A recent study published in this month's journal, Pediatrics, looked at yet another possible 'cure' for colic....probiotics. Probiotics are 'good germs' that can benefit people by improving intestinal function as explained by health web site PDRHealth.
As most parents know, colic is excessive crying for about 3 hours a day, starting at 3 weeks of age and lasting until 3 months of life. (It's also known to reduce the number of children a parent will decide to have). Although it has been studied for years, no one really knows what causes it, or what fixes it (other than time).
This latest study compared 90 exclusively breastfed babies with colic. Half received over the counter gas drops (simethicone) and the other half got 1 capsule a day of a probiotic containing the germ Lactobacillus reuteri. The results? Pretty darn impressive...The gas drops group saw a 7% reduction in crying. The probiotics group had a 95% reduction in crying. Babies who cried 2-3 hours a day were crying less than an hour after one month of treatment.
Are we ready to recommend probiotics to every baby? No. This was a relatively small study and more research is needed to confirm the findings and prove safety. But, this may be a reasonable way to reduce the misery of colic (and certainly less expensive than hiring a babysitter every night for 2 months!)
For more information on this research, check out Dr. Brown's appearance on ABC News Now.
A recent study published in this month's journal, Pediatrics, looked at yet
another possible 'cure' for colic....probiotics. Probiotics are 'good germs' that can benefit people by improving intestinal function as explained by health web site PDRHealth.
As most parents know, colic is excessive crying for about 3 hours a day, starting at 3 weeks of age and lasting until 3 months of life. (It's also known to reduce the number of children a parent will decide to have). Although it has been studied for years, no one really knows what causes it, or what fixes it (other than time).
This latest study compared 90 exclusively breastfed babies with colic. Half received over the counter gas drops (simethicone) and the other half got 1 capsule a day of a probiotic containing the germ Lactobacillus reuteri. The results? Pretty darn impressive...The gas drops group saw a 7% reduction in crying. The probiotics group had a 95% reduction in crying. Babies who cried 2-3 hours a day were crying less than an hour after one month of treatment.
Are we ready to recommend probiotics to every baby? No. This was a relatively small study and more research is needed to confirm the findings and prove safety. But, this may be a reasonable way to reduce the misery of colic (and certainly less expensive than hiring a babysitter every night for 2 months!)
For more information on this research, check out Dr. Brown's appearance on ABC News Now.