Effects of iron-saturated lactoferrin on iron absorption.

Abstract

Iron absorption from iron-saturated lactoferrin was compared to that from ferrous sulfate in iron-deficient anemic rats. One group of rats was given 50 μg of iron orally once a day and changes in red blood cell density, hematocrit, and hemoglobin values were measured at 14-day intervals for 70 days. A statistically significant increase in these values was demonstrated for the rats fed ironsaturated lactoferrin (50 μg Fe/35mg lactoferrin/day), while the ferrous sulfate group showed no improvement in these values. The results suggest that iron from iron-saturated lactoferrin is absorbed across the intestinal mucosa by a mechanism other than the one by which soluble iron salts are absorbed.