Being pregnant often means giving up certain foods. "Fit Pregnancy" warns expecting mothers to steer clear of raw fish, soft cheeses, deli meats, swordfish, mackerel, tilefish and too many processed foods. Caffeine-rich foods and drinks are on the watch list for many expecting moms, so if you're considering giving up caffeine during pregnancy, it's important to understand the risks and benefits of doing so.
Identification
You'll find caffeine in a number of different foods and beverages, but most people associate it with coffee -- that has approximately 137 mg of caffeine per 8-oz. cup -- and soft drinks -- that have approximately 37 mg of caffeine per 12-oz. bottle, reports HealthDay, a health information news service that's part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Chocolate milk, tea and some energy drinks also contain caffeine.
Potential Risks
Women that consume more than 200 mg per day of caffeine may double their risk for miscarriage. In most cases, the more caffeine you consume, the greater your risk for miscarriage might be, warns De-Kun Li, reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente Northern California's Division of Research, in "Time" magazine. Li and his colleagues conducted a study of 1,063 women and found that those that consumed more than 200 mg per day of caffeine had a one-in-four chance of miscarrying.
Significance
Caffeine has the potential to affect your developing baby in two different ways. While adults can usually metabolize caffeine without problems, fetuses can't -- and since caffeine can move through the placental barrier, it has the potential to interfere with your baby's cell, membrane and tissue development, explains Melinda Johnson, a Phoenix-based registered dietitian and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, in "Fit Pregnancy." Caffeine can also constrict your blood vessels, making it harder for blood to reach your baby, which may affect birth weight, birth age, risk of birth defects and neurological development, says Li in "Time" magazine.
Benefits
Though too much caffeine can be a bad thing, some pregnant women may find a small amount of caffeine beneficial. That's because caffeine has mild mood-lifting and fatigue-fighting powers, explains Victoria J. Drake, a research associate at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. Consuming a small amount of caffeine can help improve your focus, energy and work performance, which may be beneficial if you're dealing with pregnancy-related fatigue.
Expert Insight
As long as you keep your caffeine intake below 200 mg per day -- considered moderate intake -- you and your developing baby shouldn't have to worry about caffeine side effects, says Gene Burkett, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, in HealthDay. According to HealthDay, that's the equivalent of about a cup of coffee or a couple of soft drinks per day.
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