KEY POINTS:
Drinking several cups of coffee need hold no fears for pregnant women.
Research shows caffeinated drinks pose no risk to unborn children, which should reassure expectant mothers.
Previous studies have found conflicting evidence about the risks, some suggesting a high caffeine intake can lead to lower birth weights and an increased risk of premature birth.
To settle the issue, Danish researchers monitored more than 1200 women who drank more than three cups of coffee a day - a high caffeine intake - throughout their pregnancies.
Half were given decaffeinated coffee but were not told what type of coffee they were drinking. Both groups were interviewed regularly to check their coffee intake and their consumption of other sources of caffeine such as tea and cola.
The results, published online in the British Medical Journal, showed no appreciable difference in length of gestation or the baby's weight at birth.
Babies born to women drinking caffeinated coffee were actually marginally heavier and less likely to be born premature, but neither difference was significant.
All the women were less than 20 weeks' pregnant at the start of the study.
The researchers from the University of Aarhus, Denmark, said cutting out caffeine in the later stages of pregnancy had no overall effect on birth weight or length of pregnancy but it was not possible to tell from this study what the effects of coffee might be in early pregnancy.
- INDEPENDENT
