Is iron combined with bovine lactoferrin more efficacious than iron alone in improving iron metabolism in children with or without anemia?- a meta-analysis of clinical controlled trials

As a major iron-binding protein, lactoferrin (LF) has been proposed as a delivery system by which iron can be absorbed from human milk to improve iron metabolic status. Nevertheless, a high-quality comprehensive assessment is still needed to elucidate the exact effect of LF. The present meta-analysis was conducted on published intervention studies to investigate whether iron combined with bovine LF is more efficacious than iron alone in improving iron metabolism in children with or without anemia, ultimately to clarify the important role of LF in adjuvant therapy for anemia.