In this episode of the Love Your Gut podcast, we’re breaking down the buzz around colostrum and its potential benefits for gut health. Is it really the superfood it’s claimed to be, or just another wellness trend?
I’ll dive into what colostrum is, how it works in the body, and why it’s gaining so much attention in the gut health space. We’ll explore its role in supporting the gut lining, immune health, and even addressing issues like leaky gut and inflammation. Plus, I’ll share practical tips on what to look for in a immunoglobulin supplement and whether it’s worth adding to your routine.
If you’ve been curious about colostrum and whether it lives up to the hype, this episode will give you the science-backed insights you need to decide if it’s the right fit for your gut health journey!
Resources
Links from the episode:
- Take our free quiz!
- Purchase Immunolin Products on Fullscript (you have to make an account first)
- Learn more about Immunoglobulins in this episode of LYG
- Podcast Episode about Mold
Connect with Dr. Heather
Transcriptions:
SPEAKER
Dr. Heather Finley
Dr. Heather Finley: 0:03Welcome to the Love Your Gut Podcast. I’m your host, Dr. Heather Finley, registered dietitian and gut health specialist. I understand the frustration of dealing with GI issues because I’ve been there and I spent over two decades searching for answers for my own gut issues of constipation, bloating, and stomach pain. I’ve dedicated my life to understanding and solving my own gut issues. And now I’m here to guide you. On this podcast, I’ll help you identify the true root causes of your discomfort. So you can finally ditch your symptoms for good. My goal is to empower you with the knowledge and tools you need so that you can love your gut and it will love you right back. So if you’re ready to learn a lot, gain a deeper understanding of your gut and find lasting relief. You are in the right place. Welcome to the love your gut podcast………….. Glad to be back with you. I have a special guest with me today. It is my three week old baby. So if you hear some baby coos in the background, you are welcome. But three weeks ago I had a baby. It feels ironic to be recording a podcast talking about colostrum and if it’s worth the hype, because 100 percent colostrum is worth the hype when it comes to a newborn baby. But you might be wondering. Is colostrum worth the hype for you, which is why you’re tuning in. This has been something that I’ve gotten tons of questions about. Because if you are on social media. You probably have seen colostrum popping up everywhere. You’ve probably seen influencers raving about colostrum as a miracle, miracle cure for gut health and immunity. You’re not alone. If your page is full of people taking colostrum. So here’s the thing. Colostrum can be very beneficial. But I’m here today to provide. Potentially a alternative to colostrum which is something that I think is a little bit more effective and something that we for sure seen as more effective in our practice. And that is serum bovine immunoglobulins. So in this episode, I’m going to break down the key differences between colostrum and immunolin. The science behind it, which one might be a better choice for you in supporting your gut health and immune system and answer the overarching question of is colostrum worth the hype? Because like I said, colostrum is everywhere right now and you’re probably wondering if you should take it. So let’s just dive right in and talk first about what actually is colostrum. So colostrum is a nutrient rich milk produced by mammals, including cows, including humans in the first days after birth. And it’s packed with something called immunoglobulins. It’s packed with growth factors and then also peptides that support immune function and gut health, particularly in newborns. So while it’s great the benefits for adults can be maybe a little bit more complex. It’s not necessarily the perfect solution for everyone. For starters. It is derived from milk, meaning that it contains lactose and other dairy proteins, making it really unsuitable for those with dairy sensitivities. Its potency can really vary significantly based on how it’s sourced and how it’s processed, which makes it risky. Sometimes I’ll hear our clients come to us and say, Oh, my friend told me to take colostrum and said like it totally cured up, X, Y, Z symptom that they were having. And then I tried it and it didn’t do anything for me. So everybody’s. Results are going to be different. And one of the reasons could be actually from the sourcing and from the processing. The other thing is that there’s a risk with colostrum of endotoxin contamination that can potentially worsen gut issues for some individuals. So while many companies are probably Really tight with the regulations when it comes to this. That is a risk. And is that, so that’s something that you definitely want to look out for if colostrum is something that