Lactoferrin: benefits, dosage, contraindications
Other name(s)
bovine lactoferrin, human lactoferrin
Scientific name(s)
lactoferrin
Family or group:
Probiotics
Indications
Scoring methodology
EFSA approval.
Anemia ✪✪✪✪✪
A meta-analysis of four clinical studies in patients with pregnancy-related iron-deficiency anemia shows that taking bovine lactoferrin 200-250 mg per day for 4 to 8 weeks during the second or third trimester is as effective as ferrous sulfate 150-520 mg for improving hemoglobin levels. In another clinical study of pregnant women with iron-deficiency anemia, it was observed that supplementation with 100 mg lactoferrin, taken twice daily for 4 weeks during the second or third trimester of pregnancy, was as effective at increasing hemoglobin levels as the standard treatment with a single infusion of iron-dextran. Another clinical study in adults with advanced cancer and chemotherapy-induced anemia who were receiving treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin shows that oral lactoferrin at 200 mg per day for 12 weeks is as effective as intravenous ferric gluconate 125 mg per week for improving hemoglobin and iron levels.
Posologie
Oral
200 - 250 mg
dry extract
Lactoferrin or ferrous salts for iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy: A meta-analysis of randomized trials
Efficacy of Lactoferrin Oral Administration in the Treatment of Anemia and Anemia of Inflammation in Pregnant and Non-pregnant Women: An Interventional Study
Comparative Effects between Oral Lactoferrin and Ferrous Sulfate Supplementation on Iron-Deficiency Anemia: A Comprehensive Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials
Efficacy and safety of oral lactoferrin supplementation in combination with rHuEPO-beta for the treatment of anemia in advanced cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: open-label, randomized controlled study
Efficacy and tolerability of oral bovine lactoferrin compared to ferrous sulfate in pregnant women with iron deficiency anemia: a prospective controlled randomized study
Lactoferrin for Prevention and Treatment of Anemia and Inflammation in Pregnant Women: A Comprehensive Review
Lactoferrin for iron-deficiency anemia in children with inflammatory bowel disease: a clinical trial
Pregnancy ✪✪✪✪✪
Bovine lactoferrin, at doses of 200-250 mg per day for 4 to 8 weeks, has been shown to be as effective as ferrous sulfate in improving hemoglobin levels in pregnant women with iron deficiency anemia.nnIn addition, one study showed that taking 100 mg of lactoferrin twice a day for 4 weeks during the second or third trimester of pregnancy increases hemoglobin levels similarly to a single infusion of iron-dextran, highlighting the effectiveness of lactoferrin in treating anemia during pregnancy.nn
Posologie
Oral administration
200 - 250 mg
dry extract
Lactoferrin or ferrous salts for iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy: A meta-analysis of randomized trials
Efficacy of Lactoferrin Oral Administration in the Treatment of Anemia and Anemia of Inflammation in Pregnant and Non-pregnant Women: An Interventional Study
Efficacy and tolerability of oral bovine lactoferrin compared to ferrous sulfate in pregnant women with iron deficiency anemia: a prospective controlled randomized study
Lactoferrin for Prevention and Treatment of Anemia and Inflammation in Pregnant Women: A Comprehensive Review
Diarrhea ✪✪✪✪✪
A double-blind randomized study, conducted in 30 long-term care patients, showed that taking lactoferrin for eight weeks was more effective for the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea compared with placebo. A clinical study in infants with anemia who were exclusively breastfed at 4 to 6 months before weaning and switched to infant formula at 6 to 9 months shows that enriching each 100 grams of formula with 38 mg of bovine lactoferrin for 3 months reduces vomiting and nausea compared with the non-fortified formula.
Posologie
Oral
48 - 500 mg
liquid extract, dry extract
Bovine Lactoferrin in the Prevention of Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea in Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Lactoferrin for the prevention of post-antibiotic diarrhea
Effects of Lactoferrin on Prevention of Acute Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Winter: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial for Staff of Kindergartens and Nursery Schools in Japan
Dose effect of bovine lactoferrin fortification on diarrhea and respiratory tract infections in weaned infants with anemia: A randomized, controlled trial
Hepatitis ✪✪✪✪✪
Some clinical research shows that lactoferrin reduces serum hepatitis C virus RNA levels and alanine aminotransferase (liver enzyme) levels in adults with hepatitis C. nnLactoferrin doses of 1.8 or 3.6 grams per day appear to be necessary for effectiveness, and lower doses do not seem to have an effect. nn
Posologie
Orally
1,800 - 3,600 mg
dry extract
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of bovine lactoferrin in patients with chronic hepatitis C
Dose-response trial of lactoferrin in patients with chronic hepatitis C
Effect of lactoferrin in patients with chronic hepatitis C: combination therapy with interferon and ribavirin
Lactoferrin inhibits hepatitis C virus viremia in chronic hepatitis C patients with high viral loads and HCV genotype 1b
Acne ✪✪✪✪✪
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 168 subjects aged 13 to 40 years with acne vulgaris were randomly assigned to receive either a capsule formulation containing lactoferrin with vitamin E and zinc or a placebo twice daily for 3 months. The lactoferrin group showed a significant reduction in total lesions as early as 2 weeks compared with placebo, with maximal reduction of comedones and inflammatory lesions at the tenth week compared with placebo. In another uncontrolled study conducted in 43 adolescents and young adults who received a chewable bovine lactoferrin tablet formulation twice daily for 8 weeks, lactoferrin was observed to be well tolerated in mild to moderate acne vulgaris and may lead to an overall improvement in acne lesion counts in the majority of affected adolescents and young adults when administered as a dietary supplement.
