One of the latest health crazes to take off on TikTok isn’t some exotic ingredient from a plant you’ve never heard of — instead, it’s derived from milk.
Colostrum has gained popularity over the last several months as a supplement, with social media influencers and celebrities claiming that it can benefit your gut and immune system. It’s included in the $21 smoothie that model Sofia Richie debuted at Southern California grocery chain Erewhon earlier this year.
But like other alleged milk-based health hacks, experts say that evidence is limited for many of colostrum’s supposed health benefits.
Colostrum, which you can buy in the form of pills or powder, appears in the milk of mammals after they give birth. Besides lots of nutrients, it contains antibodies, white blood cells, and other compounds that are meant to give offspring a boost as they start their lives. The colostrum you can buy as a supplement usually comes from cow’s milk.
The substance has gained popularity among consumers for everything from reducing gut inflammation to improving athletic performance.
One TikTok user, for instance, claimed in an August post that the supplement had reduced how bloated she was after eating:
In the video, the TikTok user shows two photos of herself: One from a month earlier without using colostrum and a second in which she appears less bloated. “And this picture was me after eating Korean barbeque,” she says in the video.
But health experts say that research is much more ambiguous on what exactly colostrum can do as a supplement.
Research is ongoing for colostrum’s supposed health benefits
In the US, supplements aren’t regulated like drugs, which have to undergo testing before they can be sold or prescribed. Instead, many supplement manufacturers make claims about the efficacy of their products without the same rigorous testing.
Those dubious claims often accompany colostrum supplements, Caroline Thomason, a Virginia dietitian, told CNN last month.
While social media posts claim that colostrum can promote skin health, help you recover after exercise, lose weight, or reverse signs of aging, there’s not enough scientific evidence to support those claims, Thomason said.
Some studies do show that colostrum can help people who have compromised immune systems or gastrointestinal diseases, Thomason said, though those findings are preliminary, she added.
“It’s important to note that while these benefits sound exciting, the research on colostrum is still relatively new and not entirely conclusive,” Thomason told CNN.
Lindsey Wohlford, a dietitian at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, does not recommend taking colostrum supplements.
“Further studies are needed, and more robust data collected, before a clear recommendation can be made on usage,” she said in a March post from the Center.
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