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 Researchers examined data on caffeine intake for almost 51,000
mothers and weight gain for their babies during infancy. Compared
with women who had less than 50 milligrams of caffeine (less than
half a cup, or 4 ounces, of coffee) per day during pregnancy, those
who had average intake between 50 and 199 milligrams daily (from
about half a cup to two 8-ounce cups of coffee) were 15 percent more
likely to have a baby with excessive weight gain by age one year,
the study found.
Infant weight gain increased as women's caffeine consumption rose.
With "high" intake of 200 to 299 milligrams of caffeine a day during
pregnancy, babies were 22 percent more likely to have excessive
weight gain, and with "very high" intake of at least 300 milligrams
daily, babies were 45 percent more likely to gain excessive weight.
"High maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy was related to
excess growth from infancy and obesity later in childhood," said
lead study author Dr. Eleni Papadopoulou of the Norwegian Institute
of Public Health.
"The results support the current recommendations to limit caffeine
intake during pregnancy to less than 200 milligrams of caffeine per
day," Papadopoulou said by email.
Because the study also found a risk of excess weight in children
whose mothers consumed less caffeine, the results also add to the
evidence suggesting that pregnant women might want to consider
avoiding coffee and soda altogether, Papadopoulou added.
"It is important that pregnant women are aware that caffeine does
not come from coffee only, but that caffeinated soda drinks (e.g.
cola-drinks and energy-drinks) can contribute with considerable
amounts of caffeine," Papadopoulou said.
No research can definitively prove what level of caffeine is safe in
pregnancy because scientists won't ethically test drugs or
supplements in women when there’s a potential to harm mothers or
their babies.
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Caffeine passes rapidly through the placenta and has been linked to
an increased risk of miscarriage and restricted fetal development,
previous research has found.
Some studies in animals also suggest that exposure to caffeine in
the womb might contribute to excessive weight gain by altering the
baby's appetite control or changing areas of the brain that play a
role in regulating growth and metabolism, Papadopoulou said.
In the current study, 46 percent of the mothers had low caffeine
intake during pregnancy, at less than 50 milligrams a day, and
another 44 percent had what researchers described as average intake,
of 50 to 199 milligrams daily.
Just 7 percent of the women had high intake, at 200 to 299
milligrams, and only 3 percent had "very high" caffeine intake of
more than 300 milligrams daily, researchers report in BMJ Open.
Very high caffeine exposure was also associated with more rapid
weight gain from infancy through age 8. However, the researchers
only had complete height, weight and growth data through age 8 for
23 percent of the children. For most of the kids, researchers
estimated growth through age 8 based on children’s development over
their first 12 months of life.
Still, more than three-quarters of pregnant women report consuming
some caffeine, and the study results are an important reminder to
keep it under 200 milligrams a day, said Lisa Bodnar, a public
health researcher at the University of Pittsburgh who wasn't
involved in the study.
"Caffeine in utero may change how the brain develops," Bodnar said
by email. "This is important because the brain has a strong
influence over appetite."
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2I0ll8g BMJ Open, online April 23, 2018.
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