Posologie
Orally
200 - 200 mg
dry extract
Synergies
Efficacy and tolerability of oral lactoferrin supplementation in mild to moderate acne vulgaris: an exploratory study
A pilot study on serum lactoferrin in patients with mild versus severe acne in correlation with disease duration
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to determine the efficacy and safety of lactoferrin with vitamin E and zinc as an oral therapy for mild to moderate acne vulgaris
Helicobacter pylori infection ✪✪✪✪✪
Research shows that the use of lactoferrin in combination with a quadruple therapy based on esomeprazole, amoxicillin, metronidazole and clarithromycin, or in combination with a triple therapy based on esomeprazole, amoxicillin and clarithromycin, is associated with eradication rates of 95% or 86%, respectively, compared with eradication rates of 83% and 70%, respectively, with the use of either therapeutic regimen alone.
Posologie
Oral use
200 mg
dry extract
Efficacy of Lactoferrin with Standard Triple Therapy or Sequential Therapy for Helicobacter pylori Eradication: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Use of lactoferrin for Helicobacter pylori eradication. Preliminary results
Skin health ✪✪✪✪✪
Preliminary clinical research in healthy adults shows that daily intake of 200 to 600 mg of lactoferrin for 12 weeks improves skin hydration.
Posologie
Oral use
200 - 600 mg
12 weeks
dry extract
Eczema ✪✪✪✪✪
A small clinical study in adults with atopic dermatitis shows that taking a combination of 250 mg lactoferrin and a 250 mg immunoglobulin-rich fraction derived from whey per day for 56 days improved symptoms in 13 out of 22 patients, compared with 4 out of 13 patients taking a placebo.
Posologie
Oral use
250 mg
dry extract
Psoriasis ✪✪✪✪✪
A small clinical study in patients with mild to moderate psoriasis shows that daily application of lactoferrin at 10% or 20% in ointment form, in addition to daily oral intake of 100 mg of bovine lactoferrin for 4 weeks, improves psoriasis symptoms, such as redness and scaling, by up to 37% compared with the use of oral lactoferrin alone.
Posologie
Oral
100 mg
dry extract
Vaginal infections ✪✪✪✪✪
Preliminary clinical research in adults with recurrent bacterial vaginosis shows that taking a specific combination containing 50 mg of bovine lactoferrin and Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-14 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 for 6 months, in combination with metronidazole 500 mg twice a day for the first 7 days, reduces vaginal discharge, itching, and recurrent episodes of genital infection compared with placebo.
Posologie
Oral
50 - 200 mg
dry extract
Randomized clinical trial in women with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis: Efficacy of probiotics and lactoferrin as maintenance treatment
Bacterial biota of women with bacterial vaginosis treated with lactoferrin: an open prospective randomized trial
Bone health ✪✪✪✪✪
In vivo, bovine lactoferrin stimulates osteoblast proliferation by promoting bone growth. It also limits bone resorption by inhibiting osteoclastogenesis. These results are encouraging, but the mechanism of action remains to be elucidated. Nevertheless, Lf appears to play a key physiological role in bone formation and could be a potential therapeutic agent in the fight against osteoporosis.
Posologie
Oral administration
100 - 400 mg
12 weeks
dry extract
Properties
Antibacterial
Lactoferrin (Lf) is both bacteriostatic and bactericidal. The main mechanism by which it exerts its bacteriostatic action is iron deprivation. Secreted into biological fluids in an unsaturated form (apo-Lf), it inhibits bacterial growth by competing with bacterial siderophores (these are iron chelators synthesized and secreted by microorganisms to sequester free iron). nnIn addition to this bacteriostatic activity, Lf also exerts a bactericidal activity independent of its iron-chelating function. By its ability to bind directly to lipopolysaccharides, lipoteichoic acids (molecules of the bacterial cell wall), or porins (membrane proteins that form channels), Lf destabilizes the bacterial membrane, weakens bacteria, and increases their permeability. The bactericidal activity of Lf also involves inhibiting bacterial attachment to host cells.nn
Usages associés
Antiviral
Lactoferrin exerts antiviral activity against both DNA and RNA viruses, particularly those causing hepatitis, herpes, and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). nnAlthough the precise mechanism of its antiviral action is not fully elucidated, studies have shown that it prevents viruses from attaching to and entering target cells. It does so by interacting with specific structures on the cell surface, called glycosaminoglycans (GAG) and integrins, which viruses normally use to infect cells. Furthermore, lactoferrin has been shown to inhibit the replication of certain viruses, such as HIV-1, chronic hepatitis C virus, and rotaviruses, under experimental laboratory conditions.nn
Usages associés
Antifungal
The oral consumption of bovine lactoferrin (bLf) has proven to be very effective in significantly reducing cases of oral candidiasis. This effectiveness is explained by several actions of lactoferrin: it binds to yeasts, disrupts the structure of their cell wall, and induces apoptosis, that is, the programmed death of these fungal organisms.
