Women Health News

Previous studies that looked at the impact of reasonable caffeine consumption during pregnancy have created mixed results. Some showed no dissimilarity while others suggested too much caffeine could lower standard birth weight by 100-200 grams (3.5-7 ounces).

“In our study we found no effect from caffeine,” said Dr Bodil Hammer Bech, of the Institute of Public Health in Aarhus, Denmark.

Unlike further research projects in which women that had given birth were asked how much coffee they drank while pregnant, the Danish scientist’s monitored 1,207 pregnant coffee fans who were randomly chosen to drink either a caffeinated or decaffeinated brew during the second half of the pregnancy.

The women did not know which group they were in.

“We had two groups and we truly found no dissimilarity between the average birth weight for reasonable intake of caffeine -- about three cups,” said Bech, whose findings are reported online by the British Medical Journal.

“The difference in the weight of the babies among the two groups was 20 grams (0.7 ounce) and there was no disparity in the gestational age.”

In the caffeinated group, 4.2 percent of babies were born premature compared to 5.2 percent in women consumption decaffeinated coffee. The number of newborns who were small for their gestational age was nearly the same in both groups.

Bech said women who drink a lot of coffee typically smoke and drink more alcohol than other women’s, which might influence birth weight.

But because the women were randomized in the study, the other aspects that may have a consequence on the baby and the pregnancy were equal in the two groups.

In an earlier study, Bech and her team showed that too much coffee consumption, eight cups or more, could raise the risk of stillbirth.

“About three cups of coffee a day is OK but women with a higher drinking sshould be careful,” said Bech.