Pregnant women who consume caffeine can expect longer pregnancies and put their babies at risk for low birth weight, according to a new study conducted by researchers from Norwegian Institute for Public Health and published in the journal BMC Medicine.
“As the risk for having a low birth-weight baby was associated with caffeine consumption, pregnant women might be counseled to reduce their caffeine intake during pregnancy as much as possible,” said lead researcher Verena Sengpiel, of Sahlgrenska University in Sweden.
Caffeine is able to cross the placental barrier, which is meant to supply nutrients to the developing child but keep out other chemicals. Because caffeine can be toxic and the human embryo cannot yet produce enyzmes to inactivate the substance, the World Health Organization recommends that pregnant women consume no more than 300 milligrams of caffeine per day. Some national governments recommend that intake be kept to 200 milligrams or fewer.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the average home-brewed, eight ounce cup of coffee contains between 95 and 200 milligrams of caffeine. Coffee purchased at coffee shops is typically much higher in caffeine, and often comes in much larger servings.
A cup of tea contains significantly less caffeine than coffee, while a piece of chocolate contains about 35 milligrams. Other common sources of caffeine are sodas and energy drinks.
Lower birth weight, longer gestation
The researchers examined diets and birth information collected over the course of 10 years from nearly 60,000 pregnant women who were free of any medical or pregnancy-related conditions. The researchers recorded all sources of dietary caffeine intake, including coffee, tea, soda and chocolate-containing foods.
They found that after adjusting for the effects of smoking (because people who consume more caffeine are also significantly more likely to smoke), caffeine intake had no effect on the risk of premature delivery. However, women who consumed more caffeine during pregnancy were significantly more likely to give birth to a child who was officially considered to have a low birth weight.
“This association remained even when we looked only at non-smoking mothers,”
Sengpiel said, “which implies that the caffeine itself is also having an effect on birth weight.”
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