Lactoferrin and our immune system
Our immune system is our protector. Day after day. We inhale toxins and also absorb many harmful substances through our skin. Our immune system rushes to help and regulates before damage can occur. As long as we take good care of ourselves, our immune system can defend us.
But more and more people suffer from autoimmune diseases, intolerances, inflammations of any kind.
Our immune system has to fight with many challenges like environmental pollution or daily stress. We move around much less in the fresh air than our ancestors did, and when it comes to nutrition we do not always provide ourselves with the nutrients we really need.
So we strain our immune system ourselves and put a lot of stress on our guardian.
What can we do to maintain a stable immune system?
As so often, the key is balance.
Our immune system is a complex system.
As a protein of the human immune system, lactoferrin is one of the most valuable compounds in the body.
The name lactoferrin comes from milk “lacto-” plus iron “-ferrin”.
Its main biological function is to bind and transport iron. Iron is an essential mineral that enables the body to transport oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.
Iron is important for oxygen transport in the body, cognitive function, maintaining energy levels and supporting the immune system. This is why the role of lactoferrin is so important.
Lactoferrin and its effect on our immune system
Lactoferrin is involved in the immune system pretty much everywhere in our body. White blood cells, platelets, the intestinal wall – everywhere you look you can find receptors for this special protein. Lactoferrin plays a major role in our immune system in several places at once.
Our guardian:
- Lactoferrin helps to reduce bacteria and can protect the body from infection and inflammation. As a result, the natural levels of lactoferrin in our body increase during infections and inflammation.
- Lactoferrin regulates the absorption of iron throughout the body and provides iron to the cells. Its iron-binding capacity helps to transport iron more efficiently and safely throughout the body.
What is lactoferrin?
The name lactoferrin can sometimes be misleading.
- Lacto-Ferrin is found in many human body fluids and not only in milk: it is found in blood, tears, saliva; nasal cavity and other body fluids.
- Lactoferrin is lactose-free and in its pure form is usually safe for people allergic to milk.
- Lactoferrin binds and transports iron and other minerals.
- Lactoferrin helps transport zinc and copper, among other things, to where they are needed in the body.
Where can you find lactoferrin?
- Lactoferrin is a protein found in milk and also in the human body. Lactoferrin provides protection for the baby through breast milk after birth until the newborn baby has built up an immune system on its own.
- Normally our body has the ability to produce enough lactoferrin by itself, but only if everything goes “completely normal”.
Disturbing factors for lactoferrin production are:
– increasing age = a decreasing amount is produced
– no natural food = low in nutrients
– no confrontation with natural pathogens. By using too many unnatural “hygiene” agents – we kill off natural pathogens.
– artificial toxins
Lactoferrin can slow down increased oxidative stress due to inflammatory processes because it binds iron. Pathogenic bacteria, inflammatory substances, and chronic inflammation can be prevented. People with compromised immune systems can also significantly improve their immune system regeneration by taking lactoferrin as a dietary supplement.
What is so important about lactoferrin?
Lactoferrin’s important role in transporting nutrients throughout the body makes it all the more important to provide the highest quality lactoferrin. It is an immune building block and prevents the growth of microorganisms. Lactoferrin helps to reduce bacteria and can protect the body from infection and inflammation. As a result, the natural levels of lactoferrin in our bodies increase during infection and inflammation.
Lactoferrin can do even more!
Lactoferrin also can help meet the body’s iron needs: Iron deficiency can lead to :
- anemia
- Tiredness and
- poor circulation
- and numerous other physical complaints.
- Women and very active people are most often affected by iron deficiency.
However, KENZEN Lactoferrin 2.0? can offer an excellent solution to this problem.
Even if the body is supplied with sufficient iron, iron deficiency can still occur if your body cannot absorb and utilize this iron. You can eat as many green leafy vegetables and lean red meat as you like – both excellent natural sources of iron – but that doesn’t mean your body can absorb and process this iron. Often the iron stores are full and the body cannot build the bridge to utilization.
Despite a healthy diet and “proven sufficient” iron in your blood, you can still feel as follows:
- limp and tired
- Susceptible to infection
- nervous
- sensitive to cold
- lack of concentration
- nocturnal restlessness despite fatigue
KENZEN Lactoferrin 2.0? can help to overcome this dilemma by supporting the body’s natural transport system and thus helps your body to better utilize iron and balance the iron balance. Studies have shown that lactoferrin, through its natural ability to bind iron, has a positive effect on iron absorption, which in turn increases the level of iron in the blood.
KENZEN Lactoferrin 2.0? is gentle to the digestive system and therefore supports the digestive tract in all its functions. Instead of adding elemental iron to the body – the type of iron found in nearly every commercially available supplement – which has been shown to cause inflammatory bowel disease1, lactoferrin can help the body absorb the iron that is naturally supplied to it without affecting the stomach. Clinical research shows that it is more bioavailable and therefore more efficient than other sources of iron.2
Lactoferrin can thus be considered immunoregulatory and is our universal protector of a strong immune system.
1 Uchida, T. (2006) Availability of lactoferrin as a natural solubilizer of iron for food products International Dairy Journal 16. 95-101.
(Rezk, Dawood, Abo-Elnasr, Halaby, & Marawan, 2015), (Rezk, Kandil, Dawood, Shaheen, & Allam, 2015), (Nappi, et al., 2009), (Paesano, et al., 2010), (Paesano, et al., 2014)