant or lactating and should be avoided in this population unless cleared by their physician,” she said.
Other potential risks include contamination by harmful bacteria, interactions with medications and unknown long-term effects, according to Routhenstein.
Safety tips
For those who decide to try the supplements, experts emphasized the importance of choosing a reputable seller.
“When purchasing bovine colostrum supplements, it’s important to choose reputable brands and sources to ensure quality and safety,” said Routhenstein.
“Bovine colostrum contains estrogen, which may negatively impact individuals at risk for certain cancers.”
“Look for supplements that are manufactured by reputable companies, adhere to good manufacturing practices (GMP), and undergo third-party testing for purity and potency.”
For optimal temperature regulation and storage of bovine colostrum supplements, Routhenstein said it’s best to consider purchasing from reputable third-party dispensaries specializing in health and wellness products.
Bovine colostrum supplements may not be suitable for individuals with dairy allergies, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and those taking immunosuppressant medications, a dietitian said. (iStock)
“All supplements have limited oversight and don’t need to be proven safe or effective before being sold in the U.S.,” Collins said. “For this reason, there’s no guarantee on purity or potency in many cases.”
“Because bovine colostrum is likely to be sold as a dietary supplement, I would say buyer beware.”
For all supplements, Collins recommends looking for the USP (United States Pharmacopeia) symbol, which indicates that the product “does not contain harmful levels of specified contaminants” and that it is “made using safe, sanitary and well-controlled manufacturing practices according to FDA and USP guidelines.”
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Certain groups of people should be careful to avoid colostrum supplements, the dietitian said.
“I always caution people with compromised liver, kidney or immune systems about taking dietary supplements,” she said.
For anyone else interested in trying colostrum supplements, experts advised consulting with a doctor before trying them. (iStock)
Bovine colostrum supplements may not be suitable for individuals with dairy allergies, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and those taking immunosuppressant medications, according to Routhenstein.
For anyone else interested in trying colostrum supplements, both dietitians advised consulting with a doctor before trying them.
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“I think this is just a case of too much speculation with too little actual research at this time,” Collins said.
“Could bovine colostrum benefit some people? Maybe. But there are a lot of other proven ways to improve health that don’t involve supplements or speculation — like eating enough fruits and vegetables — and I would encourage people to spend their hard-earned dollars there first.”
The FDA does not test or approve dietary supplements before they are sold, according to the agency’s website. (REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo)
The FDA does not test or approve dietary supplements before they are sold, according to the agency’s website.
“Consumers may contact the dietary supplement manufacturer or a commercial laboratory for an analysis of a product’s content,” the agency stated.
The FDA recommends that consumers talk to their doctor, pharmacist or another health care professional before choosing to take any supplement, and warned that some supplements may interact with other medications.
Fox News Digital contacted the FDA requesting additional comment.
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A new test could make it easier to detect high-risk prostate cancer cases earlier.
The blood test, called Stockholm3, is showing promise in clinical trials, beating out the traditional, standard prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test.
In a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden studied the test’s efficacy in more than 12,000 men — mostly Swedish or European — aged 50 to 74.
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All participants were tested with PSA and Stockholm3 and were followed for two years. During the follow-up period, 443 men were diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer.
Stockholm3 detected 90% of aggressive prostate cancer cases compared to 74% for PSA tests.
Stockholm3 detected 90% of aggressive prostate cancer cases compared to 74% for PSA tests. (iStock)
Stockholm3 missed “significantly fewer” serious cancer cases than PSA. The number of men incorrectly classified as high-risk was similar across both tests, according to a press release.
Thorgerdur Palsdottir, a researcher at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, wrote in a statement that one of the major challenges in prostate cancer is being able to identify the cases that are “truly dangerous.”
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“Our results show that Stockholm3 identifies significantly more aggressive cancer cases than PSA without increasing the number of unnecessary follow-ups,” she said.
“These results point toward a potential change in how prostate cancer screening can be conducted,” the researcher added. “A more precise blood test could enable earlier detection of aggressive disease while reducing the number of unnecessary follow-up examinations and procedures.”
