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 .
Infant colic: empirical evidence of the absence of an association with source of early infant nutrition.
BACKGROUND The etiology of infant colic  remains unknown , despite an abundance of research on the topic . OBJECTIVE To determine whether breastfeeding has a protective effect in colic 's development . DESIGN A prospect i ve cohort study of 856 mother-infant dyads . Eligible participants included English-speaking adult residents of a region in Ontario , who gave birth , at term , to a live singleton whose birth weight was appropriate for gestational age .  Self-administered question naires , mailed to mothers at 1 and 6 weeks post partum , requested information on several infant and maternal factors , including source of infant nutrition ( exclusively breastfed , complementary fed , and exclusively formula fed ) . Cases of colic were identified by applying modified Wessel criteria to data recorded in the Barr Baby Day Diary or by interpreting responses to the Ames Cry Score . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Prevalence of colic among breastfed , formula-fed , and complementary-fed infants ; and adjusted odds ratios ( AORs ) reflecting the prevalence of colic among formula- and complementary-fed infants relative to those who were breastfed . RESULTS Of 856 mothers , 733 ( 86 % ) completed the first question naire and 617 ( 72 % ) completed the second question naire . Overall , the prevalence of colic at 6 weeks was 24 % . No association was seen between the source of infant nutrition and colic 's development . In multivariate analyses , higher levels of maternal trait anxiety ( AOR , 1.22 ; 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] , 0.96 - 1.54 ) , maternal alcohol consumption at 6 weeks ( AOR , 1.57 ; 95 % CI , 1.03 - 2.40 ) , and shift work during pregnancy ( AOR , 1.27 ; 95 % CI , 0.73 - 2.21 ) were associated with an increased likelihood of colic , after controlling for feeding method , maternal age , and parity . In these same analyses , being married or having a common-law partner ( AOR , 0.30 ; 95 % CI , 0.10 - 0.87 ) and being employed full-time during pregnancy ( AOR , 0.60 ; 95 % CI , 0.32 - 1.14 ) were associated with a reduced likelihood of colic . CONCLUSIONS Breastfeeding did not have a protective effect on the development of colic . Although colic was statistically associated with several variables , including preexisting maternal anxiety , much of colic 's etiology remains unexplained
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 .