← The FormularyDigestionBovine colostrum
Also known as First milk, IgGThe first milk, and one of the few gut products with real trials behind it.
Better evidenced than most of the gut-health category and thinner than the enthusiasm around it. It is not an immune booster and we do not call it one. What it appears to do is help the wall, which is a narrower and more defensible claim than the internet makes.
The milk a cow produces in the first days after calving, dense with antibodies because a newborn gut has no defences of its own.
Immunoglobulins and growth factors act locally in the gut rather than being absorbed whole.
Supports the gut barrier — the lining itself, as distinct from the bacteria living on it.
Anyone whose gut takes a beating from training, travel or antibiotics.
One scoop daily, alongside protein or collagen rather than instead of them.
Gradual, and easier to notice in its absence.
Check the IgG PERCENTAGE, not just the milligrams of colostrum. 25% of 2,300 mg is a real number; many products do not state one.
Read the labelCONTAINS MILK — anyone with a dairy allergy should avoid it. Not vegan. Speak to a doctor if you are immunocompromised or take immunosuppressants.
Evidence grades describe how well an ingredient is studied — A well-supported, C emerging — not a promise of results. Educational, not medical advice. Doses are typical ranges; follow the label on the product.