Colostrum

General Information:
AdvaCare is a GMP manufacturer of Colostrum tablets.

Colostrum (known colloquially as beestings, bisnings or first milk) is a form of milk produced by the mammary glands of mammals (including humans) during pregnancy. Most species will generate colostrum just prior to giving birth. Colostrum contains antibodies to protect the newborn against disease. In general, the protein concentration in colostrum is substantially higher than in milk. Fat concentration is substantially higher in colostrum than in milk in some species, e.g. sheep and horses, but lower in colostrum than in milk in some other species, e.g. camels and humans. In swine, the fat concentration of milk at 48 to 72 hours after parturition may be higher than in colostrum or in late-lactation milk. Fat concentration in bovine colostrum is extremely variable. Human and bovine colostrums are thick, sticky and yellowish. In humans, it has high concentrations of nutrients and antibodies, but it is small in quantity.

Colostrum supplements are high in carbohydrates, protein, antibodies, and low in fat (as human newborns may find fat difficult to digest). Newborns have very small digestive systems, and colostrum delivers its nutrients in a very concentrated low-volume form. It has a mild laxative effect, encouraging the passing of the baby’s first stool, which is called meconium. This clears excess bilirubin, a waste product of dead red blood cells which is produced in large quantities at birth due to blood volume reduction, from the infant’s body and helps prevent jaundice.

Colostrum contains large numbers of antibodies called “secretory immunoglobulin” (IgA) that help protect the mucous membranes in the throat, lungs, and intestines of the infant. Leukocytes are also present in large numbers; these begin protecting the infant from harmful viruses and bacteria. Ingesting colostrum establishes beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract. Premature babies tend to fare better on human colostrum than commercial infant formulas.

Colostrum benefits also include  antioxidant components, such as lactoferrin and hemopexin, which binds free heme in the body.