pregnant women should avoid caffeine altogether for the sake of their baby’s health, a study warned last night.
The research suggested there was no safe level of consumption whether with child or trying to conceive. Based on 48 studies over 20 years, it concluded that even minimal caffeine intake raised the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth or low birth weight.
But experts said the warnings were alarmist and flew in the face of studies showing moderate amounts were safe. Women should consume no more than 200mg a day – roughly two cups of coffee, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). Last night it insisted it would not change this advice.
But Professor Jack James, th48 studies over 20 years, it concluded that even minimal caffeine intake raised the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth or low birth weight.e author of the new paper, claims thousands of babies are harmed every year when women consume supposedly safe levels of caffeine.
The studies he assessed at Reykjavik University in Iceland found that even low levels of caffeine could increase the risk of miscarriage by up to 36 per cent, stillbirth by up to 19 per cent and low birth weight by up to 51 per cent. Childhood leukaemia and obesity were also potential risks.