Caffeine Intake During Pregnancy Linked to Lower Birth Weight Among Newborns
It’s long been understood that for pregnant women to deliver a healthy baby, they need to eat healthful food and avoid certain things such as smoking and drinking alcohol. According to a study published recently online in the journal BMC Medicine, avoiding coffee or other caffeinated beverages during pregnancy might also be sound practice.
The study took place in Norway and observed caffeine intake among about 60,000 pregnant women including from coffee, tea, sodas and food such as cocoa. It found that while caffeine was not linked to premature birth, it caused a higher risk of children being born with reduced birth weight.
For example, researchers found that if an infant’s weight is expected to be 7 pounds 15 ounces, every 100 milligrams of caffeine consumed by its mother per day reduced her newborn’s weight by almost an ounce. The average cup of American-style brewed coffee contains between 95 and 200 milligrams of caffeine, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Jonathan Fielding, head of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, who also is a First 5 LA Commissioner, said the key for pregnant women when it comes to caffeine is to not drink excessive amounts.
“What’s important is moderation,” he said, noting that means less than 200 mg per day, which has shown to be “not a major contributing factor to miscarriage or pre-term birth.”
It should be known that 200 milligrams of caffeine is the amount contained in two small cups of coffee. There is less caffeine in a cup of tea or a piece of chocolate, which has about 35 mg of caffeine.
The study concluded that for every 100 milligrams of caffeine consumed per day, there was an increase in the length of pregnancy among women by five hours. And if the consumed caffeine is derived from coffee, the length of pregnancy was extended an extra eight hours.
As the risk for having a low birth weight baby was associated with caffeine consumption, the study concluded pregnant women should be counseled to reduce their caffeine intake as much as possible during pregnancy.
