Spray Dried, Pasteurised Bovine Colostrum Protects Against Gut Dysfunction and Inflammation in Preterm Pigs.

OBJECTIVE: Feeding bovine colostrum (BC) improves gut maturation and function and protects against necrotizing enterocolitis, relative to formula in newborn preterm pigs. Before BC can be used for preterm infants, it is important to test if the milk processing, required to reduce bacterial load and increase shelf life, may affect bioactivity and efficacy of a BC product. METHODS: We investigated if spray dried, pasteurised BC had protective effects on gut function in preterm pigs, relative to formula. After a 2-day total parenteral nutrition period, preterm pigs were fed formula for a few hours (to induce a proinflammatory state) followed by 2 days of formula (FORM, n = 14), BC (colostrum [COLOS], n = 14), spray-dried BC (POW, n = 8), or pasteurised, spray-dried BC (POWPAS, n = 9). RESULTS: Spray drying and pasteurisation of BC decreased the concentration of transforming growth factor-ß1, -ß2 and increased protein aggregation. All of the 3 BC groups had reduced necrotizing enterocolitis severity, small intestinal levels of IL-1ß, -8, and colonic lactic acid levels, and increased intestinal villus height, hexose absorption, and digestive enzyme activities, relative to the FORM group (all P < 0.05). All of the 3 BC diets stimulated epithelial cell migration in a wound-healing model with IEC-6 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Spray drying and pasteurisation affect BC proteins, but do not reduce the trophic and anti-inflammatory effects of BC on the immature intestine. It remains to be studied if BC products will benefit preterm infants just after birth when human milk is often not available.

Intake of Novel Red Clover Supplementation for 12 Weeks Improves Bone Status in Healthy Menopausal Women.

Objective. To investigate the effect by which daily consumption of a novel red clover (RC) extract influences bone health, inflammatory status, and cardiovascular health in healthy menopausal women. Design. A 12-week randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial involving 60 menopausal women receiving a daily dose of 150 mL RC extract containing 37.1 mg isoflavones (33.8 mg as aglycones) or placebo. Methods. Bone parameters were changes in bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC), and T-score at the lumbar spine and femoral neck. Bone turnover (CTx) and inflammatory markers were measured in plasma and finally blood pressure (BP) was evaluated. Results. RC extract had positive effect on bone health, and only the women receiving the placebo experienced a decline in BMD (p < 0.01) at the lumbar spine. T-score at the lumbar spine only decreased in the placebo group (p < 0.01). CTx decreased in the RC group with -9.94 (±4.93)%, although not significant. Conclusion. Daily consumption of RC extract over a 12-week period was found to have a beneficial effect on bone health in menopausal women based on BMD and T-score at the lumbar spine and plasma CTx levels. No changes in BP or inflammation markers were found and no side effects were observed.

Bovine colostrum improves intestinal function following formula-induced gut inflammation in preterm pigs.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Only few hours of formula feeding may induce proinflammatory responses and predispose to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm pigs. We hypothesized that bovine colostrum, rich in bioactive factors, would improve intestinal function in preterm pigs following an initial exposure to formula feeding after some days of total parenteral nutrition (TPN). METHODS: After receiving TPN for 2 days, preterm pigs were fed formula (FORM, n = 14), bovine colostrum (COLOS, n = 6), or formula (6 h) followed by bovine colostrum (FCOLOS, n = 14). Intestinal lesions, function, and structure, abundance and location of bacteria, and inflammation markers were investigated. RESULTS: NEC severity and interleukins (IL)-1ß and -8 protein concentrations were lower, while villus height, galactose absorption, and brush-border enzyme activities were increased in the distal small intestine in COLOS and FCOLOS pigs, relative to FORM pigs. Intestinal gene expression of serum amyloid A, IL-1ß, -6 and -8, and bacterial abundance, correlated positively with NEC severity of the distal small intestine. CONCLUSIONS: Bovine colostrum restores intestinal function after initial formula-induced inflammation in preterm pigs. Further studies are required to test if bovine colostrum may also benefit preterm infants during the challenging transition from total parenteral nutrition to enteral nutrition, when human milk is unavailable.