Drinking coffee won’t adversely affect or cause complications during pregnancy, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists revealed, debunking several reports that claim caffeine’s life-threatening effects on the fetus.
“I think it’s time to comfortably say that it’s okay to have a cup of coffee during pregnancy,” ACOG’s Committee on Obstetric Practice chairperson Dr. William Barth told Reuters Health.
The Committee has reported that a daily dose of 200 mg of caffeine is considered “moderate caffeine consumption” and will not significantly contribute to the risk of miscarriage or premature birth. That quantity amounts to a 12-ounce cup of coffee. Moreover, the committee also deemed safe the consumption of about four eight-ounce cups of tea, five 12-ounce cans of soda or consuming seven dark chocolate bars every day.
However, the committee did not clarify if consuming over 200 mg of caffeine every day would contribute as a risk factor for miscarriage or premature birth.
Dr. Barth and his colleagues considered two studies in coming up with the committee’s opinion. The first study was led by Dr. David Savitz of Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York while the second was conducted by Dr. De-Kun Li and his colleagues from Kaiser Permanente’s Division of Research in Oakland.
In the Dr. Savitz-led study, there was no increased risk of miscarriage in women who consumed high amounts of caffeine during pregnancy. The Kaiser Permanente study, however, found increased risk of miscarriage in women who consumed over 200 mg of caffeine daily. But both studies revealed that moderate consumption of caffeine daily will not result in premature birth.
