Did you know the digestive tract of babies with colic have a
reduced overall diversity and lower abundance of Bifidobacteria vs. babies without colic?[sup]2[/sup]

Infant colic can be defined as recurrent and prolonged periods of infant crying, fussing, or irritability, that can occur without obvious cause in an otherwise healthy infant[sup]3[/sup].

It affects up to 1 in 4 infants under 3 months of age [sup]1[/sup], with 1 in 6 parents seeking help from a healthcare professional[sup]4[/sup]. The digestive tracts of babies with colic have significantly lower counts of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria, increased concentrations of Proteobacteria bacteria, and reduced overall diversity, than their healthy counterparts[sup]2[/sup].

Colic also unsurprisingly has a significant impact on parents and caregivers, and is associated with parental frustration, guilt, sleep problems, post-natal depression and quality of life (QoL).[sup]5[/sup]

Randomised controlled trials investigating infants with colic found that those receiving 1 Billion CFU BB-12® daily for 3-4 weeks experienced a significant reduction in excessive crying and fussing from baseline compared to the placebo group[sup]5-6[/sup].

• At least 50% reduction in daily crying/fussing time in almost three times as many babies vs. the placebo (61% vs. 22% respectively)
• Almost double the reduction in mean daily crying time vs. placebo (79 mins/day vs. 41 mins/day reduction respectively)
• A two-fold greater reduction in the number of crying episodes vs. placebo
• A significant increase in daily sleep duration by over one hour vs. baseline
• Significantly improved health-related quality of life for parents and caregivers for physical, emotional and social health QoL measures
  

There are three main mechanisms by which BB-12® is thought to help manage infant colic[sup]5-6[/sup] :

• Gut Microbiota Modulation: Infant colic has been associated with gut dysbiosis, characterised by an increase in proteobacteria and a decrease in bifidobacteria[sup]2[/sup]. BB-12® has been shown to increase the total amount of bifidobacteria in the infant gut, which may help reduce abnormal gut motility and gas production, both thought to contribute to colic symptoms.
• Immunomodulatory Effects: The increase in immunity biomarkers observed in studies suggests that BB-12® may influence the immune system in the gut. This may contribute to a healthier gut environment and alleviate colic symptoms.
• Butyrate Production: BB-12® indirectly increases butyrate production in the gut, which plays a crucial role in gut health and function. This could have positive effects on intestinal motility and inflammation, factors relevant to infant colic.[sup]5[/sup]