A clinical study has highlighted the efficacy of probiotic strains, KABP-041 and KABP-042, in reducing colic in babies.
The trial, which was recently published in the European Journal of Pediatrics, was designed to compare AB-BIOTICS' and Kaneka Probiotics' microbiome-targeting formulations to the current 'standard of care' probiotic in the industry.
Colic is a relatively common condition amongst young infants, and often causes a child to cry for long periods of time for no discernible reason.
To determine what impact its probiotic range could have on colic symptoms in babies, AB-BIOTICS and Kaneka Probiotics put their two strains to the test: Pediococcus pentosaceus KABP-041 and Bifidobacterium longum KABP-042.
In the study, they compared these two native microbiome strains to Biogaia's L. reuteri DSM17938, which is generally recognised as an efficacious probiotic for managing colic in babies.
KABP-041 and 042 outperform DSM17938
During the 21 day trial period, infants given either P. pentosaceus KABP-041 or B. longum KABP-042 exhibited significant reductions in crying and fussing time.
Pre-trial, the average crying time for both groups was 270 minutes a day, with L reuteri DSM17938 supplementation reducing this figure down to 180 minutes per day.
However, after supplementation with the B. longum KABP-042 and P. pentosaceus KABP-041 blend, crying time was reduced to 120 minutes — meaning babies were crying for 55% less time post-probiotic exposure.
Through this study, researchers found that Kaneka and AB-BIOTICS' blend could reduce colic symptoms in babies by up to 22% on average compared to the 'standard of care' currently recognised by scientists.
Not only did the blend reduce colic symptoms better, but it also had a faster impact — according to researchers — with significant differences seen between 7 and 14 days.
A probiotic blend for all colicky infants
Notably, this positive effect on colic symptoms was observed in both breast-fed and formula-fed babies, meaning the probiotic could be a one-size-fits-all approach for infant gut health, regardless of diet.
This highlights the potential of the probiotic combo in helping parents manage colic in their infant, while also providing them with the vital respite they need.
AB-BIOTICS Director of Innovation, Jordi Espadaler, commented: “This study marks a potential step-change for the symptom support of colicky infants. L. reuteri DSM17938 is demonstrated to be effective in the study, but the combination of Bifidobacterium longum KABP®-042 and Pediococcus pentosaceus KABP®-041 is significantly more effective in reducing crying time,”
“To us, bringing probiotics to life means advancing the field of probiotics with improved or alternative solutions for consumers worldwide. In this latest study, we wanted to examine our probiotic solution for infant colic treatment, not just in their inherent ability to relieve symptoms but to bolster the evidence for newer solutions compared to the established norms.”