Colostrum Prevents Immune Suppression Following Exercise

Oral supplementation with bovine colostrum is known to support healthy human immunity.  In a new study healthy men cycled for 2 hours after receiving four weeks of daily colostrum¹ (in comparison to a control group).  Those taking colostrum had no deficits in their front line immune troops that were experienced by those not taking colostrum.

Getting a good response to aerobic exercise is vital to health and longevity.  One problem is that exercise can depress front line troops of your immune system.  This is certainly relevant to active exercisers in the winter bug season.  This study shows that taking colostrum daily can prevent a let down in your immune system function.

While this study was done in healthy men the value of it may be especially important to individuals who struggle with exercise, such as those with fibromyalgia Chronic pain disorder characterized by wide spread pain. Research suggests that central nervous system pain processing signals are in a state of dysfunction causing abnormal signaling. .  In this situation exercise is vital to improvement but performing exercise can be problematic and set off a chain of problems.  It is likely that colostrum, which is a wide-ranging metabolic powerhouse, would be useful to help improve the response to exercise in such individuals. 

Colostrum is designed to support the demands of high growth phase of infants, a nutrient ideally suited for enhanced recovery and regeneration that accompanies the process of rapid growth.  It appears that it fits in nicely as a support nutrient for recovery of excess demands associated with physical performance.  In this case proven in healthy men, but theoretically helping those who struggle to get a good response to exercise (which is consistent with my observation of the nutrient in clinical practice.)