Colief, colic relief

Colic is a subject about which most people know very little, until it affects them or their loved ones personally. It is very widespread, statistics show that colic affects over 30% of all babies.

The active ingredient in Colief^® Infant Drops is the naturally occurring enzyme, lactase. Milk, dairy products, infant formulas and breast milk all contain a complex sugar called lactose. Lactase is the enzyme our bodies normally produce to break down the lactose into the simpler sugars glucose and galactose, so that it can be easily absorbed.

Undigested lactose in foods can cause temporary digestive discomfort, bloatedness and wind. This is sometimes called transient lactose intolerence, which can be an important factor in babies with colic.

Trials at Guy’s Hospital have confirmed that approximately 40% of infant colic cases responded positively to being fed milk treated with lactase. Colief^® is a natural approach to infant colic; it is a food supplement, not a drug or a medicine. It can be used safely from birth onwards and is suitable for babies who are breast or bottle fed.

Colief^® Infant Drops is available from Boots, chemists and health food stores.

The Guy’s Trial

The trial was undertaken at Guys Hospital in London and published in The Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics in October 2001. This showed a significant reduction in crying time following introduction of lactase to colicky babies’ feed.

Any views or opinions presented here are offered to us by the above organisation and do not necessarily represent those of UK Families Ltd unless specifically stated and are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. If you are in any doubt about the information presented on this page or in UKparents.co.uk website, please consult a relevant healthcare or other professional and follow their advice.

THE GAZETTE (BLACKPOOL)

Treating Colic for babies

A BABY may cry for many reasons, usually because they feel uncomfortable, but long bouts of crying could mean Colic.

A new report confirms transient lactose intolerance as one of the key causes and shows pre-treatment of feeds with lactase can dry tears quicker.

NEW BABY

Did you know ……. If your baby cries or fusses for more than three hours a day, three to four days a week, then he or she may have colic.

Colic calmer

A recent study by Colief ^® Infant Drops suggests that lactose intolerance may be an important contributor to colic. Lactose intolerance is caused by a deficiency in the enzyme that breaks down lactose, which produces lactic acid and hydrogen gas, resulting in digestive discomfort. If you are concerned your baby may be lactose intolerant, consult your GP. Colief ^® costs £9.99 for 80 doses, available from Boots and health food stores. For more info, call 0800 028 1187 or visit www.colief.com

Coping with colic:

• Enlist the help of a friend or relative to comfort the baby so you can take a break.
• Make sure you eat well and rest when you can, as you must be at your best to manage your baby’s needs.
• Contact a support group as soon as you are feeling unable to cope with your baby’s crying. Try Crysis on 020 7404 5011 or the National Childbirth Trust on 0870 444 8707.

READING CENTRAL

Help for your baby

If YOU have a baby suffering from colic, a condition that affects up to 30 per cent of all new born babies, then help could be at hand from Colief ^® Infant Drops.

The drops, which are added to milk prior to feeding, have been tested at Guys Hospital in London.

The tests proved that by adding lactose to the milk, infants would be more likely to break down the lactose in the gut, leading to less distress.

A 7ml bottle of Colief ^® contains enough for 80 separate feeds. It costs £9.99 and is available from branches of Boots, independent chemists and health food stores. For more information, contact the Colief ^® helpline on (0800) 028 1187, or www.colief.com

EXTRA PLYMOUTH

Easing distress caused by colic

COLIC in infants is an extremely distressing condition for both babies and parents and up to a third of all newborns suffer from it.

Babies with colic have long bouts of unbroken crying, which upsets parents and can even lead to child abuse.

New research into colic has found that feeding babies milk treated with lactase can help.

Lactase can be added to formula milk, and breastfeeding mothers can express foremilk to be treated. Normal breastfeeding can then be resumed.

The study, carried out at Guy’s Hospital in London, showed the pre-treating milk with lactase resulted in ‘a massive 45 per cent reduction in crying time in around a third of all cases,’ according to one of the researchers, Dr Paul Clayton.

A lactase treatment can be bought at Boots, chemists and health food stores. Called Colief ^®, it costs £9.99 and will treat 80 separate feeds.

For more advice, consult your midwife or surgery, call the Colief ^® helpline on 0800 028 1187 or visit www.colief.com

WOMAN’S OWN

Cut baby’s crying by half

A new study shows that colicky babies cry less after lactase – a protein which breaks down the sugar in milk – is added to their feed.

Colic affects around 30% of newborns between the ages of three and 13 weeks and the long bouts of unbroken crying can distress parents. But a trial of 53 babies, carried out at London’s Guy’s Hospital, showed that treating their feeds reduced crying time by nearly half in a third of cases. The study used Colief ^® Infant Drops, a 7ml bottle is sufficient for 80 feeds and costs £9.99 from most chemists. Call Colief’s helpline on 0800 028 1187.

GOOD HEALTH

New colic research

A constantly crying baby can drive new parents to despair. In extreme cases it can affect the parent-child bond, or even lead to child abuse. One of the common causes of crying in children under three months old is colic – characterised by long periods of crying and screaming, often in the evening. Colicky babies may draw their knees up and then stretch out again. They are hard to soothe, however much you rock them. There’s no real consensus about the causes of colic, with some ‘experts’ even suggesting that it’s more common in babies whose parents are stressed and anxious! However, it rarely lasts longer than three months and ultimately, colicky babies suffer no ill effects.

