SynthesisPloS one2015
The Efficacy and Safety of the Probiotic Bacterium Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 for Infantile Colic: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 83 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Role of Inflammation in Infant Colic-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2026Pooled it
- Comparison of common interventions for the treatment of infantile colic: a systematic review of reviews and guidelines.BMJ open · 2020Pooled it
- Effects of probiotics on gastrointestinal symptoms, anthropometric measurements, and breastfeeding duration in infants with colic: a randomized control trial.Sao Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina · 2024Trial
- The efficacy of the prenatal administration of Lactobacillus reuteri LR92 DSM 26866 on the prevention of infantile colic: a randomized control trial.European journal of pediatrics · 2020Trial
- Safety of Lactobacillus Reuteri DSM 17938 in Healthy Children 2-5 Years of Age.The Pediatric infectious disease journal · 2019Trial
- Trial
- Lactobacillus reuteri for Infants with Colic: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Clinical Trial.The Journal of pediatrics · 2017Trial
- The human breast milk microbiome: a landscape review of its composition, origins, and impact on infant health.Archives of microbiology · 2026Review
- Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Probiotic Strains.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Dietary microbes and functional dyspepsia: modulating the gut microecology for therapeutic benefit.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Review
- Observational
- Review
- Review
- Probiotics added to maternal nutrition affect ınfantile colic symptoms and fecal microbiota profile: a single-blind randomized controlled study.Clinical and experimental pediatrics · 2022Article
- Formulation of Chemically Defined Media and Growth Evaluation ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2022Article
- The effect of symbiotic in the treatment of infantile colic: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.Journal of research in medical sciences : the official journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences · 2022Article
- Efficacy of probiotics for managing infantile colic due to their anti-inflammatory properties: a meta-analysis and systematic review.Clinical and experimental pediatrics · 2021Article
- A comparison of two assessment tools used in overviews of systematic reviews: ROBIS versus AMSTAR-2.Systematic reviews · 2021Review
- Management of the Most Common Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders in Infancy: The Middle East Expert Consensus.Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition · 2021Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 for treating infantile colic.
methodsA systematic literature retrieval was carried out to obtain randomized controlled trials of L. reuteri DSM 17938 for infantile colic. Trials were performed before May 2015 and retrieved from the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, CNKI, WanFang, VIP, and CBM databases. Data extraction and quality evaluation of the trials were performed independently by two investigators. A meta-analysis was performed using STATA version 12.0.
resultsSix randomized controlled trials of 423 infants with colic were included. Of these subjects, 213 were in the L. reuteri group, and 210 were in the placebo group. Lactobacillus reuteri increased colic treatment effectiveness at two weeks (RR = 2.84; 95% CI: 1.24-6.50; p = 0.014) and three weeks (relative risk [RR] = 2.33; 95% CI: 1.38-3.93; P = 0.002) but not at four weeks (RR = 1.41; 95% CI: 0.52-3.82; P = 0.498). Lactobacillus reuteri decreased crying time (min/d) at two weeks (weighted mean difference [WMD] = -42.89; 95% CI: -60.50 to -25.29; P = 0.000) and three weeks (WMD = -45.83; 95% CI: -59.45 to -32.21; P = 0.000). In addition, L. reuteri did not influence infants' weight, length or head circumference and was not associated with serious adverse events.
conclusionsLactobacillus reuteri possibly increased the effectiveness of treatment for infantile colic and decreased crying time at two to three weeks without causing adverse events. However, these protective roles are usurped by gradual physiological improvements. The study is limited by the heterogeneity of the trials and should be considered with caution. Higher quality, multicenter randomized controlled trials with larger samples are needed.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.