By Staff Writer - January, 17th 2014

Colic – excessive crying that is unrelated to a medical problem – is the cause of as many as one in five visits to pediatricians, the researchers said. It is also a source of anxiety and stress for parents.

Natural Health News — Giving an infant a probiotic during the first three months of life appears to reduce the onset of colic and other gastrointestinal disorders and result in lower healthcare costs.

Infant colic, acid reflux and constipation are the most common gastrointestinal disorders that lead to a pediatrician referral during the first six months of life. They are often responsible for hospitalization, feeding changes, use of drugs, parental anxiety and loss of parental working days, according to the study background.

Adding to the evidence

In the current study, Italian researchers, from the Aldo Moro University of Bari, Italy, randomised 554 newborns in nine paediatric units in Italy to receiving oral drops of the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 (L reuteri DSM 17938) or placebo for 90 days.

The probiotic was delivered in a mixture of pharmaceutical-grade sunflower and medium-chain triglyceride oils supplied in a dark bottle fitted with a dropper cap. …

If parents want to give their baby a probiotic, it should be done under the supervision of their pediatrician. It should not be used as a preventive tool, but as a treatment for colic, reflux or constipation.

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