OC-083 Clinical trial: influence of bovine colostrum on intestinal permeability in healthy athletes after heavy exercise

Heavy exercise results in gut symptoms and in extreme cases 'heat stroke' due, in part, to increased intestinal permeability of luminal toxins. We examined if bovine colostrum a rich source of growth factors and immune modulators could prevent these permeability changes. Methods: Twelve healthy volunteers completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover protocol (14 days colostrum or placebo) prior to standardised exercise. Gut permeability utilised 5 h urinary lactulose: rhamnose ratios. In vitro studies (T84 cells) examined effects of colostrum on temperature-induced apoptosis (active caspase-3) and epithelial resistance. Results: For both arms of study, exercise increased the blood lactate, heart rate, core temperature (mean 2°C rise) and plasma VIP by similar amounts. However, GLP-1 plasma levels results were discordant; rising by 88.7 pmol/l in placebo arm but falling by 4.2 pmol/l in colostrum arm (p=0.026). Intestinal permeability in placebo arm increased 2.5-fold following exercise (0.38±0.012 baseline value, to 0.92±0.014, p