Potent anti-obesity effect of enteric-coated lactoferrin: Decrease in visceral fat accumulation in Japanese men and women with abdominal obesity after 8-week administration of enteric-coated lactoferrin tablets

Abstract

Lactoferrin (LF), a multifunctional glycoprotein in mammalian milk, is reported to exert a modulatory effect on lipid metabolism. The aim of the present study was to elucidate whether enteric-coated LF (eLF) might improve visceral fat-type obesity, an underlying cause of the metabolic syndrome. Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled design, Japanese men and women (n 26; aged 22-60 years) with abdominal obesity (BMI>25kg/m2, and visceral fat area (VFA)>100cm2) consumed eLF (300mg/d as bovine LF) or placebo tablets for 8 weeks. Measurement of the total fat area, VFA and subcutaneous fat area from computed tomography images revealed a significant reduction in VFA (146cm2) in the eLF group, as compared with the placebo controls (18cm2; P=0009 by ANCOVA). Decreases in body weight, BMI and hip circumference in the eLF group (15kg, 06kg/m2, 26cm) were also found to be significantly greater than with the placebo (+10kg, +03kg/m2, 02cm; P=0032, 0013, 0041, respectively). There was also a tendency for a reduction in waist circumference in the eLF group (44cm) as compared with the placebo group (09cm; P=0073). No adverse effects of the eLF treatment were found with regard to blood lipid or biochemical parameters. From these results, eLF appears to be a promising agent for the control of visceral fat accumulation. Copyright © The Authors 2010.