Why TikTok is going nuts for a supplement derived from cow’s milk

The latest wellness trend to take off on TikTok? Colostrum. The milk produced by female mammals after giving birth, meant to boost newborns’ immune systems, is now being added to smoothies and sold as daily supplements. Also known as “liquid gold,” this nutrient-dense liquid is supercharged with antibodies and antioxidants—and influencers and celebrities are stocking up.

Collected from dairy cows within the first several days after birth and processed in order to be safe for human consumption, bovine colostrum is designed to provide newborns with protein, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, antibodies, and immunoglobulins. According to Forbes, the colostrum industry was worth 1.76 billion pounds in 2023—a figure that’s expected to reach $1.83 billion this year. The supplement is also causing a stir on TikTok, where there are over 68.7 million posts related to the superfood, with its advocates claiming it “healed their gut,” helped build muscle, and cleared their skin. Celebrities have also jumped on the trend with Sofia Richie and Kid Laroi adding bovine colostrum to the ingredient lists of their viral smoothie collaborations with luxury California-based grocery store Erewhon.

Much of the research so far on bovine colostrum is focused on gut health. Some small studies have found colostrum may boost growth of intestinal cells and strengthen the walls of the gut. In a trial involving 160 children with recurrent diarrhea, those who took bovine colostrum supplements had less diarrhea or vomiting after two days than those who took a placebo. Other research has suggested benefits for respiratory tract infections by increasing the amount of certain antibodies in participants’ saliva. However, many of these studies on the benefits of colostrum were funded by the supplement makers themselves, or run by researchers with links to colostrum-supplement companies.

In the U.S., supplements aren’t regulated in the same way as prescription drugs, which have to undergo testing before they can be sold or prescribed. Instead, supplement manufacturers are able to make unsupported claims about the efficacy of their products, making it tricky to know which are worth your money. Lindsey Wohlford, a dietitian at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, gave her take on colostrum supplements earlier this year: “Further studies are needed, and more robust data collected, before a clear recommendation can be made on usage,” she wrote on the cancer center’s blog. 

Not only are these supplements unregulated, they are also expensive, with some costing more than $100 for a 30-day supply. Unless you are a baby cow, sticking to whole foods, sleeping well, and getting regular exercise is likely to work just as well. 

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