Now a study of 53 colicky babies at the Department of Paediatrics at Guys Hospital in London has found that many of them were unable to digest lactose, which is present in both breast and formula milk. It’s thought that their immature digestive systems are not producing enough of the enzyme lactase, used by the body to break down lactose, resulting in severe wind and abdominal pain.

In the study, feeds were pre-treated with lactase before being given to the babies, and this resulted in a 45 per cent reduction in crying time. Colief ^® Infant Drops containing lactase, are available from Boots, independent chemists and health food stores, price £9.99 for 7ml.

UK PARENTS

Colic – An Added Complication For Pre-Term Babies

Today’s news is brought to you by Colief ^® Infant Drops and they say …………

One in ten babies is born prematurely, and because of this, may encounter problems with the immaturity of their digestive system.

A distressing side effect of this is an increased chance of the baby developing colic, which is why Colief ^® Infant Drops has joined forces with WellBeing, the health research charity for women and babies, to help raise vital funds for further research.

Research has shown that colic in pre-term babies may be due to the inability of their immature digestive systems to break down the complex sugar lactose into the more easily digestible glucose and galactose.

A recent trial has revealed that as many as 63% of premature babies may suffer from transient lactose intolerance compared with 17.8% of full term babies. A further trial has shown that reducing the lactose levels in breast milk or formula by adding the enzyme lactase before the baby takes a feed, may reduce the problems associated with temporary lactose intolerance.

Nutritionist Dr Paul Clayton says, “a baby’s digestive system needs to be fully mature in order for it to produce adequate quantities of the enzyme lactase, the enzyme needed to break down the complex sugar lactose. A build up of undigested lactose in the baby’s gut can lead to bacterial activity resulting in digestive discomfort, bloatedness and wind”.

Revolutionary Colief ^® Infant Drops is formulated to break down the lactose in milk before it is fed to the baby making the feed more digestible, helping to significantly reduce the hours of crying.

A 7ml bottle of Colief ^® contains approximately 160 drops, which is sufficient for 80 separate feeds. Colief ^® is priced at £9.99 and is available from Chemists and health food stores. For help and advice, call the Colief ^® Infant Drops helpline on (0800) 0281187 or visit www.colief.com

For a free copy of the leaflet send a stamped, self-addressed envelope marked ‘Prematurity Leaflet’ to WellBeing, 27 Sussex Place, London NW1 4SP.
Alternatively, the leaflet can be downloaded from the WellBeing website at www.wellbeing.org.uk

SUNDAY MERCURY (BIRMINGHAM)

WHAT’S NEW …..

WITH statistics showing it can affect up to 30 per cent of all newborn babies, colic can be a distressing condition for both children and parents. A new study by the Department of Paediatrics at Guy’s Hospital in London demonstrates that pre-treatment of feeds with lactase to break down the lactose in the milk can result in considerable benefits for the baby. Colief ^® Infant Drops are available from Boots, chemists and health food stores, priced £9.99. For help and advice call 0800 0281187 or visit www.colief.com

PRIMA BABY

7 tried and tested solutions

Traditional methods have also helped a lot of babies – they might work for you, too

Some children calm down if they’re rocked in a cradle, a rocking chair or on your lap. Health visitor Jackie Leach suggests holding your baby with his or her back against your tummy. Place your forearm across the front of the baby’s body, holding the upper thigh, so the baby’s arms and legs straddle each side of your arm with the head resting on it (see the picture of Juliet Langford and Devon opposite). ‘Babies love this position,’ says Jackie.

Many babies are calmed when wrapped snugly in a blanket or held tight.

A dummy can often calm a colicky baby, as can a car ride.

Try gripe water, or infacol. It contains simethicone, which helps small bubbles of wind clump together so they are easier for your baby to pass.

Babies can sometimes be soothed with music or monotonous sounds.

Lactose-intolerant babies may benefit from Colief ^® Infant Drops.

Check the teats for bottlefed babies, as the flow may be too fast or too slow. If the teat is too soft and your baby has a strong suck, it can cut off the milk and the baby will take in a lot of air.

PRIMA BABY

How can I ease his colic?

Q. My six-week-old baby boy has colic. His symptoms developed virtually overnight and he’s changed from a happy, placid baby to one who cries incessantly. I am brestfeeding and my health visitor has suggested various tips to help, but nothing appears to be working. Any suggestions?

A. Unfortunately, there is no guaranteed cure for colic and whatever method you use to try to ease the pain is just a case of trial and error. Dr. Paul Clayton, a pharmacologist and nutritionist, has been involved in a study at Guy’s Hospital, London. He says: ‘Recent research has proved that lactase drops added to breast or formula milk do reduce crying in a significant number of babies whose colic is caused by transient lactose intolerance – the temporary inability of the body to break down the lactose in milk.’
LACTASE DROPS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE FORM OF COLIEF^® INFANT DROPS, PRICED £9.99. FROM BOOTS.