Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 3, 2025
Analyzing Beneficial Effects of Nutritional Supplements on Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Functions During Experimental Colitis
Published on: January 5, 2017
Bovine Colostrum in Increased Intestinal Permeability in Healthy Athletes and Patients: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized
Parisa Hajihashemi1, Fahimeh Haghighatdoost2, Nazila Kassaian3
1Isfahan Gastroenterology and Hepatology Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Background:
Increasing intestinal permeability causes chronic inflammation, which is one of the etiological factors of many diseases that presently constitute global challenges.
Aims:
Considering the importance of developing therapies to eliminate the increased intestinal permeability, in this systematic review and meta-analysis, we analyze the impact of bovine colostrum (BC) on the gut barrier and its permeability.
Methods:
Online databases, including PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and Scopus, were searched to find pertinent articles up to March 2022. Weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were considered as effect sizes. The random-effects model was used to pool the study results.
Results:
A total of ten articles were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled effect revealed a significant reduction in the 5-h urinary lactulose/rhamnose ratio after BC consumption [mean difference (MD): -0.24; 95% CI -0.43 to -0.04; I2 = 99%] and urinary lactulose/mannitol ratio (MD: -0.01; 95% CI -0.02 to -0.001; I2 = 29.8%). No differences were observed in the plasma intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) between BC and control groups (MD: 2.30; 95% CI -293.9 to 298.5; I2 = 92%).
Conclusions:
BC supplementation significantly reduced intestinal permeability; however, to confirm the results, more randomized clinical trials considering different quality, dose, and duration are needed.
