Posted on 02/21/2003 2:51:06 PM PST by NormsRevenge
Too Much Coffee During Pregnancy Risks Stillbirth
Study: 8 Cups Daily Raises Risk By 300 Percent
POSTED: 12:34 p.m. EST February 21, 2003
If you didn't think drinking coffee during pregnancy was dangerous before, a new study may change your mind.
Pregnant women who drink eight or more cups of coffee a day run more than twice the risk of stillbirth compared with women who do not drink coffee, according to a study published in this week's issue of the British Medical Journal.
Researchers in Denmark identified 18,478 pregnant women booking for delivery at Aarhus University Hospital from 1989 and 1996. The women completed two questionnaires, providing information such as medical history, smoking habits and alcohol and coffee consumption.
The risk of stillbirth increased with the number of cups of coffee a day during pregnancy. Compared with women who did not drink any coffee, women who drank four to seven cups a day had an 80 percent increased risk of stillbirth, and women who drank eight or more cups a day a 300 percent increased risk. There was no link between mother's coffee consumption and infant's death in the first year of life.
Researchers said women with a high intake of coffee are more likely to be smokers and to have a high intake of alcohol. Adjusting for these factors reduced the risk slightly, but the link remained significant, they said.
EIGHT CUPS A DAY? How would I ever get by with half my daily ration? :-)
Tony
Here's the link to the actual article.
Titled : Maternal consumption of coffee during pregnancy and stillbirth and infant death in first year of life: prospective study
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.