Babies are more than twice as likely to suffer from colic if their mothers suffer from migraines, researchers from the University of California have claimed.

The scientist found that 29 per cent of babies whose mothers had migraines had colic, compared to just 11 per cent of babies whose mothers did not suffer from migraines, the scientists told the American Academy of Neurology.

Colic has been associated with gastrointestinal conditions for more than 50 years, and has largely been attributed to something the baby ate – despite little in the way of strong evidence to support this, the scientists said.

However, child neurologist Dr Amy Gelfand said that colic may instead be a precursor to childhood periodic syndromes, which can develop into migraines later in life.

She said: “Since migraine is a highly genetic disorder, our study suggests infant colic may be an early sign a child may be predisposed toward migraine headache later in life.”

The scientists will now study a group of colicky babies through their childhood to see if they develop childhood periodic syndromes, such as migraines.

Posted by Robert Mair on 21/2/2012