Posted by Maria to
Sometimes I think we over think things. Sure, we all want to take advantage of the latest in science and medicine to make sure our babies remain healthy, but sometimes we ought to let things be and let nature do what nature does and keep us all healthy.
This thought popped into my head again when I read about a recent medical trial out of Italy that found that babies do very well when given probiotics. You know probiotics, don’t you? The friendly bacteria that is found in food such as yogurt and sauerkraut and that lives in our guts helping us digest our meals. Well, it turns out those friendly living organisms help babies and their little guts as well.
The three-month survey done by Flavia Indrio, MD, and his colleagues at the University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy followed nearly 600 infants who were either given the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri or a placebo over that three-month period. The study found that those babies who got the daily probiotic suffered from a much lower rate of regurgitation, functional constipation, and colic than did those who got the placebo.
Placebo-given babies cried 71 minutes a day over the 90-day period, while the infants with guts full of probiotics cried a mere 38 minutes each day. The Italian doctors found that humans do best when their bodies are allowed to get by as they were designed to do.
Now, of course I am NOT saying that you need to get out your blender and make sauerkraut/yogurt baby food. No, my only point is that we all need to look towards nature more often when it comes to keeping us and our loved ones happy and healthy.
The researchers said that there were no adverse effects caused by the probiotics. Lactobacillus reuteri is found in milk and meat products. It can also be bought as a supplement. The results of the trial can be found in the January 13, 2014 edition of JAMA Pediatrics.