Cow’s milk has been part of the human diet for at least 8,000 years and provides a rich source of proteins, lipids, vitamins, and minerals. Despite its longstanding importance in human nutrition, questions remain about how compatible cow’s milk is with our immune system. The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen, continues to evolve and spread worldwide. As new variants begin to show resistance to currently circulating vaccines, it is necessary to find alternative therapies in order to eradicate the virus or to mitigate disease severity in those it reaches.

The researchers theorize such an alternative: consumption of bovine milk. After a year of evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic, there is still no specific effective treatment for the disease. Although the majority of infected people experience mild disease, some patients develop a serious disease, especially when other pathologies concur. For this reason, it would be very convenient to find pharmacological and immunological mechanisms that help control SARS-CoV-2 infection. Since the COVID-19 viruses are very close phylogenetically, different studies demonstrate the existence of cross-immunity as they retain shared epitopes in their structure. As a possible control measure against COVID-19, we propose the use of cow’s milk immune to BCoV. Thus, the antigenic recognition of some highly conserved structures of viral proteins, particularly M and S2, by anti-BCoV antibodies present in milk would cause a total or partial inactivation of SARS-COV-2 (acting as a particular vaccine) and be addressed more easily by GALT’s highly specialized antigen-presenting cells, thus helping the specific immune response.

Antibodies in bovine milk survive and remain active after gastric exposure and digestion in human stomachs, and continue on to neutralize any viral RNA remnants that may also persist through into fecal matter. The authors suggest, however, that ingested antibodies, which may only individually provide a short-lived immunity before they are flushed out of the body, may persist long enough to partially or totally inactivate SARS-CoV-2, which would allow the human body to mount its own immune response far more easily.

Due to many of the heat and pasteurization treatments milk undergoes before it ultimately ends up in supermarkets, many of the antibodies are broken down or destroyed, so would likely fail to provide sufficient passive immunity. The authors, therefore, suggest that, while study into bovine milk as a novel SARS-CoV-2 immunity provider must urgently be undertaken, these treatments should be considered. Antibodies in bovine milk survive and remain active after gastric exposure and digestion in human stomachs, and continue on to neutralize any viral RNA remnants that may also persist through into fecal matter. The authors suggest, however, that ingested antibodies, which may only individually provide a short-lived immunity before they are flushed out of the body, may persist long enough to partially or totally inactivate SARS-CoV-2, which would allow the human body to mount its own immune response far more easily.

Cells of the immune system require fuel from glucose, amino acids and fats, as well as several vitamins and minerals. Amino acids from protein are key components of a strong immune system while vitamins A, C, D and E protect the cells from free radicals. Milk that has been fortified with additional nutrients, is a product that can have all of these nutrients.