Infantile colic

Infantile colic

For each infant trouble or a combination of troubles,
Novalac offers an adapted nutritional solution.

Infantile colic has been described as an infant behavioral syndrome involving long periods of crying and hard-to-soothe behavior 1.

Associated symptoms and behaviors include abdominal distension, increased gas, flushing, and legs over the abdomen 1. Infantile colic can be a cause of abdominal discomfort and pain in infants 2. Although infantile colic is self-limiting, they may negatively impact the baby’s (and the family’s) quality of life and have long term consequences by disturbing the interaction of the infant with his/her parents but also by causing him/her migraines, recurrent abdominal pain, hyperactivity and learning problems 3.

In literature, up to 73% of infants younger than 12 months are affected by infantile colic 4, this large range being due to the variety of definitions used for infantile colic. Based on Rome IV criteria, prevalence of infantile colic is up to 19% in infants aged 0-12 months 5.

The exact causes of infantile colic are poorly understood and multiple etiologies have been hypothesized. Infantile colic could be caused by behavioral factors such as parental coping, anxiety, depression or inadequate maternal–infant interaction 6. Other hypotheses include gastrointestinal factors such as aberrancies in the infant intestinal microbiota that could affect gut motor function and gas production, resulting in excessive crying 7.

Lactose intolerance can also cause symptoms such as abdominal pain, flatulence and bloating 8. Symptoms of lactose intolerance occur as a result of lactose malabsorption caused by the relative imbalance between available lactase activity and ingested quantity of lactose leading to colonic fermentation of undigested lactose 9. Nutritional management of lactose intolerance may include a low-lactose diet, oral lactase enzyme supplementation, probiotics or prebiotics to promote a balanced gut microbiota 10.

  1. Benninga, M. A. et al. Childhood Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders: Neonate/Toddler. Gastroenterology 150, 1443–1455 (2016).
  2. Despriee, Å. W. et al. Infant colic and abdominal pain; associations with infant multimorbidity and maternal perceived stress up to 3 months postpartum-A cross-sectional/cohort study in the PreventADALL study. J. Clin. Nurs. 32, 7605–7617 (2023).
  3. Steutel, N. F. et al. Developing a core outcome set for infant colic for primary, secondary and tertiary care settings: a prospective study. BMJ Open 7, e015418 (2017).
  4. Vandenplas, Y. et al. Prevalence and Health Outcomes of Functional Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Infants From Birth to 12 Months of Age. J. Pediatr. Gastroenterol. Nutr. 61, 531–537 (2015).
  5. Muhardi, L. et al. A Narrative Review on the Update in the Prevalence of Infantile Colic, Regurgitation, and Constipation in Young Children: Implications of the ROME IV Criteria. Front. Pediatr. 9, 778747 (2022).
  6. Salvatore, S. et al. Review shows that parental reassurance and nutritional advice help to optimise the management of functional gastrointestinal disorders in infants. Acta Paediatr. Oslo Nor. 1992 (2018).
  7. Wegh, C. A. M., Schoterman, M. H. C., Vaughan, E. E., Belzer, C. & Benninga, M. A. The effect of fiber and prebiotics on children’s gastrointestinal disorders and microbiome. Expert Rev. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 11, 1031–1045 (2017).
  8. Fassio, F., Facioni, M. S. & Guagnini, F. Lactose Maldigestion, Malabsorption, and Intolerance: A Comprehensive Review with a Focus on Current Management and Future Perspectives. Nutrients 10, (2018).
  9. Harvey, L. et al. Prevalence, cause and diagnosis of lactose intolerance in children aged 1-5 years: a systematic review of 1995-2015 literature. Asia Pac. J. Clin. Nutr. 27, 29–46 (2018).
  10. Misselwitz, B., Butter, M., Verbeke, K. & Fox, M. R. Update on lactose malabsorption and intolerance: pathogenesis, diagnosis and clinical management. Gut gutjnl-2019-318404 (2019).

Clinical trials and studies

The efficacy of Novalac formulas is evidenced in published clinical trials. Amongst them are some of the largest studies ever performed to date on anti-regurgitation formulas, extensively hydrolyzed formulas, and elemental (amino-acid) formulas.

2011

Biochemical evidence

Dietary treatment of colic caused by excess gas in infants: biochemical evidence

World Journal of Gastroenterology, 2011, 17(16):2063-2160

Infante Pina D, Segarra O, Le Luyer B

The aim is to evaluate the impact of feeding colicky infants with an adapted formula on the hydrogen breath test and clinical symptoms.

2008

Prevalence of GI disorders – Efficacy in management

Prevalence and dietetic management of mild gastrointestinal disorders in milk-fed infants

World Journal of Gastroenterology, 2008, 14(2):248-54

Infante Pina D, Badia Llach X, Ariño-Armengol B, Villegas Iglesias V

The aim is to assess the prevalence of mild gastrointestinal disorders in milk-fed infants in paediatric practice, and to evaluate the effectiveness and satisfaction with dietetic treatment.