An eight-week randomized trial found that lactoferrin-fortified yogurt helped maintain ferritin levels without causing iron overload in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus, according to a Jul. 15 report.
Researchers conducted a double-blind, randomized pilot trial involving 50 Caucasian women diagnosed with gestational diabetes and reduced iron stores. The study aimed to determine whether yogurt enriched with lactoferrin could safely support iron status while avoiding excessive accumulation of iron. All participants were between 24 and 30 weeks of gestation and had serum ferritin levels below 30 µg/L. Women were randomly assigned to consume either the fortified yogurt or a standard control yogurt twice daily for eight weeks, alongside routine prenatal supplements containing elemental iron.
The primary endpoint was the change in serum ferritin from baseline to the end of the intervention period. Results showed that those consuming lactoferrin-enriched yogurt maintained stable ferritin levels, while those in the control group experienced a significant decline. Specifically, median ferritin decreased by 3.5 µg/L in controls but increased by 1.5 µg/L in the experimental group, representing a statistically significant difference (p = 0.011). Red blood cell counts and transferrin rose similarly across both groups.
Secondary outcomes included metabolic indicators such as fasting glucose and insulin resistance scores, which did not differ significantly between groups at the end of the study period. The occurrence of any listed maternal, delivery, or neonatal outcome was lower among participants who consumed lactoferrin-fortified yogurt (p = 0.040), though no individual outcome reached statistical significance on its own.
Microbiome analysis indicated modest changes associated with lactoferrin supplementation: higher relative abundance of Lactobacillus bacteria and lower abundances of Eggerthella and Actinomyces compared to controls; overall microbial diversity remained unchanged.
The researchers concluded that food fortification with lactoferrin appeared well tolerated and may help preserve maternal ferritin when added to routine supplementation for women with gestational diabetes mellitus and low iron stores. They noted limitations including small sample size, single ethnic group recruitment, short follow-up duration, lack of certain biomarker measurements, and retrospective registration.