you’re gonna take. And definitely looking into the company and their sourcing their. processing et cetera. So that kind of brings us to immunolin. It’s an alternative to colostrum that I believe offers better benefits. And I’m not here on this episode to tell you that immunolin is a one size fits all product either. While I have seen immunolin help so many people nothing is a cure all, right? Nothing at all is going to be a one size fits all. Although immunolin is probably the thing that we recommend to clients the most. So what is immunolin? It is derived from bovine serum, so blood plasma, not milk, which actually means it’s lactose free. and has a much higher concentration of immunoglobulins, which colostrum also contains. So these components support the immune system and support gut function. So here’s three reasons why I think it stands out for several reasons. Number one is the higher immunoglobulin concentration. So immunoglobulin contains about three times 15 percent more immunoglobulins than colostrum. Now, if your social media feed is filled with colostrum ads, you’ve probably clicked on them and seen that it’s not cheap, right? So if you’re spending your money on something, I would want to spend my money on something that’s more potent and pure and also potentially going to get me results faster. The other benefit that I see is the consistent quality. So since it’s highly purified, immunolin has a bit more predictable quality. Unlike colostrum where the quality can just vary based on sourcing and processing. And then the other piece that I find really beneficial, especially for our client population is that it’s dairy free. So since immunolin is made from serum, it’s free of lactose or other dairy proteins, which can make it a better option for people with dairy issues or allergies, etc. There’s one situation in which I wouldn’t recommend Immunolin to an individual, and that is if they have alpha gal or a beef allergy. In that case, then it would not be a good option for them. While immunolin offers some advantages to colostrum I also want to just recognize that colostrum as well has benefits, studies show that it can promote gut healing. It can support immune function. It can even improve athletic recovery. I mean, these things that you’re seeing on social media aren’t untrue. Do I think that it’s a little bit overhyped? for sure. But there have been research studies proving these things. But the benefits are often going to be a bit more variable depending on the quality of the product. So in summary, colostrum is a great option for some. Not a one size fits all solution. If you’re looking for something more potent, consistent, dairy free, immunolin is possibly going to be a better choice for supporting your gut and your immune system. Whether you’re dealing with gut issues or even if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding immunolin is completely safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding, which is pretty cool. We have clients come to us all the time that are trying to conceive, pregnant, breastfeeding, et cetera. And they can’t complete some of the standard protocols because not that things would be necessarily unsafe, there’s just not a whole lot of research on products, specifically for SIBO or Candida or some of the, H pylori, some of the big things that we often see There’s just not research because people aren’t going to do studies on pregnant women for obvious reasons and see what happens. And thankfully immunoglobulins are something that are completely safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding. And in the next part of this episode, I want to break down just some of the advantages or some of the things that research has shown immunoglobulin to actually bind to. So, just to explain a little bit about what even immunoglobulins. So whether in colostrum or serum bovine immunoglobulins what they actually do is they will bind to antigens or quote unquote, bad guys in the gut, whether that is a virus, whether, whether that’s bacteria, whether that’s Candida, fungus, mold, whatever it These things can actually bind to unwanted things in the gut, and once bound, these antigens are neutralized and removed. From the body through the digestive system, which is pretty cool. So when you capture these harmful pathogens Immunoglobulins will help reduce the toxin load on the gut and the immune system Which will allow the body to focus on repair and healing One thing that we see often with our clients is that they have a lot going on, especially if we run stool testing on somebody, or maybe we’ve done mold testing or whatever it might be. We see never just usually one thing. It’s never one thing like, Oh, you have H pylori. We need to remove that. It’s usually you have H pylori and you have bacterial overgrowth and you have, a low gut immune system. And you have this, that, and the other. And so we need to really