Lots Of Coffee In Pregnancy May Be Risky
16 November 2005
NEW YORK: Women who drink eight or more cups of coffee daily while pregnant are at risk for spontaneous abortion and stillbirth, Danish researchers report.
In their study, they found that fetal death was twice as likely among heavy coffee drinkers relative to pregnant women who did not drink coffee.
Adjusting for other risk factors weakened the association somewhat, but heavy coffee drinkers remained at 59 per cent greater risk of foetal death, Dr Bodil Hammer Bech of the University of Aarhus and colleagues report.
Women who drank four to seven cups daily had a 33 per cent increased risk of fetal death.
"Due to our findings and previous studies we think it is reasonable to apply the precaution principle and advise pregnant women to abstain from drinking more than 3 cups of coffee per day," Bech told Reuters Health. Denmark currently has an official policy warning women to restrict their coffee intake to three cups or less daily.
While a number of studies have linked coffee drinking to undesirable pregnancy outcomes, and there are plausible physiological mechanisms by which caffeine might harm a fetus, the risks of coffee drinking in pregnancy have been questioned, Bech and colleagues explain in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
To investigate, they surveyed 88,482 women enrolled in the Danish National Birth Cohort, among whom there were 1102 foetal deaths.
The women were interviewed about coffee intake and potentially confounding factors, such as alcohol consumption and smoking, at approximately 16 weeks' gestation.
Among the women, 55.4 per cent reported drinking no coffee during pregnancy, while 31.4 per cent drank one-half to three cups daily. Thirteen per cent of the women drank more than three cups of coffee daily, while 3.4 per cent drank eight or more cups a day.
After adjustment, the researchers found, women who drank one-half to three cups a day had a 3 per cent increased risk of foetal death; those who consumed four to seven cups had a 33 per cent increased risk; and those who drank eight or more cups had a 59 per cent greater risk of foetal death. The association was strongest for fetal deaths after 20 weeks gestation.
The researchers found no link between tea or cola consumption and foetal death, suggesting that caffeine may not be the exposure of interest.
"Coffee contains a number of chemical compounds," Bech noted.
"Further studies should try to disentangle a caffeine effect from a non-caffeine effect."
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NEW YORK: Women who drink eight or more cups of coffee daily while pregnant are at risk for spontaneous abortion and stillbirth, Danish researchers report.
In their study, they found that fetal death was twice as likely among heavy coffee drinkers relative to pregnant women who did not drink coffee.
Adjusting for other risk factors weakened the association somewhat, but heavy coffee drinkers remained at 59 per cent greater risk of foetal death, Dr Bodil Hammer Bech of the University of Aarhus and colleagues report.
Women who drank four to seven cups daily had a 33 per cent increased risk of fetal death.
"Due to our findings and previous studies we think it is reasonable to apply the precaution principle and advise pregnant women to abstain from drinking more than 3 cups of coffee per day," Bech told Reuters Health. Denmark currently has an official policy warning women to restrict their coffee intake to three cups or less daily.
While a number of studies have linked coffee drinking to undesirable pregnancy outcomes, and there are plausible physiological mechanisms by which caffeine might harm a fetus, the risks of coffee drinking in pregnancy have been questioned, Bech and colleagues explain in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
To investigate, they surveyed 88,482 women enrolled in the Danish National Birth Cohort, among whom there were 1102 foetal deaths.
The women were interviewed about coffee intake and potentially confounding factors, such as alcohol consumption and smoking, at approximately 16 weeks' gestation.
Among the women, 55.4 per cent reported drinking no coffee during pregnancy, while 31.4 per cent drank one-half to three cups daily. Thirteen per cent of the women drank more than three cups of coffee daily, while 3.4 per cent drank eight or more cups a day.
After adjustment, the researchers found, women who drank one-half to three cups a day had a 3 per cent increased risk of foetal death; those who consumed four to seven cups had a 33 per cent increased risk; and those who drank eight or more cups had a 59 per cent greater risk of foetal death. The association was strongest for fetal deaths after 20 weeks gestation.
The researchers found no link between tea or cola consumption and foetal death, suggesting that caffeine may not be the exposure of interest.
"Coffee contains a number of chemical compounds," Bech noted.
"Further studies should try to disentangle a caffeine effect from a non-caffeine effect."
Java Queen Int'l Coffee Academy Provides You With The Best Tasting Decaf, Low Acid Coffee, If You Are Mindful Of These Elements.
Labels: caffeine and pregnancy, coffee in pregnancy, drinking coffee when you are pregnant
posted by Colin & Donna-Lee | 5:54 AM
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