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 .
Infantile colic: crying time reduction with a whey hydrolysate: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE To determine the effectiveness of whey hydrolysate formula in the treatment of infantile colic in a primary care setting in the Netherl and s. STUDY DESIGN R and omized , double-blind , parallel trial with a 1-week qualification period and a 1-week intervention period . Participants . Forty-three healthy , thriving , formula-fed infants , < 6 months old , crying > 3 hours per day on at least 3 days per week . Infants were r and omized to whey hydrolysate formula ( n = 23 ) or st and ard formula ( n = 20 ) . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Difference in duration of crying ( minutes per day ) between qualification week and intervention week . RESULTS Analysis according to the intention to treat principle showed a difference in the decrease of crying duration of 63 minutes per day [ 95 % confidence interval : 1 - 127 minutes per day ] in favor of the whey hydrolysate formula .  Five infants did not complete the trial . The scope of the study was not sufficient to expect significant differences in the subgroup analyses . CONCLUSIONS An extensively hydrolyzed whey formula is effective in reducing the duration of crying in a primary care setting
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 .