Drinking ANY coffee or tea during pregnancy puts health of unborn baby at risk, study finds
PREGNANT women should avoid tea and coffee or risk the life and health of their unborn child, a major review warns.
Researchers say there is “no safe level” of caffeine consumption for those who are expecting or trying for a baby.
They found the mind-altering substance is linked to an increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, low birth weight and leukaemia.
It may also raise the odds of childhood obesity.
NHS guidelines say 200mg of caffeine a day - equivalent to two cups of instant coffee - will not cause harm.
Other health officials such as the European Food Safety Authority and the American and UK Colleges of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recommend limiting caffeine, but say that it doesn't have to be eliminated completely.
Any caffeine risks harming the baby but the dangers increase as more is consumed, the study suggests.
Even 200mg a day appeared to raise the risk of miscarriage by up 28 per cent and stillbirth by up to 38 per cent.
Prof James said: “Current evidence does not support assumptions about safe levels of maternal caffeine consumption.
“The cumulative scientific evidence supports advice to pregnant women and women contemplating pregnancy to avoid caffeine.”
The expert admits women who consume caffeine may be more likely to have other harmful habits, such as smoking.
Some experts however, strongly disagree with the findings of the study and claim that caffeine has "been in the human diet for a long time", and that many substances found in normal diets can also be harmful to pregnancies.
'AVOID CAFFEINE'
Caffeine is found naturally in some foods and drinks, such as tea, coffee and chocolate.
It is also added to some energy drinks, cold and flu remedies and some soft drinks.
Medics warn many substances in a normal diet can be harmful in high doses and there is little evidence a small amount of caffeine is dangerous.
Dr Daghni Rajasingham, from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “The findings of this study add to the large body of evidence that supports limited caffeine intake during pregnancy.
“But pregnant women do not need to completely cut out caffeine, as this paper suggests.
“High levels of caffeine during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage and babies having a low birth weight and may lead to excess weight gain in the child’s early years, which can increase risk of health problems later in life.
“However, as other – and potentially more reliable - research has found, pregnant women do not need to cut caffeine out entirely because these risks are extremely small, even if the recommended caffeine limits are exceeded.
“RCOG’s advice to limit caffeine intake to 200mg per day – the equivalent to two cups of instant coffee – still stands.
“This paper does not supersede all the other evidence that has found that a limited intake of caffeine is safe for the majority of pregnancy women.”
Dr Luke Grzeskowiak, a pharmacist at the University of Adelaide, Australia added that the study was "inconsistent with other findings";.
He said the paper was "overly alarmist" and added: "At the end of the day, women should be reassured that caffeine can be consumed in moderation during pregnancy."
Prof Andrew Shennan, professor of obstetrics at Kings College London said that it would be difficult to exclude other habits such as tea drinking and smoking.
He added: "Caffeine has been in human diets for a long time. Like many substances found in a normal diet, harms in pregnancy can be found with high doses.
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"However the observational nature of this data with its inherent bias does not indicate with any certainty that low doses of caffeine are harmful, and the current advice to avoid high doses of caffeine are unlikely to change."
The findings are published in the journal BMJ Evidence Based Medicine.
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