By: SUZY TURNER
PREGNANT WOMEN who consume caffeine are increasing their risk of miscarriage, according to new research.
Over 1,000 pregnant women in their early 20s were studied and the results are believed to be the most convincing yet.
The women, all in early stages of pregnancy, were questioned in detail about their beverage consumption and whether they were experiencing morning sickness.
Those who consumed 200 milligrams or more of caffeine a day were about twice as likely to miscarry, according to the study.
This is the amount of caffeine found in about two cups of coffee, five cans of coke or six cups of tea, says De-Kun Li, a reproductive and prenatal epidemiologist who led the study in San Francisco.
“These findings are consistent with those of earlier studies, which have found an increased risk of miscarriage from daily consumption of about 150 to 300 milligrams of caffeine. But we went one step further in determining whether it was the caffeine itself or if it was women changing their drinking patterns”, he said.
Li recommended that women who are pregnant or who are trying to conceive should reduce the amount they drink to no more than one cup a day.
