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Background: Bovine colostrum (COL) is assumed to be one of the strongest natural immune stimulants. Regular ingestion of COL may contribute to improved immune response in athletes exposed to high training loads., Methods: Twenty-eight endurance-trained males aged 31.1 ± 10.2 years (body mass 81.9 ± 9.0 kg; height 1.82 ± 0.06 m) completed this randomized double-blind placebo(PLA)-controlled crossover study aimed at investigating the effect of 12-week COL supplementation (25g COL ·day -1 ) on resting (REST), exercise-induced (POST-EX), and short-term post-exercise recovery (REC; 1 h after test exercise) changes in selected saliva and blood immunoglobulins (Ig), white blood cell (WBC) count and differential; as well as blood hematological, nutritional status and muscle damage indices. The protocol assumed 4 study visits - before/after supplementation with COL ( COL PRE and COL POST ) and PLA ( PLA PRE and PLA POST ). During testing sessions, incremental rowing test to exhaustion and swimming-specific performance test were introduced as exercise stimuli., Results: At COL POST visit the secretory IgA (SIgA) concentration in saliva was significantly higher at POST-EX and REC compared to REST ( p <0.05). COL supplementation had no effect on blood IgA, IgE, IgD, IgG, and IgM concentrations. Furthermore, after COL supplementation decrease of hematocrit at REC ( p <0.05) was revealed., Conclusions: 12-week supplementation with 25 g COL ·day -1 in endurance-trained male athletes resulted in a favorable increase in post-exercise concentration of salivary SIgA. COL seems to be a potential stimulator of local immune defense after exercise-induced homeostasis disturbances. Nevertheless, the lack of effect on blood markers indicates the need for further research in the area of mechanisms underlying the effect of the supposed COL immunological capacity., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Durkalec-Michalski, Główka, Podgórski, Woźniewicz and Nowaczyk.)

Colostrum Bovinum is the first milk secreted from the mammary glands of mammals after parturition.&nbsp; In calves, it is the only way to provide immunoglobulins, which are responsible for the proper maturation of the immune system. The benefits of calf colostrum have contributed to the investigation of the effects of colostrum in humans. Although the health properties of colostrum are not fully understood, its supplementation in athletes has been particularly interesting for over 20 years. The presence of growth factors, immunoglobulins, cytokines, lactoferrin and hormones suggests that colostrum may improve the functioning of the digestive, immune and neuroendocrine systems, and exercise performance. The administering of colostrum seems to be most effective during periods of high intensity training, probably due to its high concentration of IGF-I, the ability to increase muscle buffering capacity or its high SIgA concentration. Due to the lack of adjustment of specific doses and the period of colostrum supplementation, it is necessary to conduct further studies on the impact of colostrum supply on exercise performance. The aim of this review article is to analyze the available experimental studies and reviews on the use of colostrum in sport and to draw attention to the possibility of using colostrum to improve the health of athletes and the results they can achieve in their chosen sports.

Background: Although caffeine (CAF) supplementation has been shown to improve exercise performance, its dose-dependent effect on CAF metabolism has not been sufficiently investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of 3, 6 and 9 mg of CAF/kgBM on changes of CAF and paraxanthine (PRX) in the serum and saliva at four time-points. Methods: In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design, acute pre-exercise supplementation in 26 moderately-trained athletes, participating in high-intensity functional training (HIFT), was examined. The study protocol involved CAF/PRX biochemical analyses of serum and saliva with respect to CYP1A2 polymorphism and CYP1A2 enzyme activity. Results: Despite significant differences between the serum and saliva levels of CAF and PRX, there was no difference in the PRX/CAF ratio. The interaction effect of dose and time-points for PRX concentration was revealed. The main effects of dose were observed for CAF and the PRX/CAF ratio. The main effect of time-points was registered only for serum CAF. Conclusions: Dose- and time-dependent effect of CAF supplementation on CAF and PRX in the serum and saliva of athletes was confirmed, but there was no effect of the CAF dose on CYP1A2 enzyme activity, nor was there an interaction of CYP1A2 with enzyme inducibility. The CAF/PRX correlation indicated the possibility of interchangeable use of serum and/or saliva analyses in exercise studies. Clinical trial registration: This trial was registered prospectively at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03822663, registration date: 30/01/2019). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]