Lactoferrin Apolactoferrin

A minor fraction of whey, lactoferrin appears to have a wide variety of uses in biological systems and is considered a first line immune defense in the human body. Though a natural component of cow’s and human mother’s milk, lactoferrin is found throughout the human body.

Published studies that have examined the use of lactoferrin as a supplement and its effects on immunity have been quite promising. First, lactoferrin helps to maintain a proper level of "good" bacteria in the intestinal tract, while controlling the number of "bad" bacteria, like E. coli and streptococcus.

Probably lactoferrin’s best-known role is as an iron binding protein. The mechanism appears to lie with lactoferrin’s ability to bind iron, as it is known to have an extremely high affinity for this metal. Many pathogenic bacteria need a supply of free iron to multiply. In the presence of lactoferrin, they are strongly inhibited or killed.*

There is little doubt that lactoferrin is a major find and a potential breakthrough as a natural nontoxic immune enhancer. Though a handful of companies are able to produce lactoferrin at this time, there is only one company producing the apolactoferrin (iron-depleted) form in large quantity. Studies suggest that the superior form to supplement with is apolactoferrin.*