Lactoferrin is a protein found in human and cow's milk, and in colostrum, with antimicrobial and immune-modulating properties. Supplements use lactoferrin processed from cow's milk and are taken for immune support and to prevent infections.
Also known as: bovine lactoferrin, bLF.
A 2022 review found 200 mg a day reduced an inflammation marker in adults, and formulas with 35 to 833 mg a day were used in infant and child studies (Berthon 2022). The large preterm infant trial used 150 mg per kg a day, up to 300 mg (ELFIN 2019). These are study protocols, not a recommendation.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling.
What studies show: a 2022 review of 25 studies found lactoferrin lowered the inflammation marker IL-6 in adults but not CRP, and reduced respiratory infections in infants and children but not in adults (Berthon 2022). In preterm babies, a 2020 Cochrane review of 12 trials found low-certainty evidence of fewer late-onset infections, with no effect on the gut disease NEC or on deaths (Pammi 2020); the largest single trial, ELFIN (2,203 very preterm UK babies, publicly funded), found no reduction in late-onset infection and concluded the data do not support routine use (ELFIN 2019).
Safety: the Cochrane review says no adverse effects were reported in its trials. In ELFIN, 2 of 16 serious events in the lactoferrin group (blood in stool and a death after intestinal perforation) were judged possibly related.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for lactoferrin that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one.
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