Breast-Feeding Does Not Reduce Infant Colic: Report
November 12, 2002 01:20 PM ET "
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Breast-feeding does not prevent infants from developing colic, the discomfort leading to incessant and inconsolable crying that some infants suffer from during the first weeks of life, researchers report.

Infant colic tends to peak during the first 6 weeks of life and taper off by the end of the second month. There is no known cause, and studies have yielded conflicting results on whether factors such as parental smoking and breast-feeding might increase the risk. Breast-feeding is thought to boost immunity and enhance the bond between the mother and infant.

But according to the current report, there was no association between the source of infant nutrition at 1 week of age and the development of colic at 6 weeks. Twenty-three percent of breast-fed babies were described as having colic, compared with 21% of infants who received only formula and 29% of infants who received a combination of breast milk and formula." [I suppose we should be saying that formula doesn't increase the risk of colic... - jc]