Infant colic is a condition that occurs around three weeks of the baby’s life and continues for a few months. It is characterized by causing intense and prolonged crying for no apparent reason, which can generate a lot of stress and frustration in parents for not being able to calm their baby despite trying different remedies.
A study has concluded that probiotics should be recommended to parents whose babies suffer from infant colic and are breastfed .
This would not be the first time that probiotics appear as one of the possible remedies to alleviate infant colic, but studies that had been carried out previously did not show conclusive results that could ensure their effectiveness.
In a study published in the journal Pediatrics, it was precisely sought to find the definitive answer to know if probiotics, specifically lactobacillus reuteri, really worked to calm infant colic in babies who were exclusively breastfed.
In addition to confirming whether lactobacillus reuteri probiotics effectively reduced crying or fussiness in babies with infant colic, the effects they had on babies would also be analyzed according to the type of feeding they received (breast milk or formula ).
The effects of 345 babies were analyzed in four different studies, in which they were divided into two groups: those taking probiotics and those taking a placebo .
The group that received the probiotics had less crying and fussiness compared to the group that took the placebo , and the effects of the probiotic were more dramatic or elevated specifically in the babies who were fed with breast milk, while in those who received formula they were practically insignificant.
The researchers then concluded that, in the case of breastfed babies, probiotics worked effectively to reduce infant colic . In the case of formula-fed babies, they mentioned that more studies need to be done to be able to deliver anything conclusive. This conclusion coincides with what we can find about probiotics and their role in helping to alleviate infant colic in the En Familia portal of the Spanish Pediatric Association.
Always remember to consult your pediatrician for any concerns or doubts you have about your baby , because in addition to the fact that there are different myths or false beliefs about infant colic, it is important to have a correct diagnosis to know the best way to act.
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Via | Parents
