Fortified milk may reduce acne

The study published in the journal Nutrition​ suggests increased daily intake of lactoferrin through an enriched milk source can reduce visible symptoms of the skin condition acne vulgaris by up to 20 percent after 12 weeks.

“Lactoferrin-enriched fermented milk may be a potential alternative therapy, or may serve as an adjunct to conventional therapies for the treatment of acne vulgaris.​

“In the present study we demonstrated for the first time that daily ingestion of lactoferrin-enriched fermented milk has a therapeutic effect on acne vulgaris,”​ wrote the researchers, led by Dr Yunhi Cho from the Department of Medical Nutrition at Kyung Hee University, Korea.

Common condition​

Acne vulgaris is a common skin condition affecting nearly 80 percent of adolescents and young adults.

Many acne lesions may be no more than a minor annoyance to most people, but in people with more harsh inflammatory acne lesions “embarrassment, social withdrawal, and physical and psychological scarring can be life-changing”,​ noted the authors.

The earliest non-inflammatory lesions in acne vulgaris are formed as a result of follicular plugging from increased sebum production.

As lesions increase in size, they can become filled with bacteria that secrete pro-inflammatory by-products.

Previous studies with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and Lactobacillus GG have been reported to have beneficial effects on skin health, noted the authors.

Lactoferrin has been shown to have good activity against inflammation in vitro,​ with systemic effects suggested for various inflammatory diseases, by stopping the production of pro-inflammatory molecules.

The new study investigated the effects of daily dietary intake of lactoferrin-enriched fermented milk on patients with acne vulgaris.

Significant reduction​

The lactoferrin-enriched fermented milk significantly reduced acne grade, inflammatory lesion count (ILC), and total lesion count (TLC) after 12 weeks of use, according to researchers.

In contrast, they reported no change in acne grade and ILC in people who consumed non-enriched, fermented milk after 12 weeks.

The results showed significant decreases, with ILC reducing by an average of 38.6 percent, TLC by 23.1 percent, and acne grade by 20.3 percent when compared to the non lactoferrin placebo group.

The authors stated that the improvement of acne in the lactoferrin group was complemented by a significant decrease in sebum content.

In addition, the amount of total skin surface lipids was seen to decrease - with levels of triacylglycerols and free fatty acids decreasing for the lactoferrin group.

This decrease was reported to be significantly correlated with decreases in serum content, acne lesion counts, and acne grade.

Selective decrease​

“This clinical study demonstrated a novel observation that daily ingestion of lactoferrin-enriched fermented milk decreases acne vulgaris with a selective decrease in triacylglycerols in skin surface lipids,”​ concluded the researchers.

They added that the greater efficacy of lactoferrin may be associated with the greater ability of lactoferrin to decrease triacylglycerols and sebum content, “thereby decreasing follicular plugging and inflammation with P. acnes bacteria.”​

Source: Nutrition​

Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2010.05.011

“Dietary effect of lactoferrin-enriched fermented milk on skin surface lipid and clinical improvement of acne vulgaris”​

Authors: J. Kim, Y. Ko, Y.K. Park, N.I. Kim, W.K. Ha, Y. Cho