“A more precise blood test could enable earlier detection of aggressive disease while reducing the number of unnecessary follow-up examinations and procedures,” a researcher commented. (iStock)
Study co-author Hari Vigneswaran, chief medical officer of Stockholm3-maker A3P Biomedical, commented on these “promising” findings in an interview with Fox News Digital.
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He confirmed that the PSA has been the standard for prostate cancer screening since the 1990s despite its “well-documented limitations.”
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“It leads to invasive and costly follow-up testing, contributes to over-diagnosis of non-aggressive cancers and, most importantly, it misses a substantial share of aggressive disease,” Vigneswaran said.
When aggressive prostate cancer is found while still confined in the prostate, the five-year survival is close to 100%. (iStock)
When aggressive prostate cancer is found while still confined in the prostate, the five-year survival rate is close to 100%, which highlights the importance of early detection, according to the doctor.
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Data from the National Cancer Institute’s SEER database show that metastatic prostate cancer has risen over the past decade, suggesting that “we have not improved early detection of the aggressive, curable disease that screening is meant to catch,” Vigneswaran said.
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“The goal of screening is to find the cancers that need treatment while they are still curable, without raising the number of men who screen positive but don’t have aggressive disease,” he said.
Stockholm3 could reduce the need for unnecessary MRIs and biopsies, according to the researcher. (Getty Images)
Stockholm3 could reduce the need for unnecessary MRIs and biopsies, according to the researcher.
The findings did have some limitations. Stockholm3 is an investigational device and is not available for sale in the U.S., Vigneswaran noted.
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The test estimates a man’s risk of aggressive prostate cancer, but a biopsy remains the gold standard for confirming the disease.
The company plans to seek FDA approval to use the test for routine screening and will “generate the evidence needed to support that pathway, including U.S. data,” Vigneswaran said.
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Scientists have linked eating leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale and broccoli to better lung health.
There are two primary forms of vitamin K found in foods. The primary kind is vitamin K1, found mainly in vegetables, which plays a major role in the body’s blood-clotting process.
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Vitamin K2 is found in fermented foods, certain dairy products, eggs and meats and helps regulate calcium in the body and supports bone health.
Researchers at Australia’s Edith Cowan University examined whether dietary intake of vitamins K1 and K2 was associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and lung function.
Leafy green vegetables are high in vitamin K1, a nutrient that researchers have observed conributes to improved lung health. (iStock)
“Chronic respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, are among the most prevalent noncommunicable diseases worldwide and were the third leading cause of death in 2019, accounting for 4 million deaths and affecting 454.6 million individuals globally,” the scientists reported in the introduction to their study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
“Although asthma and COPD can be managed with available treatments, neither condition is curable, underscoring the need for effective prevention strategies,” they added.
The leading cause of COPD is smoking, the Mayo Clinic reported. Exposure to other irritants, such as dust, chemicals and pollution, can also cause it.
The researchers analyzed data from 179,062 participants over a 10-and-a-half-year period and concluded that, “Higher dietary vitamin K1 intake was associated with better lung function and a lower rate of COPD.”
Researchers found that people who increased their vitamin K1 intake were less likely to develop COPD. (iStock)
Participants who consumed the most vitamin K1 had a 16% lower likelihood of COPD, the researchers observed. The effects were more pronounced in smokers and participants with high-risk occupations.
Consumption of vitamin K2 did not result in lower COPD rates.
“No association was observed for vitamin K1 or vitamin K2 intakes and asthma,” the researchers also wrote.
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Associate Professor Marc Sim, who was involved in the study, said that it’s likely Vitamin K activates a protein that may help keep lung tissue flexible and prevent damage.
Because the study was observational, it cannot prove that vitamin K1 directly reduces COPD risk, only that higher intake was associated with better lung health.
Researchers have associated higher consumption of leafy green vegetables with better lung function. (iStock)
Just one extra serving of leafy greens “is an achievable way to boost your vitamin K1 intake,” said Chengfeng Li, one of the study’s researchers.
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Other foods rich in vitamin K1 include collard greens, Swiss chard, Brussels sprouts and turnip greens.
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