Effects of Lactoferrin on Prevention of Acute Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Winter: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial for Staff of Kindergartens and Nursery Schools in Japan

Masaru Mizuki, Teruomi Tsukahara, Hirotsugu Oda, Miyuki Tanaka, Koji Yamauchi, Fumiaki Abe and Tetsuo Nomiyama
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Masaru Mizuki: Department of Occupational Medicine, School of Medicine, Shinshu University, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan
Teruomi Tsukahara: Department of Occupational Medicine, School of Medicine, Shinshu University, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan
Hirotsugu Oda: Food Ingredients and Technology Institute, R&D Division, Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., Zama, Kanagawa 252-8583, Japan
Miyuki Tanaka: Food Ingredients and Technology Institute, R&D Division, Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., Zama, Kanagawa 252-8583, Japan
Koji Yamauchi: Food Ingredients and Technology Institute, R&D Division, Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., Zama, Kanagawa 252-8583, Japan
Fumiaki Abe: Food Ingredients and Technology Institute, R&D Division, Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., Zama, Kanagawa 252-8583, Japan
Tetsuo Nomiyama: Department of Occupational Medicine, School of Medicine, Shinshu University, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 24, 1-9

Abstract: This study investigated the preventive effects of lactoferrin (LF) on subjective acute gastrointestinal symptoms during the winter in a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled parallel-group comparative trial. The eligible subjects were healthy adults working at kindergartens and nursery schools. We randomized the subjects to the Placebo group (0 mg/day), the Low LF group (200 mg/day), and the High LF group (600 mg/day) for 12 weeks. The prevalence of acute gastrointestinal symptoms was significantly lower in the High LF (13/112 vs. 26/116; p = 0.030) and the Low LF (13/107 vs. 26/116; p = 0.040) groups than in the Placebo group. The adjusted odds ratio for the prevalence of acute gastrointestinal symptoms was 2.78 (95% CI: 1.19–6.47) in the Placebo group compared with the High LF group. LF is useful to prevent acute gastrointestinal symptoms among childcare workers, who mainly consist of women.

Keywords: lactoferrin; diarrhea; kindergarten; winter; subjective acute gastrointestinal symptoms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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