Pregnancy, Caffeine & Low Birth Weight Babies

As I have often said in my live broadcasts, "If I made the rules espresso and lemon meringue pie daily". But, unfortunately that would not serve us.

Coffee will not, according to research serve you or your pregnancy, as well as a host of related digestive problems.

For example, one study (1997) study of about 1,000 women in Yugoslavia showed that, among nonsmoking mothers, a “significant reduction” in birth weight was observed in babies whose mothers drank just 71 mg of caffeine a day – less than one cup. Low birth weight is generally considered to be newborn babies weighing less than five pounds.

WHY WOMEN SHOULD reduce if not avoid coffee (at least in the first trimester)

Interestingly, the average caffeine intake of these subjects was 133 mg per day about 1 cup's worth of caffine, or nearly doubles that at which low-birth weight incidences begin to appear. Part of the problem caused by mothers who use caffeine is the way the female body clears caffeine during pregnancy.

Studies have shown that during their first trimester of pregnancy, coffee-drinking women clear caffeine from their bodies in the same way that non-pregnant women do. But after that, the half-life of caffeine (the time it takes to eliminate half of the ingested caffeine from the body) almost doubles – from 2.5 hours to 4.5 hours. This half life is key...

Therefore, since caffeine remains in the body for a longer period of time, it courses through the veins of the fetus for longer periods of time.  This appears more significant in the first trimester.

It’s not unusual, then, for studies to consistently report that there is a significant increased risk of miscarriage and low-birth weight when pregnant mothers drink coffee. And the increased risk starts at extremely low amounts – with just one or two cups a day. And why is all this talk about low-birth weight important? Lower birth weight is linked to increased risk of fetal harm in early infancy.  There are alternatives like green tea.

References: Maternal Caffeine Consumption during Pregnancy and Risk of Low Birth Weight: A Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.

George, Dr. Kosmides nearly lost his life at 19 after a major car accident. This is what moved him into the field of health. Within 5 years of graduating George lost his father at the age of 56 to diabetic side-effects.  He has since studied at some of the largest clinics in north America to learn why!  

For over 22 years Dr. George has been in active practice. He is a best-selling author and founder of a global wellness company Lean Body Academy, a supplement company, a coaching company and author of "Life without diabetes" (The Book) was created to help people around the world to begin to take control of their health and to promote and grow their family's health ethically and honestly.

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