Re: OT: Probiotic may help with colic in babies - Research Study

[Guest guest]

Anyone know a good product? This would be excellent for our

breastfeeding moms out there.

Sally

>

> http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070108/hl_nm/health_probiotic_dc

>

> Probiotic may help with colic in babies

> Mon Jan 8, 6:37 PM ET

>

>

> Treatment with the probiotic organism Lactobacillus reuteri may

improve colicky symptoms in infants, new research suggests.

> Probiotics are micro-organisms that help maintain the natural

balance of healthy organisms, the " good " bacteria, in the digestive

tract. This balance can be upset by certain antibiotic drugs and

other factors, which can result in gastrointestinal disturbances.

Infant colic is defined as excessive crying in otherwise healthy,

well-fed infants. Although the cause of colic is unknown, it is

thought to be associated with painful stomach gas.

> The study, described in the journal Pediatrics, involved 90

exclusively breastfed colicky infants of similar age, birth weight,

gender and times spent crying. They were randomly assigned to

treatment with the anti-gas agent simethicone or with L. reuteri.

> Forty-one probiotic-treated and 42 simethicone-treated infants

completed the 28-day trial, report Dr. Francesco Savino and

colleagues from Regina Margherita Children's Hospital in Turin, Italy.

> Within 7 days of treatment, L reuteri improved colicky symptoms

significantly, compared with simethicone. The investigators found

that 95 percent of infants had a therapeutic response to L reuteri

compared with only 7 percent of the infants in the simethicone group.

> L. reuteri therapy was associated with a marked drop in crying

times. Parent-reported crying times in the probiotic and simethicone

groups were 51 and 145 minutes per day, respectively, on day 28.

> " The safety profile of probiotics makes them a favorable

alternative to all other therapeutic options for breastfed infants

with colic, " Savino and colleagues note in their report.

> Exactly how L. reuteri works is not fully understood, the authors

note. " It's possible that L. reuteri promotes an anti-inflammatory

tone in the intestines, " which has beneficial effects on the immune

response and movement of the gut.

> The researchers also point out that the mothers in the study

maintained a low-allergen diet, which also may have contributed to

the reduction in colic symptoms.

> Further studies may be warranted to determine the best probiotic

organism for treating infantile colic.

> SOURCE: Pediatrics, January 2007.

>

>

>

>

>

> Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly

prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters

shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for

any actions taken in reliance thereon.

>

> var ADFadids = " 1894153,4025888,3225636,1030392 " ; function

ADFlaunch() {var w; var

l= " http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12ecvipv6/M=224039.1983420.3465435.1919

853/D=news/S=7666449:FOOT/_ylt=AqLyOAGgdBhRFpIO3r3UAkgR.3QA/Y=YAHOO/EX

P=1168327095/A=1030392/R=0/id=adfeedback/SIG=12fu5shds/*http://surveys

..yahoo.com/user_ad_feedback?

source=7666449:FOOT.q28=news.q26= " +ADFadids; w=window.open

(l, " AdFeedbackWin " , " toolbar=no,scrollbars=yes,resizable,location=no,he

ight=400,width=640 " ); } Copyright © 2007 Yahoo! Inc. All

rights reserved.

> Questions or Comments

> Privacy Policy -Terms of Service - Copyright/IP Policy - Ad Feedback

>

>

>

>

> __________________________________________________

>