Good news for parents – researchers have found that probiotic treatment with a form of Lactobacillus helps reduce the symptoms of colic.
Babies with colic were given Lactobacillus rhamnosus and their breast-feeding mothers avoided cow’s milk in their diet for 28 days. The treatment reduced crying time and levels of faecal calprotectin, which indicates mucosal inflammation and can be used as a marker for inflammatory bowel disease.
It is believed that colic is a result of impairments in the baby’s gut microbiota, with subsequent gut inflammation.
Supplementing with the probiotic has also been reported to induce tolerance in infants with a suspected allergy to cow’s milk.
There is still much more to learn about our microbiome, and this research is another encouraging step.
At Professional Integrative Medicine we have a particular interest in the gut microbiome and how it, in conjunction with diet, influences our overall health and wellbeing. Contact us to find out more.