U.K. Studies Alter Recommendations On Low-Level Alcohol, Caffeine Consumption During Pregnancy

Main Category: Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Also Included In: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs;  Nutrition / Diet;  Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 13 Nov 2008 - 11:00 PST

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U.K. policymakers are shifting recommendations on consumption of low levels of alcohol and caffeine during pregnancy in reaction to two recent studies on the effects of the drugs, the Los Angeles Times reports. The studies -- which were the "largest and most rigorous" to date on low-level alcohol and caffeine consumption during pregnancy -- challenge the notion that alcohol should be avoided entirely during pregnancy and that light caffeine consumption has no effect on outcomes, according to the Times. The Times reports that the two studies suggest that "limited alcohol consumption is not so bad, while regular caffeine intake is worse than we thought."

The first study, published online in October in the International Journal of Epidemiology, examined the relationship between women's alcohol consumption during pregnancy and their children's inappropriate conduct -- such as hitting, arguing or acting out -- at age three. The study found no difference in the behavior of children of women who consumed one or two drinks throughout the entire pregnancy and those who drank "lightly," which was defined as having no more than two drinks on two occasions per week. While the connection between heavy drinking and fetal alcohol syndrome is well studied, there has been little research examining the effects of light drinking, according to lead author Yvonne Kelly, an epidemiologist at the University College of London. The findings have led to conflicting recommendations from two major U.K. policy groups, "with one urging complete abstinence and the other recommending no more than one to two drinks once or twice a week in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, but none in the first," the Times reports. In the U.S., the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advises pregnant women to avoid alcohol altogether, according to the Times.

The second study -- which will be published online in the British Medical Journal -- found that women who consumed more than 200 milligrams of caffeine per day had infants weighing an average of 2.2 ounces less than infants of women who consumed less than 100 mg of caffeine. Consumption of more than 300 mg of caffeine resulted in a 5-ounce reduction in birth weight, which could significantly affect the health of very low birth weight infants, according to Justin Konje, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Leicester. As a result of the study on caffeine consumption, the U.K. Food Standards Agency issued new recommendations that reduced the previous guidelines on caffeine consumption from 300 mg to 200 mg per day. In the U.S., the March of Dimes says consumption should be limited to 200 mg per day (Adams, Los Angeles Times, 11/10).

The study on alcohol consumption is available online.

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