AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS There is no clear evidence that probiotics are more effective than placebo at preventing infantile colic ; however , daily crying time appeared to reduce with probiotic use compared to placebo .
There were no clear differences in adverse effects .
BACKGROUND Infantile colic is typically defined as full-force crying for at least three hours per day , on at least three days per week , for at least three weeks .
Infantile colic affects a large number of infants and their families worldwide .
Its symptoms are broad and general , and while not indicative of disease , may represent a serious underlying condition in a small percentage of infants who may need a medical assessment .
Probiotics are live microorganisms that alter the microflora of the host and provide beneficial health effects .
The most common probiotics used are of Lactobacillus , Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus .
There is growing evidence to suggest that intestinal flora in colicky infants differ from those in healthy infants , and it is suggested that probiotics can redress this balance and provide a healthier intestinal microbiota l and scape .
The low cost and easy availability of probiotics makes them a potential prophylactic solution to reduce the incidence and prevalence of infantile colic .
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the efficacy and safety of prophylactic probiotics in preventing or reducing severity of infantile colic .
Reduction of crying episodes owing to infantile colic: a randomized controlled study on the efficacy of a new infant formula
Objectives : The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy on crying episodes owing to infantile colic of a new infant formula containing partially hydrolysed whey proteins , prebiotic oligosaccharides ( OS ) , with a high β-palmitic acid content . Design : Prospect i ve r and omized controlled study . Setting : Italy . Subjects : Two hundred and sixty-seven formula-fed infants , aged less than 4 months , with infantile colic , were r and omized to receive either the new infant formula ( study treatment ( ST ) ) or a st and ard formula and simethicone ( 6 mg/kg twice a day ) ( control treatment ( CT ) ) . A question naire was given to parents to evaluate for 14 days the daily number of colic episodes and crying time . Results : Out of the 199 infants who completed the study , 96 were treated with the new formula and 103 were not treated . Infants receiving the new formula had a significant decrease in colic episodes after 1 week ( 2.47±1.94 at day 7 vs 5.99±1.84 at the study entry ) compared to infants receiving the CT ( 3.72±1.98 at day 7 vs 5.41±1.88 at the study entry ) ( P<0.0001 ) . Also at day 14 , the crying episodes were significantly different between the two groups of infants ( 1.76±1.60 in ST vs 3.32±2.06 in CT ) ( P<0.0001 ) . Conclusions : The use of a partially hydrolysed formula supplemented with fructo- and galacto-OS induces a reduction of crying episodes in infants with colic after 7 and 14 days when compared with a st and ard formula and simethicone . Sponsorship : The study was supported by funds from Numico , Italy
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS There is no clear evidence that probiotics are more effective than placebo at preventing infantile colic ; however , daily crying time appeared to reduce with probiotic use compared to placebo .
There were no clear differences in adverse effects .
BACKGROUND Infantile colic is typically defined as full-force crying for at least three hours per day , on at least three days per week , for at least three weeks .
Infantile colic affects a large number of infants and their families worldwide .
Its symptoms are broad and general , and while not indicative of disease , may represent a serious underlying condition in a small percentage of infants who may need a medical assessment .
Probiotics are live microorganisms that alter the microflora of the host and provide beneficial health effects .
The most common probiotics used are of Lactobacillus , Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus .
There is growing evidence to suggest that intestinal flora in colicky infants differ from those in healthy infants , and it is suggested that probiotics can redress this balance and provide a healthier intestinal microbiota l and scape .
The low cost and easy availability of probiotics makes them a potential prophylactic solution to reduce the incidence and prevalence of infantile colic .
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the efficacy and safety of prophylactic probiotics in preventing or reducing severity of infantile colic .