There is no evidence to suggest that moderate levels of caffeine consumption during pregnancy leads to a greater risk of premature births and underweight babies, despite warnings from some public health officials, finds a new study on bmj.com.
Previous research confused some public health authorities because a few studies suggested a high-caffeine intake leads to lower average birth weights of as much as 100 to 200g and an increased chance of preterm babies. Other studies found no connection between caffeine and problems with fetal development.
Danish researchers to the rescue. They clarified the confusion by monitoring the pregnancies of 1,207 healthy women who drank more than three cups of coffee a day, (considered a high caffeine intake) and who were less than twenty weeks pregnant.
This group was divided randomly into two groups who received either caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee. Each participant was regularly interviewed to monitor their caffeine intake, including contributions from other drinks, such as tea and cola. Information was collected on their length of gestation and baby's weight at the conclusion of their pregnancy. Read the rest
Newswire