Nothing, surely? I hear you say. Well this week bovine (cow) colostrum has grabbed our attention. That’s right, colostrum, defined by my trusty old biology dictionary as the ‘cloudy fluid secretion of mammary glands during the first few days after birth of young and before full scale milk production. Important source of antibodies too large to cross the placenta. Rich in proteins but low in fat and sugar.’
That’s all well and good for the calf you say, but what does that have to do with stem cells? It seems that there have been certain claims made recently suggesting that bovine colostrum enhances stem cell proliferation and therefore cures, or at least alleviates your ills. Claims of colostrums restorative powers are not new, Google colostrum and you will find thousands of sites offering a wide range of colostrum based products designed for everything from serious neurodegenerative diseases to sports and bodybuilding enhancers.
Those promoting the use of bovine colostrum by humans as a dietary supplement, or as medical food, claim that bovine colostrum raise both general immunity and physical strength. To date, there have only been a small number of scientific studies undertaken and published in the peer-reviewed literature with
none currently showing a definitive link or benefit to human stem cells.
A search on Clincialtrials.gov, the US listing of registered clinical trials, finds several upcoming clinical trials utilising colostrum. Again, none of these trials involve stem cells. There is research being done for other possible benefits, one much touted trial is investigating the ability of cololstrum to benefit HIV patients.
More clinical trials need to be performed to understand and define fully the safety and any possible benefits of bovine colostrum. It is generally recommended that before taking any supplements patients should consult with their doctor to ensure that it does not interfere or interact adversely with other medications.
The ASCC released a Patient Information Handbook to assist patients to critically analyse stem cell treatments before considering taking part in them, to download the Handbook,
click here.