Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Feb 26;13(1):76.
doi: 10.1186/s13643-024-02489-1.

Therapeutics effects of bovine colostrum applications on gastrointestinal diseases: a systematic review

Parisa Hajihashemi  1 , Fahimeh Haghighatdoost  2 , Nazila Kassaian  3 , Marzieh Rahim Khorasani  4 , Laleh Hoveida  5 , Hassan Nili  6 , Babak Tamizifar  1 , Peyman Adibi  1
Affiliations

Therapeutics effects of bovine colostrum applications on gastrointestinal diseases: a systematic review

Parisa Hajihashemi et al. Syst Rev. .

Abstract

Background: Evidence on the effects of bovine colostrum (BC) supplementation on gastrointestinal (GI) diseases is conflicting.

Objectives: This systematic review summarized the findings of clinical trials (CTs) on the effects of BC supplementation on GI diseases.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted in online databases, including PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and Scopus, until March 2021 and updated until December 2023. CTs investigated BC's effect on any measurable symptomatic change in terms of GI health as the primary outcome variable or as one of the outcomes in any population eligible for this systematic review.

Results: Out of 6881 records, 22 CTs (uncontrolled = 4, cross-over = 1, and parallel = 17) with 1427 patients were enrolled in the systematic review. Diarrhea, the most frequently evaluated symptom (20 interventional arms), was decreased in frequency with BC supplementation in 15 of these arms. However, most studies reported no change in its duration. BC supplementation consistently reduced stool frequency across all seven studies. Abdominal pain relief was noted in four interventional arms but showed no improvement in five others. Assessment of other GI symptoms was limited, yielding inconclusive results.

Conclusions: There is limited evidence on the effects of BC on GI diseases, with mixed findings. More well-designed controlled clinical trials are required to explore its effects.

Keywords: Abdominal pain; Bovine colostrum; Diarrhea; Gastrointestinal diseases.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of studies reviewed
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The methodological quality of included studies
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Ananthakrishnan AN, Xavier RJ. Gastrointestinal diseases. Hunter’s tropical medicine and emerging infectious diseases. 2020. pp. 16–26.
    1. Knutsson A, Bøggild H. Gastrointestinal disorders among shift workers. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2010;36:85–95. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.2897. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Vivier H, Ross EJ, Cassisi JE. Classification of gastrointestinal symptom patterns in young adults. BMC Gastroenterol. 2020;20:326. doi: 10.1186/s12876-020-01478-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Palka M, Krztoń-Królewiecka A, Tomasik T, Seifert B, Wójtowicz E, Windak A. Management of gastrointestinal disorders in Central and Eastern Europe: self-reported practice of primary care physicians. Slov J Public Health. 2014;53:294–303. doi: 10.2478/sjph-2014-0032. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. El-Salhy M. Nutritional management of gastrointestinal diseases and disorders. Nutrients. 2019;11:3013. doi: 10.3390/nu11123013. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types