focus on how do we do the most with the least. And immunolin is one of those things that can actually help us do that. Because while it helps to bind to some of these, harmful pathogens in the gut that make it hard for the body to heal because the body’s constantly just in this fight mode trying to get unwanted things out. It also helps to build up and repair the gut lining. I like to explain or describe the gut lining like a cheesecloth. If you’ve ever made cheese or seen a cheesecloth, you know that it filters large particles out, right? So if you’re pouring something over a cheesecloth, it’s going to capture the really big clumps. And that’s how your gut lining works is it helps to protect your gut from the outside world. Now, if you’ve heard of the term leaky gut, Really, the actual term for this is intestinal permeability, but for all intents and purposes, we’ll call it leaky gut. If you have leaky gut, which a lot of people to an extent do, your cheesecloth has holes in it, and so things are getting through. The cheesecloth that aren’t supposed to triggering your immune system to have a response. The more activated your immune system is, the harder it is for your immune system or your gut in general to heal. And so as we help to basically sew back up that cheesecloth or glue it back together whatever analogy works for you. Your body can actually focus on healing because it’s not necessarily focused on just like constantly being activated, if that makes sense. So let’s talk about some of the things that we have seen in our clients as far as just benefits to immunoglobulins. Number one is H. pylori and SIBO. So there’s multiple studies that indicate that immunoglobulins can help to neutralize. Helicobacter pylori, or H. pylori, which is a bacteria that is linked to stomach ulcers, gastritis, SIBO, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, H. pylori thrives in the stomach lining and can lead to chronic inflammation if it’s left untreated, but immunoglobulins can prevent the bacteria from attaching to The stomach lining, which is pretty cool. This was a study done in the BMC microbiology journal. If you want to look it up, but this can help the prevent the bacteria from colonizing, which is so cool. We’ve seen this. Over and over again, clients that have persistent bloating, acid reflux, positive H. pylori on their stool test, they add immunolin in, within weeks, they notice improvements in their bloating, fewer episodes of nausea, fewer episodes of constipation, diarrhea, et cetera. We’ve even seen followup stool testing with just the use of immunolin actually decrease numbers of H. pylori. And the other thing that we have seen immunoglobulins be really beneficial for is Candida. Candida can be a really controversial thing, especially, again, on social media. There’s a common theme here. But immunoglobulins can bind to Candida, which is a really common fungal pathogen. And this can overgrow in the gut. Candida can be really challenging. It can lead to symptoms like brain fog, fatigue, sugar cravings, etc. And when you can bind to Candida, Immunolin can reduce inflammation in the gut. It will prevent further cancer. fungal overgrowth, et cetera. There’s a research study that’s published in Nutritional Frontiers and it highlights immunolins role in reducing fungal toxin overloads and alleviating some of these symptoms. I know I’m thinking of one client specifically, she had recurring candida infections, both gut and vaginal. We incorporated immunolin alongside other antifungal therapies. She experienced fewer sugar cravings, improved energy levels, and a reduction or removal of candida, which is pretty cool. Because candida can be one of those things where it is, Hard to get rid of because there’s a lot of root causes of Candida, low stomach acid, nutrient deficiencies, poor digestion, poor bile flow mold, et cetera. And so if you’re not addressing the root cause of the Candida, it’s very easy for it to come back. But in this case, the immunolin was super, super helpful for this client. The other thing that we have seen Immunolin be extremely helpful for is mold. And if you listen to my episode on mold, which I’ll link in the show notes, I can’t remember off the top of my head what episode it is. But it’s a couple back and I talked about my journey with mold. So on my, and when I had my son, so my last baby or my middle child, I Had horrible symptoms that I started to think this is not postpartum. There’s something else. And turns out we had mold in our house and I was dealing with mold illness. And at the time I had. Met someone who worked at the company that sources immunoglobulins and was talking to him about some of the research related to mold that they were finding. They were so kind and they sent me a huge container of it and said, just try it and see if it helps you, no strings attached and oh my gosh, it changed the game for me. And I talk about