File this one under “Why the
hell didn’t you tell me this 4 years ago?!” Scientists at the University of Turin, Italy, conducted a
study of 83 breastfed, colicky infants divided into two groups: those treated with probiotic, a live culture of a bacteria commonly found in the intestinal tract, and simethicone, a gas remedy.
The babies in the probiotic group, after just one week of receiving five drops of probiotic daily, showed amazing progress. After four weeks, a phenomenal 95% had responded favorably to the treatment, with no negative side effects, compared to just 7% of the babies treated with simethicone. The simethicone babies were crying three times as much as their probiotic counterparts at the end of the 28 day study – 145 minutes daily, as opposed to 51.
Writing for Slate.com, Dr. Sidney Speisel, pediatrician and associate professor of pediatrics at Yale University,
hypothesizes that antibodies produced by cells in the intestinal walls, which protect us from disease throughout our lives, also produce bacteria which ferment lactose, thus producing gas – and pain – in the intestines. This is thought to be colic. Probiotic may work help lessen the uncomfortable effects of the gas-producing cells with live bacteria.
Speaking as the mother of a colicky baby, who grew up to be a food-sensitive toddler and kid, I have had tremendous success with probiotic. Our pediatrician recommended it as a remedy for a stomach bug when my older daughter was about a year old. She’s four now, and I still use it regularly for stomach aches, diarrhea, and as a preventative if I know she’ll be eating a lot of dairy. For under $10, you can buy 50 capsules that dissolve tastelessly in liquid. I wish I had known enough to turn to probiotic when simethicone left both me and my newborn crying and frustrated.
Probiotic is not yet being prescribed as a “cure” for colic, but may be, pending follow-up research. For millions of desperate parents, and unhappy babies, this may just be the best thing since disposable diapers.
