A surprisingly common query I get is colostrum vs. collagen—which is better? Maybe it’s the fact that they both start with the same three letters. Maybe it’s that they’re both alternative health darlings currently enjoying a huge uptick in interest.
Whatever the reason for their connection in people’s minds, I thought it would be a good idea to do a quick write-up on how colostrum and collagen might interact in the body, what the relative benefits are, and whether you can take them both together.
Let’s dive right in.
Contrary to what the influencers might tell you, there isn’t a ton of research showing that bovine colostrum has a wide range of benefits for adults. It’s definitely helpful for newborns, since their guts are incredibly permeable, and colostrum is literally the first food they’re supposed to eat. Even cow colostrum has been shown to improve outcomes for newborns and premature infants. No arguments there.
But I’d caution against expecting too much from colostrum supplements. The best case for adding it to your diet as an adult is improving gut health, reducing intestinal permeability, and improving immune function—particularly for athletes.
Colostrum has been heavily researched for its ability to reduce gut permeability in various populations, including athletes, medical patients, and everyday folks.1-4 People who take bovine colostrum supplements often report better gut health and a more intact gut lining. Zonulin, a gut compound that increases permeability, frequently drops with colostrum intake.
Researchers aren’t entirely sure how bovine colostrum benefits the gut. Some people claim it regulates specific growth factors in the gut lining that help repair and support its structure. That’s colostrum’s primary role in infancy: improving gut viability so the immune system can develop, enabling digestion of food instead of relying on the womb for sustenance. Thanks in large part to colostrum benefits, this new member of the human race is able to handle what the world throws at it and develop a healthy immune response and gut lining
The challenge is that the adult gut isn’t as permeable as a newborn’s by design. For instance, the IGF-1 in bovine colostrum isn’t absorbed or utilized by adults.5
Colostrum can also regulate inflammation and help maintain iron balance in athletes, largely due to its lactoferrin content.6 Lactoferrin is an immune protein that improves iron absorption while reducing free iron—an inflammatory agent—circulating in the body. Athletes taking colostrum for instance see higher spikes in inflammation during workouts but lower resting inflammation, showing it promotes “smart” inflammation.
Meanwhile, collagen benefits for gut health are much more direct. Collagen provides the actual building blocks—amino acids like glycine—for repairing and growing the gut lining. Whether it turns out that colostrum does indeed trigger growth factors that help the gut repair itself (by no means confirmed), or if it just lowers inflammation via lactoferrin which allows the repair to proceed, you’ll need extra collagen to make those repairs.
Colostrum assists with gut repair while collagen provides a substrate required for the repair to occur.
And so the two compounds are not competing with each other, but potentially complementary. Both colostrum and collagen improve gut health, enhance skin health and appearance, and boost immune function by different but complementary routes.
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Yes, you can absolutely take collagen and colostrum together. In fact, I’d argue that if colostrum works, they’re almost made for each other. You don’t need to mix them in the same shake or take them simultaneously; just include both in your routine for maximum benefit.
Adding both colostrum and collagen supplements can create a synergistic effect, particularly for gut and immune health. Collagen serves as the substrate, while colostrum provides potential activation via growth factors.
It depends on your dietary needs. If you only take one, take collagen. Collagen is like the fourth macronutrient, providing glycine—an amino acid we no longer get enough of in modern diets. This makes collagen essential for maintaining skin, bones, blood vessels, and more. It’s also widely beneficial, whether you’re looking for joint health, anti-aging, or gut support.
If you regularly consume foods like bone broth, gelatinous meats, or stews, you may already be getting plenty of collagen. In that case, colostrum supplements could add more value, especially for individuals with immune or gut issues that dietary changes haven’t resolved.
Colostrum, derived from the mature milk of cows after giving birth, is essentially absent from the diet unless you specifically seek it out. It’s best suited for people dealing with gut inflammation or immune dysregulation. Athletes might benefit from colostrum’s ability to regulate iron and inflammation, while others may see improved resistance to respiratory infections.
Who should take collagen?
Everyone.
Who should take colostrum?
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Athletes with iron balance issues.
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Adults prone to upper respiratory tract infections.
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Individuals with leaky gut or gut inflammation.
If you’re on a budget, you can likely replicate most of the colostrum supplement benefits with a high-quality whey isolate (which contains some lactoferrin, but not as much as colostrum) and a dedicated lactoferrin supplement. My guess is that lactoferrin is doing much of the heavy lifting for colostrum’s benefits.
Both colostrum and collagen offer unique benefits, but collagen stands out as the more universally essential supplement. Its role in collagen production, gut lining repair, and overall health makes it indispensable for most people. Bovine colostrum can complement collagen, especially in specific scenarios, but it isn’t as necessary or widely applicable.
For most, collagen is the clear winner. Still, if you have unique needs or simply want to experiment with bovine colostrum benefits, adding both to your regimen can offer the best of both worlds.
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https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9227274/
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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38361147/
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https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5409709/
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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41226709/
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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31123862/
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https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9824210/
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* This blog reflects my personal views and opinions and isn’t intended as medical advice, but I hope it will be informative and inspiring as you pursue a healthy, fulfilling life.