this in the episode, if you want to listen to it, but. Mycotoxins, which are produced by mold, are really harmful compounds, compounds that can trigger chronic inflammation, gut issues, et cetera. Brain fog was one of the main symptoms that I had in fatigue which I had never experienced before, but immunolin has been shown to bind to these toxins, which helps reduce the reabsorption in the gut and just lowering systemic toxic load. There’s so many different studies published finding that immunolin is able to bind to specific mycotoxins supporting its role just in detox. So like I said, I experienced this myself. and saw even on follow up testing the reduction there. I was breastfeeding at the time, and so I wasn’t able to do any kind of intense detox protocol. And even with just immunolin, I was able to significantly help. My levels of mold which is pretty cool. We also have had other clients with a similar story that have been able to use immunolin on their mold journey to help reduce bloating, fatigue, frequent headaches. The other benefit is that immunolin is actious as a gentle binder alongside detox supplements. So we have one client who I can think of who came to us who had mold and She was on this really intense mold protocol from another provider and she just couldn’t tolerate it. She was having horrible die off reactions, horrible, just detox symptoms, headaches, rashes, trouble sleeping, like her symptoms were getting worse. And we added in immunoglobulins and actually took away some of the other supplements that she was taking and her symptoms greatly improved. And then her mold, Issues also really improved. The last thing that I’ll talk about are actually two more. The last two things is SIBO as well as chronic diarrhea or inflammatory bowel disease improvements. So there are studies showing that immunoglobulins target toxins released by SIBO associated bacteria, such as E. coli, such as club Ciela. These are two bacteria that we see on the GI map. The stool tests that we run. And just because somebody has these two bacteria high does not, of course, confirm that they have SIBO. But we do have some clients that come to us with past SIBO testing and know that they have positive SIBO. But these toxins contribute highly to inflammation, bloating, diarrhea, and immunolin can actually neutralize these toxins. It can alleviate gut symptoms. It can support just overall balance. So if you have SIBO and you’re trying to just mitigate some of this toxin load in your SIBO or dysbiosis, then immunolin might be something that’s really helpful for you. And then lastly, if you struggle with inflammatory bowel disease like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, or you have chronic diarrhea. That is actually what immunolin was originally used for it can help reduce gut inflammation by binding to bacterial antigens and help to lessen flare up symptoms, especially diarrhea. So there’s a variable amount of immunoglobulins that you may or may not have to use. If diarrhea is a symptom that you have, you might have to use a much higher dose, but. Okay. Immunoglobulins will help bind to whatever is triggering that diarrhea. And we have a client who had Crohn’s disease, who used immunoglobulins to help just manage their chronic diarrhea within, a couple of weeks of taking it, her stool consistency, improved the urgency greatly decreased. She reported feeling a lot more comfortable eating a wide variety of foods feeling more comfortable leaving the house because she wasn’t having chronic diarrhea. So. For her, that was life changing because there was a lot of stress there related to her symptoms and just ability to be flexible with her plans. Immunolin not only helps just, I guess, detoxify the gut or bind to harmful pathogens, but it also supports gut lining repair, which this is something that’s often missed in gut protocols and really significant. Going back to the cheesecloth analogy, we have to not only reduce the immune system’s workload, but we also need to create an environment where the gut lining can then defend itself. When you have SIBO, when you have mold, when you have chronic inflammation, when you have candida. And you have intestinal permeability coupled with that. It’s one thing to address the candida. It’s one thing to address the SIBO, but you need to glue the gut back together and immunolin can do that. You can reduce gut permeability. You’re going to see improvements in overall inflammation and So that’s what makes immunolin pretty unique is that it binds and neutralizes harmful pathogens, but it’s also, supported in research to help reduce inflammation, repair the gut lining and support immune function. And so it can help in a twofold way which makes it a really effective product to spend your money on. But the question becomes, how, if this is something that you’re going to take, what dose do you take, how long do you take it, et cetera. So