This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Maternal caffeine intake may lead to higher weight gain, BMI in offspring
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Mothers who consume more than six cups of coffee or tea daily during pregnancy are more likely to have children with a lower birth weight, higher weight gain and higher BMI from birth to 6 years, according to study findings published in Obesity.
Ellis Voerman, an MSc student in epidemiology at the Generation R Study Group at Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands, and colleagues analyzed maternal caffeine intake data from the Generation R study, a population-based birth cohort of 7,857 mothers and their children enrolled between 2001 and 2005 (mean age, 30 years; mean prepregnancy BMI, 22.6 kg/m²; all white; 50.4% boys). Participating mothers self-reported caffeine intake in pregnancy during the first, second and third trimesters via mailed questionnaires. Mothers who reported drinking coffee or tea were asked how many cups on average they consumed per day and what type of coffee or tea they consumed. Researchers considered 1 U caffeine the equivalent of one cup of coffee (90 mg caffeine). Growth characteristics of children were measured from birth onward; body fat and insulin were measured at 6 years.
Mothers who reported drinking at least 6 U caffeine daily had children with a lower birth weight vs. mothers who consumed fewer than 2 U caffeine (P < .001). Children whose mothers consumed between 4 U and 5.9 U and at least 6 U caffeine daily during pregnancy tended to have a higher childhood BMI vs. children of mothers who consumed fewer than 2 U caffeine daily (mean of 16 kg/m² and 16.1 kg/m², respectively vs. 15.9 kg/m²). Only children whose mothers consumed at least 6 U caffeine daily had a higher android-to-gynoid fat mass ratio vs. children whose mothers consumed fewer than 2 U daily (0.25 vs. 0.24; P = .197). Researchers did not observe differences for childhood insulin or C-peptide levels.
“Although the observed effect estimates are small and without direct individual clinical consequence, our results suggest that maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy is associated with infant and childhood growth and body fat distribution,” the researchers wrote. “As caffeine is frequently consumed during pregnancy and the prevalence of obesity is still rising, our results underline the need to study the long-term health consequences of maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy.” – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts