A study linking "coffee for pregnant women" and short births

A recent study by researchers from the National Institutes of Health in the United States of America found that pregnant women who had higher levels of caffeine consumption during the first trimester gave birth to slightly shorter babies, on average, than those with less caffeine.

This association was seen even with modest amounts of caffeine below the maximum recommended daily dose.

But it is not yet clear whether this association increases the risk of related health problems, such as obesity.

The study was led by the researchers analyzing data from two previous longitudinal observational studies of pregnant women that also followed the health of their children up to age eight.

As part of these studies, the mothers' blood levels of caffeine and paraxanthin (a derivative of caffeine) were measured.

Samples collected in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Then, they compared the results for the height and weight of the children born to these parents.

In both data sets, babies born to mothers who had the least amount of caffeine were slightly longer on average than babies born to those who had the most caffeine.

This height gap became apparent at 4 years of age and increased over 8 years.

Depending on the data set, this difference ranged from 1.5 to 2.2 cm at the age of 8 years.

Importantly, this relationship between caffeine and height was seen even in a dataset where the average subjects were estimated to be consuming less than 50 milligrams of caffeine per day, below the 200 milligram limit of caffeine recommended by organizations such as the American College of Pregnancy.

The results of the study were recently published, according to the Gizmando website.

Other studies have found a link between caffeine consumption of more than 200 milligrams per day (about one or two cups of coffee) during pregnancy and negative health outcomes in babies, including low birth weight.

But the authors were inspired to conduct this research after their previous study last year suggested that newborn size might be affected by smaller doses of caffeine, a hunch reinforced by these new findings.

They also note that there is a plausible biological explanation for this effect.

Caffeine can cross the placenta and reach the fetus, and neither the placenta nor the fetus produce an enzyme that fully allows the fetus to break down caffeine, which means it can build up in fetal tissues.

This study has an advantage over many others, because it was able to directly measure the amount of caffeine people consumed, rather than relying on self-reports, which are notoriously inaccurate.

But it still only found a relationship between caffeine and children's height, and didn't directly show a causal relationship.

And there's a bigger question as to whether this effect, assuming it's real, would have any negative health effects down the line outside of making someone a little shorter than they otherwise would have been.

In theory, abnormalities in the development of fetuses could increase the risk of other health problems later in life.

Shorter height has been linked to an increased risk of diseases such as heart disease and diabetes in the future.

However, the authors did not find a clear link between caffeine consumption and other early signs of these problems in these children, such as increased body weight.

Meanwhile, other research has not found a link between negative health outcomes during pregnancy and caffeine consumption of less than 200 milligrams per day. Some research has even suggested that low doses of caffeine may reduce the risk of certain conditions such as gestational diabetes.

For non-pregnant women, most research continues to suggest that caffeine consumption is a positive thing, if at least in moderation.

The authors and outside experts acknowledge that more studies will be needed, possibly including some that can track outcomes for older children, to see if current caffeine dosing recommendations for pregnant women should change.

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