What is Colostrum, Its Importance and What Are Its Benefits?

Colostrum is the first form of milk your body produces to feed your newborn baby after giving birth. The benefits of colostrum are that it provides nutrients and boosts immunity.

Colostrum is the first form of milk your body produces to feed your newborn baby after giving birth. It is different from breast milk, which comes a few weeks after your baby is born. It's thicker than breast milk and is sometimes called "liquid gold" because of its yellow color and powerful nutritional benefits.

Colostrum is an all-in-one meal for newborns. It is a high-protein, low fat, low sugar substance that gives your baby important nutrition in the first few days of life. It has twice as much protein as the breast milk you will produce for the rest of the time you are nursing your baby.

It contains essential substances that stimulate your baby's growth, help their immune system, and more. Some of the elements of colostrum include:

• Vitamin A. This is what gives colostrum a yellow color. It helps your baby's skin, eyes, teeth, and immune system develop.
• Magnesium. This mineral supports your baby's heart and bone development.
• Copper. A mineral important to iron absorption, making red blood cells, and giving cells energy.
• Zinc. An essential mineral for the immune system.
• Immunoglobulin A (IgA). Antibodies that help your baby fight off infections.
• Lactoferrin. A protein only found in mammal's breast milk that has antibacterial and antiviral properties.
• Leukocytes. White blood cells fight diseases.
• Epidermal growth factor. A protein that stimulates growth.

Colostrum serves an important function for humans and other mammals.

• It provides important immunity to your baby in their first days of life.
• Because there is only a little colostrum, it helps your baby learn how to nurse and coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing. This learning process can take time.
• It coats the intestines to create the foundation for a healthy gut.
• Colostrum lowers the chance of jaundice.
• It helps your baby to pass meconium (their first bowel movement).
• It helps prevent low blood sugar.

Even if you don't want to breastfeed or have trouble breastfeeding, you can express colostrum by hand and feed it to your baby. Because colostrum is thicker than milk, it is harder to pump, so hand expression is ideal.

When breastfeeding, you won't produce much colostrum. Luckily, newborn babies do not need much. A newborn's stomach is very small. They only need a teaspoon of colostrum per feeding to feel full. In the first days of life, they will only drink about an ounce of colostrum per day. 

Most people start to produce colostrum during pregnancy. Breastfeeding can be challenging to start, and it's normal to feel like nothing is coming out in the first few days, even if some colostrum is actually produced. As long as your baby is gaining weight and urinating, they are likely getting enough colostrum. If you are not sure they are getting enough, contact your doctor for advice.

If your baby is getting enough colostrum, you will not need to supplement their diet with baby formula.

In rare cases, people do not make colostrum during pregnancy or have difficulty expressing it after giving birth. If this happens, talk to your doctor. They will advise you on how to supplement your baby's diet.

To express colostrum, cup your breast with four of your fingers on the bottom and your thumb on top. Gently squeeze your areola and nipple with firm pressure. If nothing comes out after a few tries, move your fingers to a different spot. Colostrum comes out slowly and one drop at a time. Be careful not to hand-express colostrum during pregnancy. Doing so can induce labor.

You can store colostrum in a sterile container in the fridge for between two and three days. You can store it in the freezer for up to three months. 

In some cultures, colostrum from farm animals is consumed to promote healthy growth in children and help adults heal from illnesses. Traditionally, it has been consumed as a raw beverage. However, these days, pasteurized versions are available. Additionally, in the United States and EU, supplement makers process and dry colostrum and sell it in capsule form to be taken as a dietary supplement. Some countries, like India, have traditional cheeses made with colostrum.

Most colostrum supplements use cow's milk. Cow colostrum, called bovine colostrum, has more protein and less lactose than regular milk. Because of its higher protein and lower carbohydrate content, some nutritionists believe it could be a healthy alternative to whey protein. One downside is that colostrum from cows is higher in saturated fat, which may correlate with a higher risk of heart disease and liver disease. However, many of the minerals and vitamins that make it such a powerful supplement are fat-soluble, which means that without the fat, there would be less nutritional benefit.

Studies have shown that people who were supplemented with colostrum after working out had improved muscle power during workouts and more immunoglobulins in their blood after the workout. Under normal circumstances, immunity is lower for a few hours after working out, so having higher levels of immunoglobulins could help boost the immune system post-workout.

Colostrum from cows is especially helpful for older people working out to maintain or build muscle mass. In one study, when older adults used colostrum, they had a greater increase in strength on the leg press and a lower rate of bone resorption during workouts, potentially meaning a lower risk of low bone density or osteoporosis than those who had supplemented with whey protein.

People susceptible to intestinal permeability, such as those who take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, may also benefit from colostrum. One study showed that people who supplemented with whey protein increased intestinal permeability while those who used colostrum as a supplement had no change in their intestinal permeability.

There may be other applications for colostrum, like treating ulcerative colitis and traveler's diarrhea. Still, more study is needed.