New research finds that Lactium can naturally enhance sleep without groggy side effects, according to a Nutritional Outlook report.
Lactium, a patented milk casein hydrolysate from Pharmachem Laboratories (Kearny, NJ), has long been studied for its sleep-promoting properties. But recent research is providing new insight into how the ingredient promotes sleep without also inducing unwanted sedative effects.
Writing in Behavioural Brain Research, researchers gave mice an oral administration of Lactium at various concentrations (75, 150, 300, or 500 mg/kg). Then, an hour after administration, researchers examined the sedative effects of Lactium with open-field and rota-rod tests of motor coordination. Sleep-promoting effects were also measured with a pentobarbital-induced sleeping test and EEG monitoring.
Most notably, Lactium did not significantly alter the motor function or spontaneous locomotor activity of the mice, leading researchers to conclude that the casein hydrolysate has minimal or no sedative effects. Lactium did, however, enhance the sleep induced by pentobarbital sodium in mice, especially at doses of 150 mg/kg, researchers reported. And in EEG testing of rats given Lactium, another aspect of the study, the ingredient was found to promote slow-wave (delta) EEG activity—indicating sleep or relaxation.
