Colic in newborns linked to mothers diet

Breast-feeding mums’ should take a close look at their diet as it could be associated with colic in their babies.

Breast-feeding mums’ should take a close look at their diet as it could be associated with colic in their babies. Ten to 20 per cent of newborns suffer from colic, thought to be caused by stomach pain, however new studies show that a low-allergen diet can reduce colic.

Researchers from Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital have found that colic is caused by allergies to particular foods passed on through breast milk. A study was carried out on a group of breast-feeding mother’s who were put on low-allergen diets by eliminating foods such as eggs, milk, nuts, fish and wheat. It revealed that their babies, all under six weeks old, cried for an average of two hours less each day, with three-quarters of them showing an improvement.

A second group of mother’s were put on a diet containing high-allergy foods. Only one-third of babies showed an improvement with an average reduction in crying of only 30 minutes (this improvement indicates the babies are simply growing out of their colic). Researchers suggest that the allergies passed on through breast milk develop into colic in some babies and eczema in others.

Source: Melbourne Royal Children’s Hospital

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