Usages associés
Immunostimulant
The production of lactoferrin is upregulated in response to inflammatory stimuli. It appears to bind to epithelial cells at the site of infection and inhibits the production of inflammatory cytokines. Preliminary evidence suggests that lactoferrin supplementation may increase the phagocytic activity of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and the proportion of natural killer cells in the host defense system.
Antiparasitic
Lactoferrin (Lf) demonstrates a complex and effective antiparasitic activity, acting against several parasites responsible for specific diseases. It attaches to the membrane of the amoeba Entamoeba histolytica, which causes amebiasis, an intestinal infection that can lead to symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain. It also inhibits the growth of Toxoplasma gondii, the parasite responsible for toxoplasmosis, an infection that can be severe for pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals. Finally, lactoferrin interacts with specific receptors on Trichomonas vaginalis, the parasite behind trichomoniasis, a sexually transmitted infection, and Trypanosoma cruzi, responsible for Chagas disease, a potentially life-threatening condition affecting the heart and other organs.
Anti-inflammatory
Lactoferrin (Lf) plays an important role in the regulation of inflammation. It acts by interacting with lipopolysaccharides and various receptors present on epithelial cells (the cells that line the body's surfaces) and immune cells. This interaction influences the production of cytokines, proteins that play a key role in controlling immune and inflammatory responses. Studies in animal models have shown that oral administration of bovine lactoferrin (bLf) can reduce inflammation in different tissues. This reduction in inflammation is mainly due to a decrease in the production of certain pro-inflammatory cytokines, notably TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor) and IL-1β (interleukin-1 beta), and an increase in IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine. Lactoferrin also helps reduce the recruitment of immune cells, such as leukocytes, to the site of inflammation, thereby contributing to the attenuation of the inflammatory response.
Usages associés
Dermatological effect
Preliminary clinical research in healthy adults shows that daily intake of 200 to 600 mg of lactoferrin for 12 weeks improves skin hydration.
Usages associés
Antioxidant
Activation of monocytes/macrophages by lipopolysaccharides or TNF-α triggers phagocytic activity and leads to an increased production of reactive oxygen species that can be amplified in the presence of free iron. Lf released at the site of inflammation, by sequestering iron, limits this process and the damage caused to cell membranes by preventing lipid peroxidation. Recently, a clinical study on a cohort of 90 patients with chronic hepatitis C showed that subjects who ingested bLf exhibited an improvement in their hepatic oxidative status.
Usages associés
Bone density
In vivo, bovine lactoferrin stimulates osteoblast proliferation, promoting bone growth. It also limits bone resorption by inhibiting osteoclastogenesis. These results are encouraging, but the mechanism of action remains to be elucidated. Nevertheless, Lf appears to play a key physiological role in bone formation and could be a potential therapeutic agent in the fight against osteoporosis.
Usages associés
Anticancer
Lactoferrin (Lf) plays an important role in cancer prevention and in inhibiting the formation of metastases, acting as a potential tumor suppressor. It monitors and controls cell growth, which is crucial for combating carcinogenesis. The antitumor properties of lactoferrin are in part due to its immunomodulatory effect. It promotes the cytotoxicity of NK (Natural Killer) cells, which are essential in the immune defense against tumor cells. Furthermore, when administered (as in the case of bovine lactoferrin, bLf), it can inhibit angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is the process of forming new blood vessels, which is vital for tumor growth and the spread of metastases. In addition, lactoferrin can limit the growth of cancer cells by inducing a G1/S cell cycle arrest. This means it prevents cancer cells from multiplying, a key mechanism for slowing cancer progression.
Safe dosage
Adult: 100 undefined - 400 undefined
Lactoferrin is generally used at doses of 100 to 400 mg per day for a maximum of 12 weeks.
Precautions
Pregnant women: use with caution
Lactoferrin has been used safely during the second or third trimester of pregnancy at doses up to 250 mg per day for 8 weeks. In addition, bovine lactoferrin has been used with apparent safety during all trimesters of pregnancy at doses up to 200 mg per day.
Breastfeeding: avoid
There is not enough reliable information available on the safety of lactoferrin when used for medical purposes during breastfeeding.
