Pregnancy

Recommendations for caffeine intake during pregnancy

Current recommendations for caffeine intake during pregnancy range from 200-300 mg/day from all sources, not simply from coffee*.

Research Highlights

• Only one good quality, intervention study looks at the clinical basis for the restriction of caffeine intake in pregnancy:
  • A review published in 2009¹ highlighted a Danish study that split over 1000 pregnant women into 2 groups. One group of women drank caffeinated instant coffee and the other decaffeinated instant coffee for the rest of their pregnancy.
  • No effect on birth weight or length of gestation was found when the caffeine intake of the regular coffee drinkers was reduced (by approximately 2 regular cups of coffee) during the second and third trimesters.
• A 2008 paper by Weng et al² created a degree of confusion around a safe level for caffeine intake during pregnancy which led different organisations to provide different advice.
  • Following research³ carried out in the UK around the same time, The Food Standards Agency suggests an upper safe limit for pregnant women of 200mg of caffeine per day from all sources.
  • Similar advice is provided by the March of the Dimes in the US.
  • The American Dietetic Association (ADA), suggests maintaining the previously commonly accepted upper limit of 300mg/day.
  • The EU Scientific Committee on Food states that “While intakes (of caffeine) up to 300mg/day appear to be safe, the possible question of effects on pregnancy and the offspring at regular intakes above 300mg/day remains open.”

* A regular cup of coffee contains approximately 100mg of caffeine