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 .
Cow's milk whey protein elicits symptoms of infantile colic in colicky formula-fed infants: a double-blind crossover study.
There are several causes of infantile colic . The aim of this study was to evaluate , under controlled conditions , whether bovine whey proteins can elicit symptoms of infantile colic in colicky formula-fed infants . The mean age for entering the study was 6.4 weeks and the mean age for colic debut was 3.7 weeks . In 24 of 27 infants with severe colic , the symptoms disappeared when they were given a cow 's milk-free diet ( Nutramigen ) .  These 24 infants were entered into a double-blind crossover study . The infants ( receiving cow 's milk-free diet ) were given the contents of identical capsules with each meal during day 6 . The same procedure was repeated on day 10 . The capsules contained either whey protein powder ( with Nutramigen added ) or human albumin powder ( with Nutramigen added ) . Eighteen infants receiving the whey protein-containing capsules reacted with colic , two infants receiving placebo reacted with colic ( P less than .001 ) , and four infants did not react at all . Crying hours per day for the 24 infants were 5.6 hours for formula-fed infants and 0.7 hour for cow 's milk-free diet-fed infants ( P less than .001 ) . Crying hours per day were 3.2 hours for the infants receiving whey protein capsules and 1.0 hour for those receiving placebo ( P less than .001 ) . In conclusion , bovine whey protein can elicit symptoms of infantile colic in colicky formula-fed infants
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 .