Probiotics May Help Ease Colic Symptoms in Infants

In a recent study found in Pediatrics, it was discovered that a probiotic called Lactobacillus reuteri may help to ease the symptoms of colic in infants. The study had ninety breastfed infants of the same gestational age participate. Eighty three of these infants completed the study according to the requirements (ie their parents kept a diary, infants were not on antibiotics during the study, etc). In order to develop a control for the study, all the babies were exclusively breastfed. The mother of the infant was to keep a food diary to prove that she had avoided dairy during the course of the study. The infants were of similar age, similar birth weights, and had symptoms of colic, crying at least 3 hours a day for at least 3 days a week. These infants had all shown the first signs of colic 5-7 days before the study started. The study was conceived when another researcher found that colicky infants consistently had a lower amount of beneficial probiotic intestinal flora. An experiment was performed to see if supplementing with probiotics would ease the symptoms of colic.

In the study, forty-one of the infants, randomly selected, had received 5 drops of an oil suspension probiotic containing 100 million colony of Lactobacillus reuteri 30 minutes after a feeding, once daily for 28 days. At the start of this study, the infants in this probiotic group were crying on average 197 minutes per day with a range of 80-276 minutes/day. Forty-two of the infants, randomly selected, received simethicone, an anti-gas medication found in Mylicon. They were given 15 drops, twice a day after feeding. At the start of the study, the infants in the simethicone group were crying on average 197 minutes per day with a range of 80-278 minutes/day. Parents were asked to record the length and number of colic episodes during the course of the study. They were also asked to record number and consistency of bowel movements and any observed adverse effects that may influence the results of the experiment. The infants were reexamined on days 1, 7, 14, 21 and 28 by the same pediatrician. No adverse reactions took place in either group during the course of the experiment.

The study found that after day 7, the infants that were taking the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri were crying on average 159 minutes per day. The infants that were taking the simethicone were crying 177 minutes per day on average after day 7. The results were even better after day 28, with the probiotic group crying only 51 minutes per day, compared to the simethicone group crying 145 minutes per day on average. It was discovered that 95% of the infants taking the probiotic responded favorably to the treatment while only 7% of the infants taking the simethicone responded favorably to the treatment. The difference in crying time between the two groups after 28 days was 94 minutes a day. Any parents that have dealt with colic first hand can tell you that this is a huge difference.

The researchers have concluded that probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri may be key in easing the symptoms of colic in an infant, and that the lack of this important intestinal flora may be an explanation for colic . The probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri is found to be a safe alternative to many of the current treatments used to treat colic symptoms. BioGaia AB produced the probiotic oil suspension used in this study. BioGaia is available commercially.