London - Probiotics do nothing to help soothe babies with colic, according to the largest research trial to date.
Previous studies have suggested some benefit from giving infants the drops, but they were flawed in their design, said the experts reporting online in the British Medical Journal.
Colic is a term used to describe infants who cry a lot but who are otherwise healthy and well fed.
An Australian team that set out to test whether probiotics would help combat the problem showed they had no effect on reducing periods of crying or fussing among the babies, who were all under three months old.
The causes of colic, which affects up to one in five babies in the early months, are unknown.
Experts say babies suffer no long-term problems and family support may be the best help for parents through this period. - Daily Mail