Lactoferrin Helps Bone Building and Reduces Bone Loss

Lactoferrin is a nutrient highly concentrated in breast milk and first milk colostrum. It is best known as a powerful immunological booster, especially protective to your digestive tract. Your body makes it throughout life, and it should be in your saliva as part of your natural immune support system for digestion. It is known to help keep an overgrowth of Candida albicans in check. A new study reviews the significant role of lactoferrin as a bone building nutrient¹.

While lactoferrin production is vital for the survival of a newborn, a number of studies in recent years have documented its bone building and bone preserving function. This is one tool that is needed for the rapid growth of a newborn baby, but it appears that lactoferrin contributes to bone health throughout life. Digestive problems could use up the body’s ability to make lactoferrin as a tool to help deal with digestive/immune difficulties, leaving a shortage for bone building. Lactoferrin as a dietary supplement is available as a purified compound, as part of first milk colostrum, and as part of whey protein.

Science now documents that lactoferrin activates genes that boost the activity of the bone building osteoblasts. Additionally, lactoferrin reduces the number of the potentially bone-deteriorating osteoclasts. These features led researchers to conclude that “lactoferrin appears to be a promising candidate for the development of an anabolic therapeutic factor for osteoporosis.”

Lactoferrin isn’t the only nutrient that helps these issues, but we can add it to a long list of natural bone building and bone preserving nutrients. The information connects digestive health and bone health. It means that those most likely to benefit from lactoferrin as a bone support nutrient are those who also have digestive issues. Just as it functions in a newborn baby, lactoferrin could benefit anyone as an additional bone boosting nutrient.