200 mg lactoferrin daily reduced acne grade by 20% over 12 weeks.
Lactoferrin, a protein from whey, may improve acne symptoms finds a study published this week in Nutrition. A comparison of two groups of boys fed either fermented milk or fermented milk fortified with lactoferrin found 23% fewer acne lesions in boys taking lactoferrin fortified milk for 12 weeks. This is the first study to show that lactoferrin could improve acne and it may result in more options for acne treatment.
Inflamed skin lesions are the main feature of severe acne. Lactoferrin is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, although the mechanisms involved are unclear. Until recently its only source in the diet was human milk when methods to produce bovine lactoferrin and recombinant human lactoferrin, were developed commercially.
In this small study of 36 boys half received 200 mg of lactoferrin daily in fermented milk for 12 weeks while the other half received fermented milk only. The researchers found that, compared with controls, the lactoferrin group had 23% fewer lesions and a reduction in acne grade of 20% by the end of the study. They also had 31% lower levels of sebum in the skin.
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