Diet Tips During Pregnancy: – Research: Avoid All Coffee

Pregnant women should steer clear of coffee and caffeine, a new peer-reviewed study shows, reports the British newspaper The Guardian. The study links coffee consumption and caffeine intake to miscarriage, low birth weight and stillbirth.

WARNING: Avoid all caffeine during pregnancy, is the advice of researcher Jack James. Photo: University of Reykjavik
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This is a good distance from current health tips for pregnant women. The Norwegian Health Directorate guide for women before and during pregnancy recommends that pregnant women limit their caffeine consumption to 100-200 milligrams per day. This equates to 1-2 cups of coffee.

Extensive empirical evidence

The study, published in the renowned medical journal BMJ Evidence-Based-Medicine, has analyzed more than 1,200 studies on the effects of caffeine on pregnancy. The bottom line is clear: the chances are overwhelming that caffeine leads to an increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, low birth weight and / or pregnancy, acute childhood leukemia, as well as obesity and childhood obesity.

The study found that current advice for pregnant women “does not correspond to the danger indicated by the biological possibility of harm and the ample empirical evidence of actual harm.”

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According to Professor Jack James of the University of Reykjavík, who is behind the study, women should be concerned about all the chemicals they ingest during pregnancy.

– The fact that everyone ingests caffeine does not make this an exception, writes in an email to Dagbladet.

– Caffeine is an addictive substance that has no nutritional value. If nothing else, one should look especially at caffeine, because it is so common.

According to James, we already know a lot about the effect caffeine has on the body, including how it affects nerve processes in the brain, including the center that controls breathing and heart function. Studies in pregnant women show that this also applies to the fetus.

– When you ingest caffeine during pregnancy, the caffeine enters the placenta and the fetus is exposed.

It’s worth noting, according to James, that the fetus cannot burn caffeine. This quality develops the child during her first year of life.

– Not harmless

James emphasizes the importance of everyone agreeing that caffeine is not the harmless substance that we think it is.

– Unfortunately, most health authorities fail. The idea that small amounts of caffeine are safe to consume during pregnancy stands in stark contrast to the scientific evidence. We need to change the acceptance of caffeine during pregnancy!

The researcher emphasizes that asking pregnant women to limit their intake of caffeine indicates that the substance itself is considered dangerous for pregnant women, but nevertheless emphasizes that large amounts are more dangerous than small amounts.

– In addition to this, it should be noted that several of the studies show that those who do not consume caffeine do not experience negative results.

– For the sake of the health of the mother and child, health authorities are working overtime to adopt a more realistic and responsible attitude towards caffeine intake during pregnancy. To put it plainly: Avoid all caffeine during pregnancy.

The Norwegian Health Directorate has developed brochures with dietary advice for pregnant women, but refers to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority for comment as they base their advice on the recommendations of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has no immediate plans to change the recommendations.

– Caffeine in large amounts during pregnancy can increase the risk of negative health effects on the fetus. The maximum recommended amount during pregnancy is 200 mg per day. This is based on assessments by EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) and VKM (Scientific Committee for Food and the Environment), writes Merethe Steen, section head, labeling and quality at the Norwegian Food Safety Authority in an email to Dagbladet.

To put it plainly: Avoid all caffeine during pregnancy.
Jack James, University of Reykjavik

He adds that coffee contains a lot more substances besides caffeine, so the same advice applies here as with everything else: use it in moderation.

– When the Norwegian Food Safety Authority gives advice and warnings, it is generally based on risk assessments from EFSA and VKM. EFSA has leading experts from Europe and the world, and they use all available scientific documentation in their risk assessments. We have not yet entered this report, but the Norwegian Food Safety Authority is pleased with all the research that can provide us with more insight and that can be included in further risk assessments.

A new recommendation may be expected in the spring, as VKM is planning a new risk assessment on caffeine exposure from food, beverages and cosmetics.

– interesting

– It is interesting and appears to be a complete report, as far as can be judged. However, it is neither possible nor correct to conclude on this, in relation to changing the recommendations that we give to pregnant women here and now. Here, the experts should come in and evaluate this.

This is what the specialist in general medicine and GP Kari Løvendhal Mogstad says, who has worked a lot with pregnancy and child health.

– We already have in the national guidelines that we follow, a recommendation that pregnant women should be moderate with coffee, due to the risk of low birth weight.

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– Are people aware of these dangers?

– Yes, there is already awareness around this, and I feel that pregnant women generally do not want to drink much coffee. But, if you turn out to be as bummed as the researcher says in this report, then of course it’s important to take it seriously.

– Given this, what do you think of the recommendations of the authorities?

– These issues are constantly evaluated by the authorities and I think it is important to have confidence in them. Both of us who are GPs and midwives working with pregnant women, as well as those who are going to have children, are constantly affected by constantly new advice and warnings, and it is actually demanding to navigate for both us and pregnant women.

– Constantly receiving different advice about what is good and what is scary, can in my opinion help to make the experience of getting pregnant worse, and it is not good or healthy to be worried all the time, says Mogstad to Dagbladet.

– My advice is that you choose to have confidence in us who work in maternity, be curious, do not hesitate to ask, and then, as professionals, we must try to give the best qualified advice that we can at all times.

Too early to comment

Bjørn Grydeland at Norsk Kaffeinformasjon tells Dagbladet that they are aware of the survey, but have no health background to comment on this particular survey.

Instead, they mean the Institute for Scientific Coffee Information (ISIC), an institution that Norwegian Coffee Information generally relies on when it comes to such questions. Last night, ISIC sent a message commenting on the BMJ study:

The plain truth about coffee

– Based on current scientific findings, ISIC supports follow-up of official advice on caffeine intake during pregnancy, writes ISIC and refers to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), as in its “Scientific Opinion on caffeine “(Scientific Opinion on Caffeine, ed. note), since 2015, pregnant women advise limiting caffeine intake to 200 mg per day. This is in line with the advice given today by the Norwegian authorities.

ISIC also notes that findings from studies looking at the link between caffeine intake and pregnancy can be confused with other factors, such as quitting smoking and other dietary changes.