Can you consume caffeine when you are pregnant?
Will it affect the child's development, and make a child hyper-active?
or stressed? These questions bother me and I started researching them.
Here is what I found:
Pay attention to the amount of coffee
A Danish study was carried out between 1989 and 1996.
During this study, 18,478 pregnant women were followed until their delivery. Among them :
43% did not drink coffee,
34% drank one to three cups a day
18% drank four to seven cups
5% drank eight cups or more.
They found that the risk of death in the womb nearly doubled in those who drank four to seven cups of coffee a day. The risk was multiplied by four, in those who drank 8 cups a day.
The harmful effects of coffee are still controversial. And we do not yet know all the mechanisms that are at the origin of the consequences on the child.
The harmful effects that caffeine could have on the fetus
- Caffeine increases the release of catecholamines, (chemical messengers) which can lead to a narrowing of the vessels (vasoconstriction) responsible for supplying the placenta, and lead to a lack of oxygen for the fetus.
-Caffeine can also have a direct effect on the cardiovascular system of the fetus, leading to tachycardias, and other arrhythmias (having the heart beat too fast).
Reduce your caffeine intake
Reducing coffee consumption as much as possible during pregnancy helps reduce growth complications in the womb and after childbirth.
Another study, conducted in Norway, collected data from 59,000 women who carried a pregnancy to term between 1999 and 2009.
Expectant mothers were asked to record their daily consumption of coffee, tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, and chocolate, all of which contain caffeine in varying proportions.
The results are striking:
The results show that the risk of giving birth to a baby with a low birth weight was really higher among mothers who consumed between 200 mg and 300 mg of caffeine, than for those who had absorbed less than 50 mg of caffeine per day. .
Intrauterine growth retardation can also have repercussions in childhood, and even in adulthood, because it is possible to increase the risk of developing certain cardiovascular diseases.
So, according to this study, the ideal would be to drink 50 mg of caffeine per day only:
· a cup (about 250 ml) of filter coffee contains an average of 179 mg of caffeine;
· a 30 ml espresso contains 30 to 90 mg;
· a cup (about 250 ml) of black tea in a bag contains 50 mg;
· a cup (about 250 ml) of green tea contains 30 mg.
What if we drank something to feed the fetus instead?
Something that feels good! Like a beverage with ginger and maca, called BLUES
Ginger: helps reduce heart aches
Maca: helps to give full of iron, and minerals, as much to the mother as to the baby.
Nothing is contraindicated in the BLUES, just drink it with milk and presto! It replaces morning coffee. Because, in addition, maca gives energy. So BLUES allows you to take a caffeine break during this precious time of pregnancy.
If you want to know more about the BLUES here is the link:
https://siffleux.ca/breuvages/ols/products/le-blues
see you soon,
Marie-Hélène, for the Siffleux
Source of information:
1 - Am J Obstet Gynecol 1983;147:939-42
2 - Am J Obstet Gynecol 1983;146:231-2
3- doctissimo.fr/html/pregnancy/
4- sante.lefigaro.fr