Milk polar lipids: Untapped potential for pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals

Background

Milk contains polar lipids may confer health benefits upon consumption. Therefore, polar lipids have received considerable attention for development in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical space. We review the prophylactic and therapeutic potential of milk polar lipids and their current market trends.

Methods

The following databases were used to retrieve articles for this narrative review: SCOPUS, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Google Scholar. The search criteria included the following keywords and synonyms combined: (“milk polar lipids” or “milk phospholipids” or “milk glycerophospholipids” or “milk sphingolipids”) AND (“anti-inflammatory” or “cardiovascular” or “cancer” or “cognitive health” or “nutraceutical” or “pharmaceutical” or “supplement”).

Results

Milk polar lipid supplementation appears to improve cognitive health in both child development and age-associated cognitive decline. Milk polar lipids modulate cardiovascular risk factors including lipid levels, inflammation, and platelet function in preclinical studies, but evidence is limited in humans. Milk polar lipids may also affect colon cancer pathogenesis through anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Polar lipids are gaining attention in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical space for their use in the development of novel therapeutics and pharmaceutical delivery systems.

Conclusions

Milk polar lipids exhibit a multitude of health benefits that may be of value in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries as reflected in current market and research trends for the use of polar lipids and the development of products targeting infant cognitive development, cognitive decline in the aged, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Further clinical studies are required to assess efficacy and safety of milk polar lipid supplementation in human diseases.