Skip to content

Coming soon. The store is not open yet.

Menu
Full Measure

Ingredient guide

Colostrum dosage: how much per day was studied

Written by the Full Measure editorial team, which sells supplements. Approved for publication by the Full Measure owners. Updated .

Drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed below. How we write these

Quick answer

Most colostrum trials used 10 to 20 g a day. The two small trials behind its one graded benefit used far less, 500 mg twice a day for 20 days, and some training studies used 60 g a day. No study has found a best dose, and products differ in strength.1,2,3,4

Key facts

  • A cycling trial found no difference between 20 g and 60 g a day over 8 weeks.5
  • A 10-week trial of 1.2 g a day, about 500 mg of immunoglobulins, found no change in immune measures in healthy adults.6
  • At the low dose, colostrum collected 72 hours after calving did not change the gut test that earlier colostrum did.7
  • One study used 1.7 g per kg of body weight a day, about 120 g for an average adult.1

Amounts used in trials

Colostrum amounts in human trials1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12
Daily amountHow longWho took itWhat was measured
1 g, as 500 mg twice a day20 daysAthletes, in two small trialsA urine test of gut permeability
0.5 to 1 g45 days, then 7 more158 university studentsA daily health diary and gut complaints
1.2 g of a concentrate10 weeks138 adults aged 40 to 80Immune measures and vaccine responses
10 or 20 g8 to 12 weeksAdults in exercise trainingDays with illness
20 g14 days12 volunteersGut permeability after a hard run
25 g12 weeks28 endurance-trained menAntibodies in saliva and blood
20 or 60 g8 weeks42 cyclistsCycling performance
60 g8 to 9 weeksOlder adults; elite female rowersStrength, lean mass, rowing

Most human trials of colostrum used 10 to 20 g a day.1

A trial in university students gave 1 g a day for 15 days, then 500 mg each morning for 30 days, then 1 g a day again for 7 days near the end of term.8

The low amounts and the high amounts were tested for different things. The 1 g trials looked at a gut test in athletes, while the 60 g trials looked at strength and performance during training.2,3,12

Grams of powder or grams of IgG

Trials report the weight of colostrum powder, and only some give its antibody content.6

A 10-week trial gave 1.2 g a day of a colostrum concentrate, which held about 500 mg of immunoglobulins.6

IgG content is used as a marker of quality. Fresh colostrum with more than 50 g of IgG per liter is generally considered acceptable.4

Commercial colostrum products have differed up to six-fold in laboratory tests of activity, which reviewers link to collection time, storage, processing and pasteurization.4

Because products differ this much, the same number of grams can deliver different amounts of active protein. When you compare labels, look at the IgG figure as well as the scoop size.4

Is more better?

In 42 cyclists, 20 g or 60 g a day for 8 weeks gave a small gain in a time trial after a 2-hour ride, with no difference between the two amounts and none in a repeated maximal test.5

One study of exercise in the heat set the amount at 1.7 g per kg of body weight a day, about 120 g for an average adult and far above the 10 to 20 g used in most trials.1

A 2021 review calls for trials that test a range of doses up to 20 g a day, and notes that any best dose they find would apply only to the product tested.1

What's in ours

What’s in ours

  • Colostrum: Bovine Colostrum (25% Immunoglobulin G), 2,300 mg per serving, from the label

One scoop of ours is more than the 500 mg doses in the low-dose trials and well under the 10 to 20 g used in most others. Whether one daily scoop acts like 500 mg taken twice a day has not been tested.1,2

Before you take more

No upper limit has been set for colostrum. Most trials used 10 to 20 g a day for up to 12 weeks, and a few used 60 g a day for 8 to 9 weeks. Reviewers describe it as generally well tolerated while noting that side effects were poorly reported.1,3,9,12

At about 120 g a day, the amount one heat study used, a reviewer estimated an extra 70 g of protein and 35 g of lactose a day and warned that this could upset the gut.1

  • Do not take any amount if you have a milk allergy.
  • Ask first if you are lactose intolerant, since large amounts add a lot of lactose.1
  • Ask first if you are pregnant or nursing, or under 18.

