Infant
colic is a common problem characterized by excessive crying and fussing. We examined whether
colic symptoms of exclusively breast-milk-fed infants would be improved by temporary substitution of
Neocate, an
amino acid-based infant formula, for breast milk. Six infants with
colic were studied using Barr-type infant behavior diaries for a 3-5 d baseline period while they continued exclusive breast-milk-feeding, followed by a 4-8 d intervention period of exclusive
Neocate feeding. All infants showed improvement in distressed behavior during intervention; five of the six improved within 1-2 d. For the period after 1 d of
Neocate feeding, the total recorded crying and fussing time was reduced by an average of 42%, representing a decrease of 1.0 to 3.1 h daily. A significant difference was found between cry and fuss time at baseline versus during exclusive
Neocate use. Concurrent with
Neocate intervention, mothers strictly avoided all milk and dairy products. After
colic symptoms improved, infants were reintroduced to breast milk, which was reasonably well tolerated in four of the six infants. Two infants had rapid recurrences of crying and fussing upon return to breastfeeding and required an additional period of
Neocate feedings before subsequent reintroduction to breastfeeding. All infants exhibited
colic symptoms when directly or indirectly challenged with bovine
IgG (BGG), suggesting that BGG may play an etiologic role in
colic. We propose that a brief intervention with
Neocate, coupled with strict maternal avoidance of milk and dairy products under direct supervision of a lactation consultant, may be an effective treatment for
colic in some breast-milk-fed infants.