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Caffeine linked to miscarriage

21/01/2008

Women who drink high doses of caffeine during pregnancy could increase their risk of miscarriage, a new study claims.

Just two cups of coffee a day is linked to a higher risk of losing a baby.

Current guidelines from the UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) say pregnant women should not drink more than 300mg (three cups of coffee) of caffeinated drinks a day.

Previous studies have suggested a link but the latest research says it is the first to control thoroughly for morning sickness, which typically causes many women to avoid caffeine.

Researchers behind the report say it "strengthens the association between caffeine and miscarriage risk because it removes speculation that the association was due to reduced caffeine intake by healthy pregnant women".

Scientists from the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research studied 1,063 pregnant women in San Francisco for two years from October 1996.

They analysed caffeine effect among women who never changed their pattern of caffeine consumption during their pregnancy.

The findings, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, show that women who consumed 200mg or more of caffeine per day (two or more cups of regular coffee or five cans of caffeinated soda) had double the miscarriage risk as women who consumed no caffeine.

Even women who drank less than 200mg of caffeine a day had more than 40 per cent increased risk of miscarriage.

The researchers say the increased risk is likely to be due to the caffeine itself, rather than other possible chemicals in coffee, as caffeine intake from caffeinated soda, tea and hot chocolate showed a similar increased risk.

"The main message for pregnant women from these findings is that they probably should consider stopping caffeine consumption during pregnancy because this research provides clearer and stronger evidence that high doses of caffeine intake during pregnancy can increase the risk of miscarriage," said lead researcher Dr De-Kun Li.

Commenting on the research, an FSA spokesperson said: "In order to provide a more robust basis for the FSA's advice to pregnant women on caffeine consumption, an FSA-funded study, involving around 2,500 pregnant women, was commissioned in 2003.

"This is almost complete and the results will be presented to the committee on toxicity in closed session for consideration."

The spokesperson added: "We will ask the committee to also look at this new American study. When the committee has reached conclusions the agency will, if appropriate, revise its advice on caffeine consumption in pregnancy."