Questions people ask

How much colostrum per day for adults?

Most adult trials used 10 to 20 g a day. Two small trials in athletes used 1 g a day in two 500 mg doses, and some training studies used 60 g a day. None of these is an official dose.1,2,3

Is 60 g of colostrum a day too much?

Two training trials used 60 g a day for 8 to 9 weeks. A cycling trial found no difference between 20 g and 60 g a day, and very large amounts add a lot of protein and lactose.1,3,5,12

How much colostrum for muscle growth?

The strength and lean mass trials used 20 to 60 g a day alongside training, and a 2021 review rates that evidence as limited. No amount for muscle growth has been established.1,3,13

See what we make

Every product shows its whole label and what its lab report covers. The store opens soon.

See the Full Measure lineColostrum

Sources

  1. Davison G. The Use of Bovine Colostrum in Sport and Exercise. Nutrients. 2021;13(6):1789. Opened 2026-10-01.
  2. Hałasa M, Maciejewska D, Baśkiewicz-Hałasa M, et al. Oral Supplementation with Bovine Colostrum Decreases Intestinal Permeability and Stool Concentrations of Zonulin in Athletes. Nutrients. 2017;9(4):370. Opened 2026-10-01.
  3. Duff WR, Chilibeck PD, Rooke JJ, Kaviani M, Krentz JR, Haines DM. The effect of bovine colostrum supplementation in older adults during resistance training. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2014;24(3):276-285. Opened 2026-10-07.
  4. Playford RJ, Weiser MJ. Bovine Colostrum: Its Constituents and Uses. Nutrients. 2021;13(1):265. Opened 2026-10-01.
  5. Coombes JS, Conacher M, Austen SK, Marshall PA. Dose effects of oral bovine colostrum on physical work capacity in cyclists. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002;34(7):1184-1188. Opened 2026-10-07.
  6. Wolvers DA, van Herpen-Broekmans WM, Logman MH, et al. Effect of a mixture of micronutrients, but not of bovine colostrum concentrate, on immune function parameters in healthy volunteers: a randomized placebo-controlled study. Nutr J. 2006;5:28. Opened 2026-10-01.
  7. Hałasa M, Maciejewska-Markiewicz D, Baśkiewicz-Hałasa M, et al. Post-Delivery Milking Delay Influence on the Effect of Oral Supplementation with Bovine Colostrum as Measured with Intestinal Permeability Test. Medicina (Kaunas). 2020;56(10):495. Opened 2026-10-01.
  8. Baśkiewicz-Hałasa M, Stachowska E, Grochans E, et al. Moderate Dose Bovine Colostrum Supplementation in Prevention of Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Medical University Students: A Randomized, Triple Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2023;15(8):1925. Opened 2026-10-01.
  9. Jones AW, March DS, Curtis F, Bridle C. Bovine colostrum supplementation and upper respiratory symptoms during exercise training: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2016;8:21. Opened 2026-10-01.
  10. Marchbank T, Davison G, Oakes JR, et al. The nutriceutical bovine colostrum truncates the increase in gut permeability caused by heavy exercise in athletes. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2011;300(3):G477-G484. Opened 2026-10-07.
  11. Durkalec-Michalski K, Główka N, Podgórski T, Woźniewicz M, Nowaczyk PM. The effect of 12-week high-dose Colostrum Bovinum supplementation on immunological, hematological and biochemical markers in endurance athletes: a randomized crossover placebo-controlled study. Front Immunol. 2024;15:1425785. Opened 2026-10-07.
  12. Brinkworth GD, Buckley JD, Bourdon PC, Gulbin JP, David A. Oral bovine colostrum supplementation enhances buffer capacity but not rowing performance in elite female rowers. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2002;12(3):349-365. Opened 2026-10-07.
  13. Antonio J, Sanders MS, Van Gammeren D. The effects of bovine colostrum supplementation on body composition and exercise performance in active men and women. Nutrition. 2001;17(3):243-247. Opened 2026-10-07.

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.