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 .
The early administration of Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 controls regurgitation episodes in full-term breastfed infants
Abstract Forty breastfed full-term infants were r and omly , double blind assigned to receive orally Lactobacillus reuteri ( L. reuteri ) DSM 17938 , 5 drops/daily ( 108 colony-forming units ) , for 4 weeks ( n = 20 ) or an identical placebo ( n = 20 ) , starting before third day of life . They underwent basal and final visit to monitor growth parameters and gastrointestinal ( GI ) disease . Parents registered daily : crying minutes , stool frequency and consistency , numbers of regurgitations , adverse events . Secretory IgA ( sIgA ) has been measured in saliva on 28th day . Treated infants demonstrated a reduction in daily regurgitations at the end of treatment ( p = 0.02 ) , three neonates in the placebo group only needed simethicone for GI pain , sIgA level was similar in both groups . R and om casualty produced an unbalanced gender distribution in the groups , but this bias did not affect the results . Therefore , early administration of L. reuteri DSM 17938 result ed beneficial in preventing regurgitation episodes during the first month of life
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 .