Probiotics: A Possible Remedy for Baby Colic!

Almost any baby out there has suffered of colic anywhere from 1st the 3rd month. For now there isn`t any remedy discovered, but doctors have made some research on this and it`s believed that a treatment will be found soon.

A Possible Remedy in the Initial Phase

Researchers from Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands strongly believe that they discovered the reason for which babies have colic in the first months of their life. A study made by the researchers suggest that infants with colic have more proteobacteria than those who don`t. Babies who have colic develop probiotics bacteria later, such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, which creates gas and strong pains. Because probiotics are generally harder to develop when babies with colic are concerned, researchers study if the administration of probiotics will reduce the pains they experience.

Doctors suspect that the lack of balance in the intestinal flora might cause babies to experience gas and pains. Their studies show differences regarding 2 types of bacteria: probiotics and proteobacteria. A professor from the Radhoud University, Carolina de Weerth, supports the idea in which in the first 2 weeks of life of an infant it has been discovered essential differences between the types of bacteria. Proteobacteria was found in large numbers at babies who had colic, more than double than the babies without, and has also been discovered a few known species that create gas.

Lactobacilli and bifidobacteria have been found in large number at control infants, among them existing species with anti-inflammatory effect. More than this, samples that were taken from babies who had colic have shown bacteria that created butyric acid, known to reduce pain to adults, which would explain the excessive crying when babies with colic are concerned. The results discovered at this university were published in Pediatrics magazine in January 2013.

Professor Carolina de Weerth supports the idea that 25% from all babies are affected by colic, meaning infants of up to 3 months old who cry more than 3 hours per day. There isn`t much data regarding the causes for colic, and for the moment, time is the only remedy. It`s believed that babies who experience colic stop crying around the 4th month.

The study has shown from testing over 200 fecal samples at around 6 weeks old from 12 babies who experienced colic and from 12 babies who didn`t cried as much. The samples were tested for more than 1.000 species of bacteria. It was taken 4 samples in the first month and another 5 samples in the period between 3 and 5 months.

Probiotics Could Be the Answer

The results of the research have shown essential differences between the bacterial flora of the babies who had colic and those without. According to the researchers, this can lead to a treatment for colic or screening tests that could quickly detect them. The researchers from this university sustain that it`s possible that the administration of probiotics would produce major changes in the microflora of babies who have colic. However, the mother`s diet during pregnancy or breastfeeding can also have an influence, as well as adding probiotics in the milk formula could positively affect the intestinal flora of the baby. These studies are in their initial phase and the medicine community is cautious for now because there is still the possibility for probiotics to produce invasive infections. Colic tend to disappear eventually from the life of any baby anyway, so until more positive results are discovered, for now the risk would be too great to go over the initial phase.

Doctors advise new mothers to add yogurt in their daily diet to help increase the probiotics in their body naturally, although it seems not enough to have a real effect on baby colic.

The Mother`s Nutrition May Have an Influence on Baby Colic

It`s believed that the mother`s nutrition might have some kind of influence on baby`s colic during the first few months of birth. The foods consumed during the breastfeeding process by the mother may lead to the baby experiencing abdominal cramps or, on the contrary, they may relieve them. You should inform yourself on how does the mother`s diet succeed in determining the occurrence of baby`s colic, but also on the main foods that trigger this upsetting symptom from early age.

Generally speaking, the foods that determine bloating and flatulence in adults are also responsible for baby`s colic when they are consumed by the mother during breastfeeding. Among these are:

• Dairy products (especially cow milk0.
• Cabbage.
• Broccoli.
• Cauliflower.
• Celery.
• Beans.
• Garlic.
• Onion.
• Spicy food.
• Peas.
• Citrus.

These are considered the main types of foods that cause has to the baby`s and lead to colic. It`s recommended to carefully monitor the baby`s reactions after every breastfeeding and notice which are the foods from your diet that trigger baby`s colic the most.