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 .
Early neutral prebiotic oligosaccharide supplementation reduces the incidence of some allergic manifestations in the first 5 years of life.
BACKGROUND A mixture of neutral prebiotic oligosaccharides has been shown to reduce the incidence of atopic dermatitis ( AD ) and allergy associated symptoms during the first 2 years of life . OBJECTIVE To evaluate if this protective effect against allergy lasted beyond the intervention period until 5 y of age . METHODS In a prospect i ve , double blind , placebo-controlled fashion , healthy term infants at risk of atopy were fed either a prebiotic-supplemented ( 0.8 g/100 ml scGOS/lcFOS ) or placebo-supplemented ( 0.8 g/100 ml maltodextrin ) hypoallergenic formula during the first 6 mo of life . Following this intervention period , follow-up continued until 5 y of life . The present study evaluated ( i ) the cumulative incidence of allergic manifestations during 5 y , and ( ii ) the prevalence of allergic and persistent allergic manifestations at 5 y. Monitored allergic manifestations were AD , recurrent wheezing , allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and urticaria . RESULTS Ninety-two children ( 50 in placebo group , 42 in intervention group ) completed the 5-y follow-up . The 5-y cumulative incidences of any allergic manifestation and atopic dermatitis were significantly lower in the scGOS/lcFOS group ( 30.9 , 19.1 % , respectively ) compared to placebo group ( 66 , 38 % , respectively ) ( p < 0.01 and < 0.05 ) . Children in the scGOS/lcFOS group tended to have a lower incidence of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis , and allergic urticaria ( 4.8 vs 16 % for both manifestations , p=0.08 ) . There was no difference in the cumulative incidence of recurrent wheezing . With regard to the prevalences at 5 y , intervention group had significantly lower prevalence of any persistent allergic manifestation and rhinoconjunctivitis ( 4.8 , 2.4 % , respectively ) compared to placebo ( 26 , 14 % , respectively ) ( p < 0.01 and = 0.05 ) . Prevalence of persistent AD tended to be lower in the intervention group ( 2.4 vs 12 % , p= 0.09 ) . Although intervention group had 75 % reduction in the prevalence of persistent wheezing ( 4.8 vs 14 % ) , no significance was shown . CONCLUSION Oligosaccharide prebiotics ( scGOS/lcFOS ) , when started early in life have a protective effect against allergic manifestations in high risk infants . The protection lasts beyond infancy until 5 y of life , for AD and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis . Long-term follow-up studies in larger population s are warranted to evaluate the potential preventive effect of this mixture on asthma
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 .