the first, dose that you could consider would be a maintenance phase. So this would be one to two grams a day. This is for more ongoing gut and immune health support. GI issues or it’s flu season, cold season, you’re just trying to help your body. to remove anything that might make you ill. Your kid’s bringing home the flu from daycare or colds, etc. One to two grams a day can be really effective, just as a maintenance. This can also benefit you if you’re prone to seasonal allergies. We’ve seen immunolin be really effective, actually, for allergies as well. If you’re more in like a gut healing phase, then you’re going to need a higher dose. So during a gut repair protocol, so you’re addressing intestinal permeability, dysbiosis, a gut infection like SIBO or H. pylori, you’re going to need a higher dose, probably closer to five or more grams a day. If you’re working to reduce candida, et cetera. This is Research suggests that this dose helps to improve gut barrier integrity, reduce the inflammatory burden associated with any bacterial or fungal infection, etc. If you’re in an extremely acute situation, so let’s say you have severe C. diff, IBD flare, chronic diarrhea, etc. You might need to take somewhere closer to 10 grams a day. We had a patient. That was taking, 10 ish grams a day. And that’s the patient I was talking about where their chronic diarrhea really resolved. It’s going to help bind to more toxins at a time, the higher dose that you take what we have seen. And there’s not really research about this, but what we have seen with our clients is typically the higher dose you take, right? Sometimes it can slow down your bowels just a little bit. So if you’re really sensitive, if you have constipation, then you’re, you’re going to want to go slow. If you have diarrhea, I wouldn’t be scared to ramp up the dose. Of course, consult your medical provider on this and what would be appropriate for you. But if you’re more sensitive, you’re going to want to go slower. So while these recommendations are giving a general framework, please know that You’re an individual, your needs are going to vary based on the severity of your symptoms. What else is going on with you? Et cetera. So please consult your medical provider, on this. Okay. Last piece of this episode is I want to break down some of the immunolin based products that are on the market. And please note that this entire episode is not sponsored at all. This is just my clinical experience and opinion. Nobody is paying me to do this episode. And I’m talking about products that we often use. Again, consult your own provider. I am not your provider. I am a dietitian. I am not your dietitian. Please consult your provider. If you are thinking about trying something like this. But I’m going to talk through some of the products that we often recommend. So the first one is Ortho Spore. This is a unique product because it’s actually a combination of spore based probiotics and immunoglobulins. So it has one gram of immunolins, so not a high dose, and spore based probiotics. So this is more of a maintenance product. If you’ve gone through SIBO protocols. Candida protocols, et cetera. And you’re looking for just kind of something to help you maintain. This is a great product. If you’re looking to help continue to diversify your microbiome gently remove antigens in your gut, et cetera. Could be great if you’re recovering from antibiotic use, et cetera. This is not going to be a great product. If you have chronic diarrhea and you need a higher dose. Some of the other products might be better. The next product is SBI protect. This is probably one that we use more often than others. It comes in a capsule or powder form. And the reason that I like this one is because it allows for a little bit more flexible dosing. So there’s no additional ingredients. It’s just a concentrated source of immunoglobulins. Making it very precise and customizable. Whether you are trying to slowly increase your dose or take a high dose, you can really just add the scoops to your smoothie, your water, whatever. You can get up to that 10 grams really easily, that 5 grams really easily. If you do the scooper version of this, every scoop contains two and a half grams. So if you’re going for that middle dose of five grams, it’s an easy two scoop a day. The next product is Mega IgG 2000. This is another popular product. It comes in a capsule form. It also comes in a powder form. Again, flexible dosing, easy to add into drinks or. capsules if you prefer that. Again, a straightforward way. Their scoop is a little bit less than two and a half grams. So to get to the five grams, it’s two and some change. So it makes it a little bit more tricky, but honestly not that bad. The next one is something called mega mucosa. So the last two that I’ll talk about are combination products. So mega mucosa. It has immuno in, it has four key amino acids, so L proline, serin