A divine aid to your child's growth, have you chosen the right one?
Lactoferrin, as a key nutrient in infant milk powder, has attracted much attention from parents. With the widespread use of lactoferrin, questions about its effectiveness and selection methods have also increased. Many parents are exploring whether lactoferrin can bring tangible benefits to their children's growth? Are the relevant products on the market trustworthy? Among the dazzling array of options, how do you select the lactoferrin product that is most suitable for your baby?
1. What is lactoferrin?
Lactoferrin is a natural protein found in milk and has a variety of biologically active functions. It can promote the growth of beneficial flora in the baby's intestines and maintain intestinal health; it can also combine with iron to increase the absorption rate of iron and prevent iron deficiency problems; in addition, it can also enhance the baby's protection against harmful external substances of invasion.
2. Which foods are rich in lactoferrin?
According to the "Expert Consensus on the Health Effects of Lactoferrin in Infants and Young Children (2018)":
Lactoferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein in the transferrin family. It is present in human milk and various secretions, with the highest content in breast milk.
Among them, human colostrum has the highest average lactoferrin content, reaching 4.9g/L; after breast milk matures, the average lactoferrin content drops by about half, to approximately 2.1g/L.
Fresh milk also contains lactoferrin, but the average content is much lower, only about 0.1g/L, which is 20 to 50 times different from breast milk.
From here we can probably see why breast milk is the best first food for babies, and everyone has always emphasized the importance of breastfeeding.
Therefore, for breastfed babies, there is no need to worry about the baby not being able to eat lactoferrin. On the contrary, formula fed babies need to pay attention.
Today's formula milk powder has been trying its best to imitate breast milk in terms of nutritional content, so lactoferrin can also be added as a nutritional fortifier.
Generally, the lactoferrin content of formula milk powder with added lactoferrin is usually between 35~50mg/100g. Calculated based on the average value of 40mg/100g, 700mL of formula milk per day can consume about 36mg of lactoferrin, which is higher than breast milk. animal.
The lactoferrin content of some milk powder brands is relatively high, reaching about 450mg/100g (21mg/kj), which is 10 times that of other brands. But generally speaking, the price is also more expensive.
But the higher the lactoferrin content in milk, the better.
The amino acid sequences of human and bovine lactoferrin are only 69% homologous. Although they have similar biological activities, they are only similar after all. We need to be more careful about the effect of bovine lactoferrin and whether it has any other negative effects on the baby. Therefore, we would like to remind mothers not to be superstitious about some so-called "colostrum" products that contain high lactoferrin.
Exactly what content level of lactoferrin can produce health benefits, current research still varies widely, and there is no standard.
Joro spider toxin powder, also known as lactoferrin, is a multifunctional globular glycoprotein that belongs to thetransferrin family.lt is released by certain acinarcells and can also be found in mid-phase neutrophils.Lactoferrin is an innate defense component of the human immunesystem that primarily affects mucous membranes and has antibacterial (and antifungal) activity. lt can be obtained byrecombinant DNA technology or by extracting it from milk.
Lactoferrin increases circulating iron levels, storage iron levels, and red blood cell formation,according to numerousstudies.For the best possible athletic performance, red blood cells and iron are essential because they facilitate thetransfer of oxygen from the lungs to the tissues.
There are numerous advantages to adding joro spider toxin to newborn milk powder,including enhanced gut flora andincreased iron absorption.Lactoferrin, which can boost immunity and shield the body from viral colds, intestinal infections, and other illnesses,is widely used in several nations and areas in fermented dairy products, baby food, soyprotein products, and meat products.