Pregnant women are often told to avoid coffee, but now evidence suggests they may need to ditch their coffee as well. daily cup of tea.
an unborn baby caffeine exposure has been linked to shorter childhood height according to a new analysis from scientists at the US National Institutes of Health.
The data shows that just 50 mg a day, the same as half a cup of coffee or a cup of tea, can make a boy almost an inch shorter than his peers at eight years old.
NHS guidance states that a woman should consume no more than 200mg of caffeine per day during pregnancy, which is equivalent to two cups of instant coffee. High intake of more than 300 or 350 mg a day has been linked to low birth weight, preterm birth, and in some cases, miscarriage.
The US team looked at two cohorts of children totaling nearly 2,500 and assessed how maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy affected their height.
shorter than his peers
They found that a boy whose mother was in the top 25 percent of caffeine consumption, about the same as a cup of coffee, was an average of 0.8 inches (2.2 cm) shorter than his peers.
“Compared to the lowest quartile, children in the highest quartile were approximately 1.5 cm to 2.2 cm shorter at seven to eight years of age,” study author Dr. Jessica Gleason
“The first quartile equates to almost no caffeine consumption, while the upper quartile is estimated to equate to about one cup of coffee per day.”
Melanie McGrice, a registered advanced practicing dietitian and a founding member of the Early Life Nutrition Coalition, said mothers are often confused by the recommended caffeine intake guideline.
“This study found that even 50 mg a day of caffeine can have a significant impact at the height of children,” he said. “50 mg/day is roughly equivalent to a cup of tea or half a cup of instant coffee or a family-size block of chocolate.
“This study adds to the growing body of evidence that caffeine consumption during pregnancy has a more significant impact than previously thought, and since there are no advantages to caffeine intake during pregnancyIt seems prudent to advise pregnant women to avoid caffeine if possible.”
Study called ‘questionable’
But some scientists have criticized the study, with Dr Alex Polyakov of the University of Melbourne calling it “controversial” and “questionable” as it cannot prove causality.
“It is possible, perhaps even likely, that those who drink more coffee may have other significant differences in their diet, lifestyle, or some other unknown factor that would explain the findings, and coffee consumption is not causally related to the study results.” , said. he said she.
Co-author Dr. Katherine Grantz added: “Our findings suggest that even low caffeine intake during pregnancy can have long-term effects on a child’s growth
“Importantly, the height differences we observed are small, less than an inch, and more research is needed to determine if these differences have any effect on infant health.”
He advised anyone with concerns to discuss them with their care team.
The findings are published in JAMA Network Open.
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