As Americans, having a cup of coffee every morning is far from unusual. On average, 47% of 18-24-year old’s in America drink coffee (Conway 2020). I have 1-2 cups of coffee every morning. Despite such normalcy around it, through the years, I have heard many of my relatives mention consumption of coffee during pregnancy is a no-go. How come? Is this another myth similar to wrapping your stomach with foil during an eclipse? Consuming coffee has become part of my essential daily routine; however, pregnancy will be one of the most fundamental stages in my life. How can I balance both, or can I?
Caffeine is a natural stimulant that can take effect within 5 – 10 minutes after consumption—ingestion of caffeine results in an increase in heart and breathing rate, energy, and alertness. There are many sources of caffeine include chocolate, tea, along with over-the-counter medicine. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) suggests a daily intake of 400 mg or less for a non-pregnant person not to have any detrimental side effects. However, it drops to 200 mg or less for women expecting (Wierzejska, Wojda 2019). Consumption of coffee has been linked to a decrease in infant birth weight, preterm labor, and increased possibility of miscarriage (APA).
Women who consume >300 mg daily mg of caffeine a day were found to pose a 4.6 increased risk of low birth weight of their child (Hinds & West 1996). This may be related to the chemical structure of caffeine. Caffeine is structurally similar to adenine and guanine, resulting in interference of cell division and metabolism of a fetus. It is also tied to the extensive constriction of blood vessels connecting the fetus to its mothers (Hinds & West 1996). Similarly, an intake of > 150 mg of caffeine showed a significant increase in potential miscarriage compared to women who intake < 150 mg daily. Despite such detrimental effects, there was no connection between consumption of caffeine and preterm labor.
It is safe to say coffee being a no-go during pregnancy is not a myth. Although tea does contain caffeine, it is significantly less than coffee, making it an alternative. However, ingestion of tea, if needed, should be taken in moderation to avoid complications during pregnancy.
I found your post really interesting because I always had the understanding that pregnant women were not supposed to consume caffeine in any quantity. It is interesting that one could consume small amounts, but to be on the safe side it is probably just recommended to not have any at all. I did some quick searches, and I came upon something I found really intriguing.
ReplyDeleteEven though pregnant mothers should not (really) consume caffeine, caffeine is used to treat apnea of prematurity (AOP) in infants. AOP is a condition when premature babies stop breathing for 15-20 seconds during sleep. When a premature baby has this condition, mechanical ventilators are generally needed to ensure that the baby intakes enough oxygen while sleeping. Caffeine non-specifically inhibits adenosine A1 and adenosine 2A receptors (Kumral et al., 2012). This means that CO2 receptor sensitivity, minute ventilation, and neural respiratory drive increase. If caffeine is used, mechanical ventilators are not needed since caffeine is able to treat the AOP. Genetics also play a role in how effective caffeine is as a treatment. Infants who were over 28 weeks gestational age and responded to the caffeine treatment also carried a rs16851030 C/C genotype as opposed to T/C or T/T genotype (Kumral et al., 2012).
I find it interesting that even though caffeine is not recommended to mothers due to its ability to constrict blood vessels, it is used to treat premature babies in order to help them breathe by stimulating the central nervous system and acting as an antagonist to adenosine. Natural drugs are so insane with how they have so many different negative and positive side effects!
Kumral, A., Tuzun, F., Yesilirmak, D., Duman, N., & Ozkan, H. (2012). Acta Paediatrca. 101(7) 299-303. https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.dml.regis.edu/doi/full/10.1111/j.1651-2227.2012.02664.x.