I get a fair number of questions about colostrum supplements—whether they’re useful, how they compare to collagen, and how best to take them—so I thought I’d better check out the science and see what’s what.
Contrary to what influencers might tell you, there isn’t much research showing colostrum has a wide range of benefits for adults. It’s definitely helpful for newborns, as their guts are incredibly permeable, and colostrum is literally the first food they’re supposed to eat. Even bovine (cow) colostrum has been shown to improve outcomes for newborns and premature infants—no arguments there.
But don’t expect too much from colostrum as an adult. The best case for adding it to your diet is improving gut health, reducing intestinal permeability, and boosting immune function—especially for athletes.
Colostrum has been studied extensively for reducing gut permeability in various populations, including athletes and everyday people. It seems effective in this respect. People who take it tend to have better gut health and a more intact gut lining. Levels of zonulin, a compound that increases gut permeability, drop with colostrum intake.
Researchers aren’t entirely sure how bovine colostrum improves gut health. It may regulate specific growth factors in the gut lining that repair and reinforce it, similar to how it works for newborns. For infants, colostrum quickly improves gut viability and structure, allowing the immune system to develop and enabling digestion. This helps the newborn handle the world and develop a healthy immune response. If the same effect happens in adults, that would explain its benefits.
However, the infant gut is permeable by design to absorb immune components of colostrum and shape the immune system—this doesn’t happen in adults. For instance, IGF-1 in colostrum isn’t absorbed or utilized by adults.
Colostrum may also regulate inflammation and maintain iron homeostasis in athletes, likely due to its lactoferrin content. Lactoferrin improves iron absorption, delivers iron to cells, and reduces free iron levels in the system, which can be inflammatory. Athletes taking colostrum daily showed greater spikes in inflammatory markers during exercise but lower resting levels—an example of “smart” inflammation.
Lactoferrin could also contribute to colostrum’s gut health benefits. Limited human studies show it reduces post-antibiotic diarrhea and lowers general inflammatory markers.
Whatever colostrum is doing, collagen improves gut health by providing a vital substrate for repairing and growing the gut lining itself. If colostrum triggers growth factors that aid gut repair (not confirmed) or lowers inflammation via lactoferrin, you’ll need collagen for those repairs. Colostrum assists repair; collagen supplies the building blocks.
The two aren’t competing—they’re complementary. Both enhance gut health, skin quality, and immune function through different mechanisms.
Can you take them together?
Absolutely. In fact, the two seem designed to be taken together. Timing doesn’t matter—mix them in the same drink or take them separately. Adding both to your routine could have a synergistic effect.
When is one more useful than the other?
It depends on your diet.
If you only take one, take collagen. Collagen is a “nonessential” nutrient that I’d argue is essential for most diets, providing glycine we no longer get from modern eating habits. It’s the fourth macronutrient. However, if you eat lots of bone broth, gelatinous meats, and stews, you might not need to supplement collagen. In that case, colostrum could be a bigger “add.”
Colostrum is almost entirely absent from the diet unless you supplement. It’s rare to find in liquid form, though some raw dairies offer it. Colostrum seems most useful for people with immune or gut issues or those for whom normal diets and supplements aren’t enough.
That said, colostrum isn’t necessary. Collagen has far more evidence in its favor. If you have to choose, go with collagen.
Who should take collagen?
Everyone.
Who’s most likely to benefit from colostrum?
- Athletes with iron homeostasis issues.
- Adults prone to upper respiratory tract infections.
- Adults with leaky gut or gut inflammation.
You can likely get most of colostrum’s benefits at a lower cost by taking a good quality whey isolate (for protein) and adding a lactoferrin supplement. Most of colostrum’s benefits probably come from lactoferrin, so supplementing with it might do the trick.
