Should Women Say NO to Caffeine During Pregnancy?

Caffeine is a morning ritual most people don't think twice about. In this age of Starbucks and $4 lattes, coffee seems to have become a regular part of the daily diet. Getting pregnant means having to change that habit, and the amount of caffeine intake, whether it is from coffee, tea, soda or other forms.  Women who are pregnant and consume caffeine, even as little as one cup of coffee a day, are at a higher risk of delivering an underweight baby.

In January 2008, researchers from the U.S. found that pregnant women that consumed two or more cups of coffee daily are at twice the risk of having a miscarriage as those women who avoid caffeine during their pregnancy. These findings are the most recent in mounting evidence indicating that the amount of caffeine a person consumes could directly impact their health, especially women who are pregnant.

Babies that are born underweight are more likely to develop a wide range of health conditions when they grow older, including problems such as heart problems, diabetes, and high blood pressure. There are also more serious complications that can arise with caffeine such as the caffeine can cause the blood vessels to constrict, and it may reduce the blood flow to the placenta, and since it is so easily crosses the placenta and reaches your baby (who then very slowly metabolizes it), caffeine may directly affect his developing cells. It has also been show that pregnant women who drink eight or more cups of coffee a day double the risk of having a stillbirth or miscarriage.

In the U.S. study, women who were pregnant that consumed one to two cups of coffee per day, or between 100-199 milligrams, had a 20 percent increased risk of having a baby with a low birth weight. This data was compared to the women how consumed less than 100 milligrams per day.

Justin Konje and his colleagues from the University of Leicester in Britain wrote, “Caffeine consumption during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of fetal growth restriction and this association continued throughout pregnancy. Sensible advice would be to reduce caffeine intake before conception and throughout pregnancy.”

Konje and his research team, which included some researchers from the University of Leeds, looked at approximately 2,645 women at an average age of 30 who were between 8 and 12 months into their pregnancy. The women studied reported an average caffeine intake during their pregnancy of 159 milligrams daily, which is lower than the new recommended limits of 200 milligrams in Britain.

The likelihood of having a baby with a low birth weight rose to 50 percent for women that consumed between 200 milligrams and 299 milligrams daily, which is about two to three cups of coffee. Even small amount of caffeine may prove to be harmful, but Konje said that the best advice would be to limit caffeine consumption to below 100 milligrams daily. “We couldn’t say that there was a lower limit for which there is no effect,” he stated. “My advice is if possible to reduce caffeine intake to a minimum. You have to be realistic because you can’t ask people to stop taking caffeine.”

It is never easy to just completely cut off caffeine when you are used to having it every day. If you are a devoted cola drinker or java junkie, you may experience caffeine withdrawal and it won’t be easy. To minimize the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal, which may include lethargy, irritability, and headaches, you may want to ease of gradually. You can start mixing decaf with you regular cup of caffeinated coffee. Or you can reduce the caffeine in homemade hot beverages by simply brewing them weaker or for a shorter time. If you happen to love a cup of soothing English Breakfast, steeping you tea bag for just one minute instead of five minutes reduces the caffeine by as much as half.

Although herb teas often have no caffeine in them, be sure to read the ingredients list and speak with you healthcare provider before trying anything new, as certain herbs and additives are not safe during a pregnancy.

Here is a chart of amounts of caffeine in common food and beverages to help you decide what to cut back on.

For the Coffee Lovers  
generic brewed coffee    8 oz    102-200 mg
Starbucks brewed coffee    16 oz (grande)    330 mg
Dunkin' Donuts brewed coffee    16 oz    206 mg
Starbucks caffÉ latte or cappuccino    16 oz (grande)    150 mg
Starbucks caffÉ latte or cappuccino    12 oz (tall)    75 mg
Starbucks espresso    1 oz (1 shot )    75 mg
Generic espresso    1 oz (1 shot)    30-90 mg
generic instant coffee    8 oz    27-173 mg
generic decaffeinated coffee    8 oz    3-26 mg

For the Tea Drinkers  
brewed black tea,    8 oz    40-120 mg
Brewed green tea    8 oz    30-50 mg
decaffeinated black tea    8 oz    2 mg
Tazo Chai Tea latte Starbucks    16 oz (grande)    100 mg
Nestea    12 oz    26 mg
Snapple    16 oz    42 mg
Lipton Brisk iced tea    12 oz    10 mg

Soft drinks  
Coke    12 oz    35 mg
Pepsi    12 oz    38 mg
Jolt Cola    12 oz    72 mg
Mountain Dew    12 oz    54 mg
7-Up    12 oz    0 mg
Sierra Mist    12 oz    0 mg
Sprite    12 oz    0 mg

Energy drinks      
Red Bull    8.3 oz    80 mg
SoBe Essential Energy, orange or berry    8 oz    48 mg
SoBe No Fear    8 oz    83 mg

Desserts      
dark chocolate    1.45-oz bar    31 mg
milk chocolate    1.45-oz bar    11 mg
frozen yogurt or coffee ice cream    8 oz    50-60 mg
hot cocoa    8 oz    3-13 mg