Iron Availability from an Infant Formula Supplemented with Bovine Lactoferrin

Abstract

Iron balance studies were performed in 16 term infants from their 3rd until their 17th week of life. The balance studies were performed at home and comprised five periods with an interval of 3 to 4 weeks, each consisting of three 24-hour collections of milk and stool samples. Seven infants were fed an adapted infant formula supplemented with bovine lactoferrin (100 mg/100 ml) and nine received the same formula without lactoferrin. The lactoferrin supplemented group received 169 micrograms iron/kg b.w. x day and retained 63 micrograms/kg b.w. x day. The mean iron intake of infants fed with the adapted formula without supplementation of lactoferrin was 118 micrograms/kg b.w. x day. The retention of iron was 43 micrograms/kg b.w. x day. Mean percentage retention of iron in the supplemented group was 36%, in the non-supplemented group 28%.

Effect of lactoferrin on enteric pathogens

“…Multiple studies of bovine lactoferrin supplementation have been conducted in infants to determine its effect on fecal flora and iron status [47][48][49][50]. However, these studies typically have not addressed the effect on pathogenic flora.…”

Feeding Patterns in Breast-Fed and Formula-Fed Infants

“…Any infectious disease during the week prior to or during the assigned study period resulted in exclusion of the infants from the respective period. In parallel to this study, balance trials for different trace elements were performed in the study cohort [12,13]. Only mothers who had already decided to feed an infant formula were asked to participate in the study of group B infants.…”

Clinical studies of lactoferrin in children1This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Lactoferrin and has undergone the Journal's usual peer review process.

“…LF, an important iron-binding protein in human milk, has been thought to be responsible for the high bioavailability of breast-milk iron. For this reason, several studies were conducted to determine the effect of LF supplementation on hematologic indices and iron retention and bioavailability (Fairweather-Tait et al 1987;Schulz-Lell et al 1991;Chierici et al 1992;Lönnerdal and Hernell 1994;Davidsson et al 1994;Hernell and Lön-nerdal 2002). All studies were done using bLF, except one that compared complete breast milk with the same breast milk from which LF had been removed (Davidsson et al 1994).…”

“…ND † 4 Balmer et al 1989 Diet and fecal flora in the newborn: lactoferrin 58 nonbreast-fed babies between 2570-3760 kg Milk formula with no iron but added LF (n = 18) and added iron and LF (n = 20) for 14 days 5 Schulz-Lell et al 1991 Iron availability from an infant formula supplemented with bovine lactoferrin 16 term infants from their 3rd until their 17th week of life 7 infants were fed an adapted infant formula supplemented with bovine LF (100 mg/100 mL) for 14 weeks 6 Roberts et al 1992 Supplementation of an adapted formula with bovine lactoferrin: 1. effect on the infant faecal flora 51 healthy, naturally delivered, full-term newborns (Italy) Formula + LF 10 mg/100 mL (n = 15) and formula + LF 100 mg/ 100 mL (n = 14), on demand, from birth to at least the end of the 3rd month of life 7 Chierici et al 1992 Supplementation of an adapted formula with bovine lactoferrin. 2.…”