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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2023 Aug 18;15(16):3626.
doi: 10.3390/nu15163626.

Six Weeks of Supplementation with Bovine Colostrum Effectively Reduces URTIs Symptoms Frequency and Gravity for Up to 20 Weeks in Pre-School Children

Maciej Hałasa  1 , Karolina Skonieczna-Żydecka  2 , Bogusław Machaliński  1 , Leonard Bühner  1 , Magdalena Baśkiewicz-Hałasa  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Six Weeks of Supplementation with Bovine Colostrum Effectively Reduces URTIs Symptoms Frequency and Gravity for Up to 20 Weeks in Pre-School Children

Maciej Hałasa et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Bovine colostrum is considered to provide anti-infective protection. Here, we present the first randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed at assessing the preventive use of colostrum against upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) in healthy pre-school children. We analyzed 57 children-35 in the colostrum (COL-dried bovine colostrum) and 22 in the placebo (PBO-dried whey) group, who received these substances as follows: first 15 days 2 × 500 mg and then 30 days 1 × 500 mg. The reporting on the children's health status, specifically on the frequency and gravity of URTI symptoms and abdominal side effects, was performed via an online survey. The influence of colostrum on the frequency of days with URTI symptoms remained significant until the 20th week of observation and reached 31% of median reduction. The median reduction reached 37% when the gravity of symptoms was analyzed. When we grouped symptomatic days into episodes of second gravity level, the reduction in their frequency was even larger (50%) and lasted until the end of the trial (21 weeks). No significant side effects, especially abdominal, were reported during the trial. Colostrum supplementation in pre-school children is well tolerated, safe and provides protection from frequency of URTIs and their gravity.

Keywords: bovine colostrum; pre-school children; upper respiratory tract infections.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare the following financial interest/personal relationship which may be considered a potential competing interest: Maciej Hałasa receives renumeration from Genactiv Trade, Poznań, Poland—the manufacturer of COL.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The CONSORT flow diagram.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Violin plot on the frequency of days with any symptoms of URTI over 20 weeks of the trial. The horizontal line connects medians. Orange circles depict individual results. Error bars represent interquartile ranges.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Violin plot of the medians of URTI symptoms’ average gravity scores over the 20 weeks of the trial. The horizontal line connects medians. Orange circles depict individual results. Error bars represent interquartile ranges.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Violin plot of the number of URTI episodes scored with gravity 2 level over the entire study (21 weeks). The horizontal line connects medians. Orange circles depict individual results. Error bars present interquartile ranges.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Days with abdominal side effects over the entire study. The horizontal line connects medians. Orange circles depict individual results. Error bars present interquartile ranges.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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