Lactoferrin

Bovine lactoferrin

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Iron deficiency anemia¹ Pediatric diarrhea² Late-onset sepsis in preterm infants³ H. pylori eradication adjunct⁴ Systemic inflammation⁵ Respiratory symptoms in adults⁶	Milk allergy⁷ Pregnancy or breastfeeding⁷

Lactoferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein of the transferrin family found in milk and mucosal secretions; supplements are most often bovine-derived. It acts by binding iron and modulating immune and inflammatory signaling⁸. Supplementation is used for iron deficiency anemia, particularly in patients who tolerate oral iron salts poorly^{1, 9}. It is also used to prevent infections in children, as an adjunct to Helicobacter pylori eradication, and for immune support in healthy adults.

In preterm infants, a Cochrane review found low-certainty evidence of less late-onset sepsis, but a large randomized trial found no reduction in late-onset infection. In 2022, a case series of two children with post-acute viral illness (long coronavirus disease 2019) reported resolution of chronic gastrointestinal symptoms after oral lactoferrin; no randomized trial has tested this¹⁰. Products listing lactoferrin number 894, mostly capsules; see Form comparison.

Most United States labels warn that products contain milk⁷, and Health Canada labels ask for a practitioner's advice before use in pregnancy, breastfeeding, or iron deficiency¹¹.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

70 sources, 53 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources