A new report, published in BMJ Evidence Based Medicine, has suggested that who are pregnant or trying to conceive must avoid caffeine.
The finding suggests that maternal caffeine consumption is linked to negative pregnancy outcomes. It also suggests that there is no safe level of consumption.
Caffeine is one of the most commonly consumed psychoactive substances. Many people, including pregnant women, consume it daily.
Generally, pregnant women are advised to consume a small amount of caffeine daily, with no negative implications on the baby.
The NHS England, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans have set the level to up to 200 mg of caffeine per day, which is roughly two cups of moderate-strength coffee.
The new report analyzed the findings of several studies to determine whether the recommended safe level of consumption for pregnant women is evidence-based.
Prof. Jack James of Reykjavik University, Iceland, looked at more than 1,260 English language peer-reviewed articles that were associated with caffeine and pregnancy outcomes.
The report investigators found that caffeine consumption resulted in major pregnancy outcomes such as “miscarriage, stillbirth, low birth weight and/or small for gestational age, preterm birth, childhood acute leukemia, and childhood overweight and obesity.”
Of all studies, 32 studies have shown that caffeine significantly increased the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, while 10 studies found no or inconclusive associations.
Some studies have found that maternal caffeine consumption was linked to increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, low birth weight, and childhood acute leukemia, while others did not find any association.
The authors said this was an observational study so it cannot establish the causation. They pointed out that the findings could have been impacted by other confounding factors, such as the participants’ recall of caffeine consumption and maternal cigarette smoking.
Prof. James concluded there is “substantial cumulative evidence” of a link between maternal caffeine consumption and negative pregnancy outcomes because of which, he added, “current health recommendations concerning caffeine consumption during pregnancy are in need of “radical revision.’” “Specifically, the cumulative scientific evidence supports pregnant women and women contemplating pregnancy being advised to avoid caffeine,” Prof. James said.