cysteine, L three anine, as well as citrus bioflavonoids to support gut lining repair. So the amino acids in this product help with mucin production, which helps with the mucus layer of the gut. It strengthen, strengthens the intestinal mucosal barrier. It protects against leaky gut. And then the bioflavonoids provide additional just antioxidant support, polyphenols, et cetera, et cetera, to support gut inflammation. So this can be helpful for severe intestinal permeability for those recovering from mold or toxin exposure, chronic inflammation, et cetera. And it’s by Microbiome Labs, just like the Mega IgG 2000. So the difference of those two products is that the megamucosa has other things, the mega IgG is just immunolin. And then the last product is something called IgGi shield. This is immunolin paired with N acetyl D glucosamine. It’s a compound that supports mucin production as well. This helps the mucus layer of the gut. Protects the intestinal walls can be really helpful for those that have long term antibiotic use, chronic stress, autoimmune conditions Crohn’s disease, et cetera. So again, a combination product. If you’re more of a sensitive individual, you may just want to start with. the SPI Protect or the Mega IgG and see how you do. Again, everybody’s going to be the right, a little bit different. Evaluate kind of your goals. Are you targeting microbiome diversity, gut lining repair, pathogen removal? How much do you need to take? Do you need flexibility in your dosing? Is convenience a priority? Match the formulation with your needs. Immunolin is a great product. Like I said, it’s safe for adults, children, pregnant, breastfeeding individuals. It is not safe for those with alpha gal syndrome or a beef allergy. You really just want to make sure that you are being safe. You are consulting your provider. But there’s really no research that suggests that it should be harmful for anyone except for the alpha gal and beef allergy that I mentioned. So when it comes to supporting gut health, immune health like I said, colostrum has its benefits, particularly, if you’re looking to boost your immunity, heal your gut. If you need lactoferrin growth factors, et cetera, but immunolin has emerged as a superior option. It just doesn’t have the marketing behind it. Like you’re going to see from some of these colostrum products on social media, it has a higher concentration of immunoglobulins, like I said, 15 percent more. And so it’s just. A, I think an easier choice especially if you have a sensitivity to dairy or lactose intolerance and you’re looking for something that’s going to help support your immune system and help support your gut. I hope that this episode is helpful. And I guess to summarize is, is colostrum worth the hype? Colostrum can be worth the hype, but just make sure that, some of the things you’re looking into the sourcing, you’re looking into. The processing and manufacturing and just some of the consistency with some of these companies and also compare costs, look at the cost of taking immunolin and taking colostrum and you might actually get more bang for your buck elsewhere. So not that the colostrum product that you’re taking is really going to do any harm because it’s likely not, it’s probably going to help you to an extent, but may not help you as much as. What I suggested here at the end of this episode. So I hope that this was helpful. I have listed in the show notes, a list of the products that I mentioned. Once again, not sponsored at all, just my own Just experience with these products now using it for years with clients. I’ve listed a link to where you can purchase them through full script. If that’s something that you want to do. And remember just this podcast is for educational purposes only. I am not intending to diagnose, treat, or cure any condition. Consult your healthcare provider when you’re trying a new supplement. If you do try an immunogen product and it helps you and you learned about it on this episode, I would love to hear from you and see what you noticed. So share this episode with a friend, especially during cold and flu season. Have a very happy holidays. If you’re listening to this, when it actually comes out and I will catch you on the next episode of the love your gut podcast. I’m giving your gut a thumbs up because you just finished another episode of the love your gut podcast. You know that in order to live a life free from uncomfortable bloating, you need to figure out why you’re actually bloated, right? The best way to do that is by taking my free quiz. Take the next steps towards determining your root causes by visiting drheatherfinley. co backslash quiz and learn what it is that’s causing your bloating. Soon enough, you’ll be transforming your gut issues and I can’t wait to help you. Be sure to tune in next week for the next episode of the Love Your Gut podcast.
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