Prenatal Caffeine Consumption Linked to Low Birth Weight Babies

(NaturalNews) A new study has found that women who drink as little as one cup of coffee per day while pregnant can significantly increase their child's risk of low birth weight, spurring the British Food Standards Agency (FSA) to lower the maximum recommended daily caffeine intake during pregnancy.Caffeine has been shown to cross the placental barrier into the bloodstream of the fetus, but the exact health effects of the chemical remain largely unknown.In a study published in theAds by Google google_ads[0].line1 + google_ads[0].line2 ' + google_ads[0].line3 google_ads[0].visible_url ''; else if (google_ads.length 1{ s +'' s +'' s +'Ads by Google s +'' s +'' /* For text adsappend each ad to the string. */ for(i 0i google_ads.length++i{ s +'' s + google_ads[i].line1 + google_ads[i].line2 '+ google_ads[i].line3 google_ads[i].visible_url ''; if (google_ads[0].bidtype ="CPC"/insert this snippet for each ad call * google_adnum google_adnum google_ads.length; } s +'' } s +'' } } document.write(s); return; } google_ad_client 'ca-pub-8975038115207273'/substitute your client_id (pub-#) google_ad_channel '12345678'; google_ad_output 'js'; google_max_num_ads '4'; google_ad_type 'text'; google_image_size '728x90'; google_feedback 'on'; google_skip google_adnum/insert this snippet for each ad call */ /--> a2a_linkname="Prenatal Caffeine Consumption Linked to Low Birth Weight Babies";a2a_linkurl="http://www.NaturalNews.com/025838_caffeine_birth_weight_low.html";a2a_show_title=1; Email this article to a friend Printable Version  FREE Email Newsletter Articles Related to This Article: &bullThe hidden dangers of caffeineHow coffee causes exhaustionfatigue and addiction&bullThe Positive and Negative Impact of Caffeine on Women's Health&bullChild-centered marketing causing kids to carry unhealthy food habits into adulthood NaturalNews Store Specials: &bullRaw organic Vanilla powder at 40off &bullSunWarrior Ormus Greens at 20off (3-pack) &bullRevolutionary new Hurom Slow Juicer at the lowest price on the 'net FREE shipping! &bullCertified Organic Nutiva Hemp Seeds at a huge discount (FREE bottle of hemp oil) See more at the NN store... (NaturalNewsA new study has found that women who drink as little as one cup of coffee per day while pregnant can significantly increase their child's risk of low birth weightspurring the British Food Standards Agency (FSAto lower the maximum recommended daily caffeine intake during pregnancy.Caffeine has been shown to cross the placental barrier into the bloodstream of the fetusbut the exact health effects of the chemical remain largely unknown.In a study published in the British Medical Journalresearchers from Leicester and Leeds Universities had 2,635 women who were between their eighth and 12th weeks of pregnancy fill out a questionnaire about their food intakethen tested their saliva for caffeine levelsThey found that women who consumed between 100 and 199 milligrams of caffeine per day were 20 percent more likely to bear a child with low birth weight than women who consumed less than 100 milligrams dailyWomen who consumed between 200 and 299 milligrams per day had a 40 percent higher riskwhile women who drank 300 milligrams or more per day were 50 percent more likely to bear a low birth weight child.Birth weight is a widely used marker of general newborn healthChildren with lower birth weight are at significantly higher risk for a variety of health problems including diabetes and heart disease.In response to the studythe FSA revised its recommendations for pregnant women to a maximum of 200 milligrams per daydown from the prior maximum of 300 milligramsAccording to the FSAthe average cup of home-brewed coffee contains 100 milligrams of caffeinewhile black tea contains half thatThe agency notedhoweverthat caffeine content depends on the beverage brand and the strength of the brewand that coffee or tea purchased out of the home can easily contain more caffeine.FSA officials told pregnant women who had been following the prior guideline not to be alarmedbut merely to stick to the lower amount from now on."If you're pregnant and have been following the previous advicethe risk is likely to be small,chief scientist Andrew Wage said.Sources for this story includenews.bbc.co.ukafp.google.com.ShareyahooBuzzArticleHeadline "Prenatal Caffeine Consumption Linked to Low Birth Weight Babies";yahooBuzzArticleCategory "health";yahooBuzzArticleType "text";yahooBuzzArticleId window.location.href;digg_topic 'HEALTH'; Get articles like this delivered to you FREE in our popular email newsletter

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