Gastrointestinal Health

The newborn gut is unique in that it has not completed maturation at the time of birth and needs the growth factors and other components of colostrum to complete its development. This incomplete development is of benefit to the newborn as it allows large proteins, such as immunoglobulins, to easily enter the body. However, this is not a condition that is good for adults or older children. Unfortunately, most people have a leaky gut to some degree due to the negative effects of drinking coffee, alcohol or soft drinks, smoking and other causes. Leaky gut syndrome, as it is called, allows pathogens of all varieties easy access into the body. It is estimated that the majority of all human illness has its source in the gut. Colostrum, just as it does in the newborn, helps heal this leaky gut and restore the gastrointestinal tract to optimal functioning while shutting out pathogens. It also helps heal and restore injuries to the gastro-intestinal lining. Colostrum inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria, such as Helicobacter pylori, the principal cause of gastric and duodenal ulcers, and promotes the growth of healthy gut flora. Those who take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for arthritis and other painful conditions also suffer damage to the lining of the GI tract, and colostrum has been shown to heal this damage as well.

• Colostrum heals leaky gut syndrome, a contributing factor to many human diseases^72,73
• In both in vitro and in vivo experimental studies, colostrum was shown to stimulate intestinal epithelial cell growth and the reestablishment of a healthy epithelial layer following injury as well as significantly reducing gastric injury, such as that caused by taking NSAIDs⁷⁴
• Colostrum inhibits the growth of Helicobacter pylori, bacteria implicated in chronic gastritis and duodenal ulcers, and enhance the growth of beneficial intestinal flora through the prebiotic activity of the oligosaccharides present in colostrum^75,76
• Colostrum promotes gut development in newborns, reducing the odds of developing necrotizing enterocolitis, Crohn’s disease, colitis, diabetes and other diseases^77-79
• Newborn piglets fed colostrum showed a marked increase in villi height in the intestine and an increased number of immune cells present in the villi, indicating greater absorption of nutrients and enhanced immune competency⁸⁰
• Colostrum heals the damage to the gut cause by NSAIDs^81,82