IBCLC Practice Exam 2025 – All-in-One Guide to Excelling in Your Lactation Consultant Certification!

Lactoferrin is a multifunctional glycoprotein that plays several important roles in human milk, but its primary function is transporting iron. By binding to iron, lactoferrin serves to regulate its availability in the gastrointestinal tract. This is crucial because iron is an essential nutrient for the growth and development of infants, and lactoferrin helps ensure that this vital mineral is efficiently utilized by the body.

The iron-binding properties of lactoferrin also contribute to its antimicrobial activity. By sequestering iron, lactoferrin limits the availability of this nutrient to pathogenic bacteria, thereby inhibiting their growth and supporting the infant's immune system. This highlights the significance of lactoferrin not just in iron transport, but also in promoting overall health in infants.

The other options—providing energy, enhancing taste, and stabilizing emulsions—do not encompass the primary biological role of lactoferrin in human milk. While human milk does provide energy and may have components that contribute to taste and emulsion stability, those functions are primarily attributed to other macronutrients such as fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Lactoferrin’s unique role as an iron transport protein distinctly sets it apart in the context of its primary